September 2010 – NASET Resource Review

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In this issue you will find resources in the following areas:

  • Accommodations

  • AD/HD (Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder)

  • Assistive Technology

  • Autism

  • Behavioral/emotional disorders

  • Developmental Disabilities

  • Early Childhood

  • Functional Behavioral Assessments

  • Functional behavioral assessments: What, why, when, where, and who?

  • IEP’s

  • Inclusion

  • Learning disabilities (LD)

  • Living with a Disability in America

  • Parent Resources

  • Parent Surveys

  • Pre-School

  • Professional Development Resources

  • Reading Resources

  • RTI

  • Special Education Q&A

  • Teacher Resources

  • Workplace Issues

Accommodations

Making classroom accommodations.
Take another look at our April 2010 enewsletter’s special focus section.
https://www.nichcy.org/Newsletters/Pages/April2010.aspx

AD/HD (Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder)

AssistiveTechnology

iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch apps for special education.
This comprehensive list describes apps that support reading, writing, communication, organizational skills, and much more. A homework tracker, alphabet flashcards, American Sign Language, and visual whiteboards are just a few specific examples.
https://www.scribd.com/doc/24470331/iPhone-iPad-and-iPod-touch-Apps-for-Special-Education 


Would the student benefit from assistive technology?
IDEA requires that IEP teams consider student needs for AT. Check out the
Assistive Technology Tool at the updated TechMatrix to find educational and assistive technology products for students with special needs. Find reviewed products, research, and resources; compare educational and AT products side by side; and explore research topics such as math, reading, differentiating instruction, and science for struggling students. https://www.techmatrix.org/

A new STAR Legacy Module: Assistive Technology: An Overview.
https://iris.peabody.vanderbilt.edu/at/chalcycle.htm 
More on AT for students, from the experts.
The Family Center on Technology and Disability is loaded with info on specific AT products and how to use them to support the needs of students with the disabilities in the classroom and beyond. https://www.fctd.info

Autism

Evidence-based practices for young children with autism spectrum disorders.
A new issue of the International Journal of Early Childhood Special Education (INT-JECSE) includes an article highlighting evidence-based practices for young children with ASD and discusses guidelines and recommendations from the National Resource Council and the National Professional Development Center on Autism Spectrum Disorders. https://www.int-jecse.net/V2N1-ARTICLE4.pdf

Autism modules online. This series of online learning modules includes information on assessment and identification of ASDs, recognizing and understanding behaviors and characteristics, transition to adulthood, employment, and numerous evidence-based practices and interventions. All module content has been written by ASD experts from across the U.S. Register for free and have at ’em!
https://www.autisminternetmodules.org/

Autism spectrum disorders (ASD).

Behavioral/emotional disorders

Developmental Disabilities

Tell ADD what issues are most important to you.
The Administration on Developmental Disabilities wants to hear what issues are most important to individuals with developmental disabilities and their families. They want feedback and ideas, stories, problems, and successes. Respond to the Priority Survey at the address below—the deadline’s September 10th.
https://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/add/survey/survey_coded_final.html

Take ARC’s Family and Individual Needs for Disability Supports (FINDS) survey.
An informational survey is being conducted by The Arc,
to capture the perceptions of individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities of all ages,and their families, on issues concerning disability support needs across the life spectrum.  https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/TheArcFinds2010

Early Childhood

Video: Foundations of Transition for Young Children.
This 8-minute video from Project CONNECT gives an overview of the desirable outcomes of transition, research identifying effective transition practices, as well as the legal requirements of early childhood transition.
https://tadnet.ning.com/video/latest-video-from-connect

DEC’s 26th Annual International Conference on Young Children with Special Needs and Their Families.
October 14-17, 2010 in Kansas City, MO
DEC is the Division for Early Childhood, a division of the Council for Exceptional Children. Find out about the conference, at: https://www.dec-sped.org/Conference 

The Department launches the Early Learning Initiative webpage.
This webpage will give you information about: key programs, funding opportunities, resources and publications, technical assistance, and interagency work; early learning in the Administration’s proposal for reauthorizing the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA); and investments in early learning across departments. https://www.ed.gov/early-learning

Early Childhood Research & Reference Portal.
Also from NECTAC, the portal links to national and state by state EC data sources, evidence-based practices, online journals, literature databases, and grants databases.  https://nectac.org/portal/portal.asp

New from CSEFEL.
The Center on the Social and Emotional Foundations for Early Learning offers several new videos and guidelines:

Functional Behavioral Assessments

Functional behavioral assessments: What, why, when, where, and who?
From Wrightslaw. https://www.wrightslaw.com/info/discipl.fab.starin.htm

IEP’s

IEPs for students with behavior problems.
Another from Wrightslaw. https://www.wrightslaw.com/howey/iep.special.factors.htm

Inclusion

IEP and inclusion tips for parents and teachers.
This 82-page guide is beautifully produced, very easy to read, and full of info.
https://www.nami.org/Content/ContentGroups/CAAC/IEPTips.pdf

Learning disabilities (LD)

Living with a Disability inAmerica

It’s Our Story.
The It’s Our Story archive went live exactly 20 years after the Americans with Disability Act was signed into law. The website archive holds the most comprehensive collection of video, photos, and documents uncovering the power, pride, and personal struggle of living with a disability in America. 
https://sites.google.com/a/pinedafoundation.org/ios/home

Parent Resources

Lots of great new stuff from Matrix Parent Resource Center.
Matrix is one of 100 Parent Training and Information Centers (PTIs) nationwide, providing training and information to parents of infants, toddlers, children, and youth with all disabilities – physical, cognitive, emotional and learning. Matrix also serves as the leading agency for Region 6, providing assistance to Parent Centers in eight states. Check out these two new resources:

  • Back to school supplies for parents
    https://tinyurl.com/29p9t79
  • Online training: Building Confidence and Building a Better IEP
    https://www.matrixparents.org/2-services/onlinetraining/buildingconfidence/player.html
  • Ideas for parents: Encouraging your child’s higher order thinking skills.
    Higher order thinking (HOT) goes beyond basic memorization and recounting simple facts. It’s the deeper kind of thinking that requires kids to do something with the facts: understand, infer, connect, categorize, manipulate, assemble in new ways, and apply. This article describes several simple ways that parents can encourage children’s complex thinking.
    https://www.readingrockets.org/article/34655
  • Child Welfare Information Gateway.
    The gateway connects child welfare and related professionals to comprehensive information and resources to help protect children and strengthen families.
    https://www.childwelfare.gov
  • For family organizations: Assessing your cultural competence.
    While there are many tools and instruments to assess organizational cultural and linguistic competence, none has been specifically developed to address the unique functions of family organizations concerned with children and youth with behavioral-emotional disorders, special health care needs, and disabilities. The Cultural and Linguistic Competence Family Organization Assessment Instrument was developed to fill this void.  https://www.gucchdgeorgetown.net/nccc/clcfoa/

Parent Surveys

PACER Survey Parent Survey
https://www.fastfamilysupport.org
Parents or primary caregivers of young people with disabilities 12-22 years old are invited to take part in a national research study by completing the National Family Support Survey, conducted by the FAST Project. Answers to the questions on the National Family Support Survey are confidential and will help the Administration on Developmental Disabilities, parent centers, and researchers understand the information and supports families need to prepare for moving into adulthood. This information may help to inform program development for youth with disabilities in the future. The survey is available in Spanish also.

Pre-School

Literacy Express.
The What Works Clearinghouse (WWC) has released an updated Intervention Report on Literacy Express, a preschool curriculum designed for 3- to 5-year-old children that aims to improve oral language, literacy, basic math, science, general knowledge, and social-emotional development.
https://ies.ed.gov/ncee/wwc/reports/early_ed/lit_express/

Professional Development Resources

A national online library of professional development resources.
This library provides local educators with easy access to an array of resources that can be used or customized to meet their needs.
https://www.learningport.us/

Reading Resources

Effective instruction for adolescent struggling readers.
This 2nd edition from the Center on Instruction details selected research-based instructional practices associated with positive effects for adolescent struggling readers. The suite includes (a) a meta-analysis, (b) a practice brief, (c) a professional development module, and (d) training of trainers materials.
https://centeroninstruction.org/resources.cfm?category=reading&subcategory=materials&grade_start=4&grade_end=12#153
WWC reviews research on adolescent literacy interventions.
Methods designed to improve adolescent literacy are the focus of three new WWC Intervention Reports in the topic area of Adolescent Literacy. The reports examine the research on Reading Mastery, Accelerated Reader™, and Concept-Oriented Reading Instruction.
https://educationresearchreport.blogspot.com/2010/08/wwc-reviews-research-on-adolescent.html



RTI

A Family Guide to RTI.
RTI stands for response to intervention. It’s a tiered program that provides extra instructional support to struggling students and also helps schools determine if more intervention is needed, such as special education.
https://ideapartnership.org/documents/FAmily-RTI-guide.pdf

Essential components of RTI.
This brief developed by the National Center on Response to Intervention (NCRTI) identifies and describes the essential components of RTI: a school-wide, main-level instructional and behavioral system for preventing school failure; screening; progress monitoring; and data-based decision-making for instruction, movement within the multi-level system, and disability identification.
https://centeroninstruction.org/resources.cfm?category=specialEd&subcategory=materials&grade_start=0&grade_end=12#29

Special Education Q&A

Who’s eligible for special education?
IDEA defines the categories of disability under which children may be found eligible for special education services in public school.
https://www.nichcy.org/Disabilities/Categories/Pages/Default.aspx

What are the 10 basic steps of special education?
https://www.nichcy.org/EducateChildren/Steps/Pages/default.aspx

What’s involved in evaluating children for disability?
https://www.nichcy.org/EducateChildren/evaluation/Pages/default.aspx

Parent notification, consent, and right to participate in meetings and decision making.
https://www.nichcy.org/InformationResources/Documents/NICHCY%20PUBS/QA2.pdf

Writing that IEP: Who’s involved, what’s in it, what goes on at the meeting.
https://www.nichcy.org/EducateChildren/IEP/Pages/default.aspx

How is a student’s placement decided?
https://www.nichcy.org/EducateChildren/placement/Pages/default.aspx

When families and schools don’t agree: Options for resolving disputes.
https://www.nichcy.org/EducateChildren/disputes/Pages/default.aspx

Addressing behavior issues.
https://www.nichcy.org/Pages/behaviorsuite.aspx

What about school discipline policies for students with disabilities?
https://www.nichcy.org/EducateChildren/placement/Pages/disciplineplacements.aspx
Adolescence: Time to plan for transition to adult life.
https://www.nichcy.org/EducateChildren/transition_adulthood/Pages/Default.aspx

Teacher Resources

Teaching special kids: Online resources for teachers.
https://www.educationworld.com/a_curr/curr139.shtml

Visit Teacher Vision.
You won’t be sorry. What a wealth of information on teaching students with disabilities, managing classroom behavior, providing accommodations, adapting curriculum, and much more. Start with these three pages:

  • Adaptations and modifications
    https://www.teachervision.fen.com/special-education/resource/5347.html?detoured=1
  • Special needs – Teacher resources
    https://www.teachervision.fen.com/special-education/teacher-resources/6640.html?detoured=1
  • IEPs and beyond
    https://www.teachervision.fen.com/special-education/resource/17706.html?detoured=1
  • Developing and Improving Modified Achievement Level Descriptors: Rationale, Procedures, and Tools  (June 2010)  Report
    https://www.cehd.umn.edu/nceo/OnlinePubs/ALDtool/ALDtool.pdf This paper from the National Center on Educational Outcomes provides a rationale, procedures, and tools to develop and improve alternate assessments based on modified achievement standards (AA-MAS) achievement level descriptors (ALDs). As states consider whether and how to develop an AA-MAS, they also develop a defense of their choices. This paper proposes a process to guide states so that stakeholders and policymakers can articulate, from the beginning, the educational rationale for their choices and the implications of this rationale for their design choices in developing ALDs. Available in pdf (75 pages, 489 KB).
  • Earning a High School Diploma through Alternative Routes  (June 2010) 
    Synthesis Report
    https://www.cehd.umn.edu/nceo/OnlinePubs/Synthesis76/Synthesis76.pdf
    Earning a standard diploma has become increasingly important. Not only does it improve post school outcomes, but it also has become a part of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) accountability system at the high school level, with the required graduation rate including only those students who have earned a regular or standard high school diploma or higher. The purpose of the study reported here, from the National Center on Educational Outcomes, was to examine the alternative routes to passing the high school exit exam that were available during the school year 2008-09 to students to earn a standard high school diploma. It examines alternative routes in the 26 states with active or soon-to-be active exit exams, and documents the alternative routes available for all students and those specifically for students with disabilities. Available in pdf (110 pages, 963 KB).
  • Students With Disabilities: Data – 2009 Survey of States: Accomplishments and New Issues at the End of a Decade of Change  (June 2010) 
    Report
    https://www.cehd.umn.edu/NCEO/OnlinePubs/2009StateSurvey.pdf
    This report is a snapshot of the new initiatives, trends, accomplishments, and emerging issues during this period of standards-based education reform as states document the academic achievement of students with disabilities. It summarizes the 12th survey of states by the Institute on Community Integration’s National Center on Educational Outcomes (NCEO). Results are presented for all 50 states and 8 of the 11 federally-funded entities (unique states). Published by NCEO, it is available in pdf (1.35 MB, 53 pp).
  • Students With Disabilities: Data – Annual Performance Report: 2007-2008 State Assessment Data  (August 2010) 
    Report
    https://www.cehd.umn.edu/NCEO/OnlinePubs/APRreport2007-2008.pdf
    This report summarizes the 2007-2008 state assessment information that was submitted to the U.S. Secretary of Education by states in their Annual Performance Reports, as required of states (and other educational entities) receiving Part B funding under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). It contains information on large-scale assessment participation and performance data for the 2007-2008 school year plus a look at recent trends. Published by the Institute on Community Integration’s National Center on Educational Outcomes (NCEO), it is available in pdf (4.53 MB, 226 pp).
  • Charting the Course: Supporting the Career Development of Youth with Learning Disabilities  (2010) Guide
    https://www.ncwd-youth.info/ld-guide
    Published by the Institute for Educational Leadership, National Collaborative on Workforce and Disability for Youth, in Washington, DC, this guide is intended for practitioners, administrators, and policymakers in secondary and postsecondary education programs, transition programs, One-Stop Career Centers, youth employment programs, and community rehabilitation programs, to help them improve services and outcomes for youth, ages 14 to 25, with diagnosed and undiagnosed learning disabilities. It includes reference charts, tables, and tools for counselors, career advisors, and other professionals who work directly with youth; and in-depth information on a such topics as the types and impact of learning disabilities, needed supports, and research-based interventions. Support is especially needed for youth in the workforce development system with learning disabilities that have not been identified and others who know they have a learning disability but choose not to disclose it. Many of the approaches advocated in this guide are based on universal design, making them useful to all youth, with or without disabilities.
  • Council of State Governments Releases Survey and Findings on State Disability Policy  (July 2010)
    Report
    https://knowledgecenter.csg.org/drupal/content/ada-20-view-states
    On the 20th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act, the Council of State Governments (CSG) released a comprehensive survey of state policy related to disabilities, featuring nearly 149 different entries from 31 states, to help spread awareness of these programs from across the nation. Challenges and issues facing disability are numerous. State and federal governments continue to struggle in developing policies on housing, employment, and independent living. This document provides policymakers with information on policies that they can pursue in their own states.
  • Department of Labor Announces Release of PAS Toolkit for Youth with Disabilities  (2010)
    Toolkit
    www.ncwd-youth.info/PAS-Toolkit
    The Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP), through its Youth Technical Assistance Center, has released “Making the Move to Managing Your Own Personal Assistance Services (PAS): A Toolkit for Youth Transitioning to Adulthood,” a guide designed to help transition-aged youth with significant disabilities, as well as their family and friends, navigate the complex world of PAS. Transitioning into adulthood can be awkward for nearly everyone. For transition-age youth with disabilities, issues surrounding managing Personal Assistance Services (PAS) can be intensified by the normal concerns of navigating the road into adulthood. Accessing and maintaining long-term supports, such as PAS, can be a significant barrier to employment of youth and adults with disabilities.
  • Documenting What Works  (2010)
    Report
    https://www.agi.harvard.edu/events/2009Conference/2009AGIReport.php
    This report from the Achievement Gap Initiative (AGI) at Harvard University looks at 15 outstanding public high schools from Massachusetts, Illinois, Ohio, Maryland, Texas, and Washington, DC. Teams from each school made presentations at the 2009 AGI conference and were questioned by experts about the methods by which they had achieved progress (e.g., high value-added test score gains on statewide assessment tests and narrowing test-score achievement gaps).
  • Improving Transition Outcomes for Youth Involved in the Juvenile Justice System: Practical Considerations  (March 2010)
    Brief
    https://tinyurl.com/3xq7qcx
    This InfoBrief from the National Collaborative on Workforce and Disability-Youth describes the characteristics of and issues faced by youth involved with the juvenile justice system, including those with disabilities. It provides a framework for youth service professionals to help youth avoid or transition out of the juvenile justice system, promotes cross-systems collaboration, and highlights promising practices being used around the country. (This InfoBrief is based on “Making the Right Turn: A Guide about Improving Transition Outcomes for Youth Involved in the Juvenile Corrections System,” available at: https://www.ncwd-youth.info/juvenile-justice-guide.) Available in pdf (12 pages, 291 KB).
  • Learning from Leadership: New Report Finds Effective School Leadership Is Strongly Connected to Student Achievement  (July 2010)
    Report
    https://tinyurl.com/2fncevh
    “Learning from Leadership: Investigating the Links to Improved Student Learning,” a report on the Wallace Foundation’s study of the importance of strong school leadership, confirms that strong school leadership is influences student achievement. Among school-related influences on student achievement, school leadership is second in importance only to classroom instruction. The report stresses that leadership must be “collective,” a collaborated effort among educators, parents, students, principals, and community members. The combined influence of these stakeholders has a greater impact on student learning than any one leader, according to the study. Available in pdf (338 pages, 3.31 MB).
  • National High School Center’s “Tiered Interventions in High Schools: Using Preliminary ‘Lessons Learned’ to Guide Ongoing Discussion”  (May 2010)
    Report
    https://www.betterhighschools.org/pubs/#Calls
    The National High School Center has released an analysis of Response to Intervention (RTI) in several high schools, “Tiered Interventions in High Schools: Using Preliminary ‘Lessons Learned’ to Guide Ongoing Discussion.” It reports the initial work of the High School Tiered Interventions Initiative (HSTII), a collaborative project of the National High School Center, the National Center on Response to Intervention, and the Center on Instruction, and summarizes what HSTII has learned about effective RTI implementation in high schools. It includes a brief description of the RTI framework and the essential components of RTI, illustrates how the essential components of RTI were implemented at eight visited schools, highlights contextual factors unique to high schools, and examines how these factors can affect school-level implementation of tiered interventions.
  • NCES Updates Public School Student Enrollment and Staff Counts  (August 2010)
    Report
    https://nces.ed.gov/pubsearch/pubsinfo.asp?pubid=2010347
    The U.S. Department of Education’s Institute of Education Sciences’ National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) has released the 2008-09 school year data from the State Nonfiscal Survey of Public Elementary/Secondary Education Survey of the Common Core of Data (CCD) survey system. The accompanying First Look presents national and state level data on student enrollment by grade and by race/ethnicity within grade, the numbers of teachers and other education staff, and several student/staff ratios for the school year.
  • NCWD/Youth and ODEP Release Cyber Disclosure Workbook for Youth with Disabilities  (2010)
    Report
    The National Collaborative on Workforce and Disability-Youth (NCWD/Y) and the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP) have released “Cyber Disclosure for Youth with Disabilities,” a supplement to “The 411 on Disability Disclosure: A Workbook for Youth with Disabilities,” to help youth learn about disability disclosure and what it means for them. Search sites like Google, social networking sites like Facebook, and micro-blogging sites like Twitter have added a new element to disclosure. Without even being aware of it, an individual can disclose disability status on the internet, for instance, by including a picture of oneself using a wheelchair, or commenting on a friend’s blog about disability, or posting a profile on a disability organization’s website. This document provides youth suggestions on how to make informed decisions about their own disability disclosure and to manage their disclosures online.
  • NCWD/Youth Releases Workbook to Aid Adults Supporting Youth with Disability  (2010)
    Report
    https://www.ncwd-youth.info/411-on-disability-disclosure-for-adults
    The National Collaborative on Workforce and Disability-Youth (NCWD/Y) has released “The 411 on Disability Disclosure: A Workbook for Families, Educators, Youth Service Professionals, and Adult Allies Who Care About Youth with Disabilities,” for adults in the lives of young people (both those with visible disabilities and with disabilities not apparent to others). This workbook helps adults make informed decisions about teaching a young man or woman about his or her rights and responsibilities in disclosing his or her disability, a decision that will affect the young person’s educational, employment, and social life. It also helps adults learn how to support a young person with a disability as he or she takes steps in becoming more independent and self-sufficient.
     
    • ODEP Releases Making the Move to Managing Your Own Personal Assistance Services (PAS): A Toolkit for Youth Transitioning to Adulthood  (2010)
    Toolkit
    https://www.ncwd-youth.info/PAS-Toolkit
    Through the National Collaborative on Workforce and Disability-Youth, the Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP) has released “Making the Move to Managing Your Own Personal Assistance Services (PAS): A Toolkit for Youth Transitioning to Adulthood.” Whether moving from school or a home setting to work, college, or living on their own, transition-aged youth with significant disabilities and their families or friends can benefit from the information and guidance offered by the toolkit in navigating the complex world of PAS. This toolkit assists youth in strengthening some of the fundamental skills essential for successfully managing their own PAS: effective communication, time-management, working with others, and establishing professional relationships.
  • Preventing Mental, Emotional, and Behavioral Disorders among Young People  (March 2009)
    Report
    https://tinyurl.com/25kwppp
    Mental health and substance use disorders among children, youth, and young adults are major threats to the health and well-being of younger populations, often carrying over into adulthood. The costs of treatment for mental health and addictive disorders are an enormous burden on the affected individuals, their families, and society. This burden can be lessened by finding prevention practices that impede the onset or reduce the severity of the disorders. “Preventing Mental, Emotional, and Behavioral Disorders Among Young People” updates a 1994 Institute of Medicine book, “Reducing Risks for Mental Disorders,” focusing special attention on the research and work with younger populations that have been done since that time.
  • Program Quality Matters for Adolescent Outcomes  (August 2010) 
    Research Report
    https://www.childtrends.org/Files//Child_Trends-2010_08_02_RB_OSTProgramQuality.pdf
    Child Trends has released a report, “How Out-of-School Time Program quality is Related to Adolescent Outcomes.” The report finds positive outcomes for adolescents in high-quality out-of-school time programs, but no significant differences between adolescents in low-quality programs and those not in a program at all. It is based on data from the “Every Child Every Promise” survey commissioned by the America’s Promise Alliance. High-quality out-of-school time programs are defined as those that promote a sense of physical and emotional safety, enable youth to build positive relationships, allow youth a role in decisions, and support development of social skills, like conflict resolution, leadership, and teamwork. Available in pdf (260 KB, 8 pp).
  • Secondary Newcomer Programs in The United States: Exemplary Programs for Newcomer English Language Learners  (2009)
    Database
    https://www.cal.org/CALWebDB/Newcomer/
    The Center for Applied Linguistics (CAL) has published an online searchable database that includes profiles of more than 60 programs in 23 states that participated in the research study, “Exemplary Programs for Newcomer English Language Learners at the Secondary Level,” during the 2008-2009 school year. The study was part of a research program conducted by CAL for the Carnegie Corporation of New York. Each program’s profile provides information on student demographics, program design, instruction and assessment, student transitions, staffing, family connections, and social networks. All programs can be browsed by state, school level, program type, program length, etc.
  • St Paul Elementary School Makes Learning Stick  (July 2010)
    Report
    https://www.makeitstick.org/content/st-paul-elementary-school-makes-learning-stick
    Once one of the worst schools in Saint Paul, MN, Dayton’s Bluff Elementary has worked over the past nine years to collaborate across sectors, improve professional development, provide innovative approaches to learning, and truly let research drive decision making. The “Make It Stick” site includes a report on the school’s accomplishments. In math, 75% of students are proficient, up from 19% in 2001. In reading, 69% are now proficient, up from 24% nine years ago. The collaboration is a partnership between the Saint Paul Public Schools, Amherst H. Wilder Foundation, and Achievement Plus, working to improve student achievement in Saint Paul’s urban schools, while also creating an urban education model and demonstration site.
  • American Institutes for Research’s National High School Center
    https://www.betterhighschools.org/
    The National High School Center, based at the American Institutes for Research, provides the latest research, user-friendly tools and products, and high-quality technical assistance on high school improvement issues.
  • SparkAction.org
    https://sparkaction.org/
    Formally known as Connect for Kids, SparkAction has re-launched a new, improved site: SparkAction.org. The new site merges the comprehensive CFK library of articles and resources with the Youth Policy Action Center’s high-tech online advocacy tools and the National Youth Development Information Center’s publications. SparkAction was developed with input from hundreds of organizations and young people across the country.

Workplace Issues

Questions about workplace accommodations or the ADA? Ask JAN.
JAN is the Job Accommodations Network, and the info they offer about providing accommodations for people with disabilities in the workplace is extraordinary.
https://askjan.org/index.html

Adult autism and employment: A guide for VR professionals.
This guide is intended for vocational rehab professionals and employment service providers. It discusses the aspects of autism that can impact a person’s job performance and how the job and work environment can be adjusted to accommodate.
https://www.dps.missouri.edu/Autism/Adult%20Autism%20&%20Employment.pdf

Save the Date for the National Conference on Autism and Employment.
March 3-4, 2011 in St. Louis, MO.
This conference is bringing the autism and vocational rehabilitation communities together to improve employment opportunities for adults with autism. Find out more at: https://www.dps.missouri.edu/Autism.html?cmpNWS

Taxi toolkit and taxicab operator’s pocket guide.
Easter Seals Project Action offers The Taxi Toolkit, a compilation of resources for taxi drivers and operators who want to provide good customer service to passengers with disabilities. The toolkit features a self-study course, a PowerPoint presentation for group training, Frequently Asked Questions on the ADA, an Extreme Taxi Overhaul Game for training, a customer service poster, and a Taxicab Operator’s Pocket Guide.
https://projectaction.easterseals.com/site/R?i=_ORpzqeRTWe0rfwBS2yTkg..

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