In this issue you will find resources in the following areas:
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Autism
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Early Childhood Education
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Inclusion
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Infants and Toddlers
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Intellectual Disabilities
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Participation Requests
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Reading
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Restraint and Seclusion
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Reciprocal Teaching
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Self Determination
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Special Education Resources
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Traumatic Brain Injuries
Autism
Parent training in autism.
The Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities at UCDavis has developed a free, online training series called ADEPT–Autism Distance Education Parent Training Interactive Learning. ADEPT is a 10-lesson interactive, self-paced, online learning module that gives parents the tools and training to more effectively teach their child with autism using Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) techniques.
https://www.ucdmc.ucdavis.edu/ddcenter/CEDD_ourproducts.html
Free Webinar | Teaching Communication to Young Children with ASD.
March 8, 2011, 3:30pm
Hosted by: Virginia Commonwealth University’s Autism Center for Excellence
https://www.vcuautismcenter.org/registration/webcast/index.cfm
Tell Me About the Story: Comprehension Strategies for Students with Autism.
Reading comprehension is often a concern for the teachers of students with autism. The comprehension strategies described in this article from Reading Rockets may help some students gain comprehension skills and improve their ability to read and communicate about written material.
https://www.readingrockets.org/article/36973
New VCU Autism Center for Excellence website.
The website provides information on training activities occurring throughout the state (Virginia) as well as a host of online training events for anyone who lives with, works with, or supports an individual with an autism spectrum disorder. Resources including fact sheets and summaries of journal articles on topics related to ASD are also available.
https://www.vcuautismcenter.org/index.cfm
Early Childhood Education
Professional development in early childhood education.
View the presentations at the Year 5 symposium held by the National Center for Research on Early Childhood Education in November 3020. The symposium brought together 60 researchers, policy makers, state specialists, and program administrators to examine the latest science regarding effective professional development in early childhood education. When you click the link below, you’ll find the symposium’s resources listed at the bottom of the page.
https://www.ncrece.org/wordpress/products/leadership-symposia/
Inclusion
Roles of paraeducators in inclusive classrooms.
This 3-part series may interest many of you. Find it online at the Inclusive Schools Network:
https://www.inclusiveschools.org/files/ISN%20Tip-2011-02.pdf
Infants and Toddlers
The importance of secure attachment relationships for infants and toddlers.
The Center on the Social and Emotional Foundations for Early Learning’s
What Works Brief #24.
https://csefel.vanderbilt.edu/resources/wwb/wwb24.html
Intellectual Disabilities
Postsecondary education for students with intellectual disabilities..
Visit the HEATH Resource Center at George Washington University for its new 36-page publication that answers many commonly asked questions about college experiences for students with intellectual disabilities.
https://www.heath.gwu.edu/assets/50/pse_id_final_edition.pdf
Participation Requests
100 Best Communities for Young People Contest
https://americaspromise.org/Our-Work/Community-Action/100-Best-Communities.aspx
America’s Promise Alliance and ING Foundation want to identify the nation’s “100 Best Communities for Young People,” the best places for young people to live, learn, and thrive. Winners receive benefits including technical assistance and training sessions to help strengthen successful local programs. Application deadline: May 27, 2011.
Interagency Working Group on Youth Programs Invites Submissions to Support Transition
www.findyouthinfo.gov/resourcesubmission.aspx
The Interagency Working Group on Youth Programs invites submission from the public of resources to support successful transitions of transition-age youth. Entries that are approved for posting on the website (www.FindYouthInfo.gov) can include state or local strategic plans to support youth, research articles, youth-produced public service announcements (PSAs), etc. All materials and resources posted must be free of charge and hosted on either a government or non-profit website. In addition to information on supports for transition-age youth, submissions also are accepted for a range of other youth topics such as health and nutrition, positive youth development, substance use, and parenting.
National Center to Inform Policy and Practice in Special Education Professional Development’s Technical Assistance to Support Beginning Special Education Teachers
https://ncipp.education.ufl.edu/files_18/TechAssistApp.html
The National Center to Inform Policy and Practice in Special Education Professional Development (NCIPP) gives technical assistance to schools and districts working to provide differentiated instruction and mentoring supports for beginning special education teachers.
Reading
Improving reading comprehension: What works.
This guide from the U.S. Department of Education recommends five specific steps that teachers, reading coaches, and principals can take to successfully improve reading comprehension for children K-3.
https://ies.ed.gov/ncee/wwc/pdf/practiceguides/readingcomp_pg_092810.pdf
Restraint and Seclusion
Preventing the use of restraint and seclusion with young children.
From TACSEI, the Technical Assistance Center on Social Emotional Intervention for Young Children.
https://www.challengingbehavior.org/do/resources/documents/brief_preventing.pdf
Reciprocal Teaching
Reading for Meaning
in which a Seattle school uses reciprocal teaching to guide students in learning to lead a classroom discussion.
https://www.readingrockets.org/strategies/reciprocal_teaching
Students with hearing impairments: Secondary school experiences and academic performance.
According to the National Longitudinal Transition Study 2 dataset, a gap exists between the academic achievement of youth with hearing impairments and their peers in the general population in reading, mathematics, science, and social studies. This fact sheet from the National Center for Special Education Research gives a national picture. https://ies.ed.gov/ncser/pubs/20113003/
PACER’s Transition Trek—updated!
You may know about this resource already…it’s an educational board game that helps youth and young adults plan for life after high school. Happily, it’s been updated for 2010! Order your copy via:
https://www.pacer.org/premium-publications/OrderForm.pdf
OSEP’s memo on RTI and evaluation.
Writing to the state directors of special education, OSEP addresses how a RTI process (response to intervention) cannot be used to delay or deny an evaluation for eligibility under IDEA.
https://www.rti4success.org/images/stories/RTI%20Memo_1-21-11r.pdf
Limitations of the three-tier intervention pyramid.
Both RTI and positive behavior intervention and supports (PBIS) utilize a three-tier intervention pyramid. This brief from the Center for Mental Health in Schools discusses the limitations of the pyramid as an intervention framework and illustrates a multidimensional intervention framework that can foster a comprehensive, multifaceted, and cohesive system of student and learning supports.
https://smhp.psych.ucla.edu/pdfdocs/briefs/threetier.pdf
Strategies to increase school completion rates for students with ED/BD.
This August 2010 teleseminar focused on the prevention and intervention among high school students at risk for school failure due to problem behavior. Hosted by the National Dropout Prevention Center for Students with Disabilities.
https://www.ndpc-sd.org/dissemination/teleseminars.php#ebd
Self Determination
I’m determined.
The I’m Determined project, funded by the Virginia Department of Education, focuses on providing students with disabilities with direct instruction, models, and opportunities to practice skills associated with self-determined behavior beginning at the elementary level and continuing through the student’s educational career.
https://php.radford.edu/~imdetermined/
Special Education Resources
2009-2010 Counselors & Mentors Handbook on Federal Student Aid (2010)
Handbook
https://ifap.ed.gov/chandbooks/attachments/0910CounselorsHandbookAttach-10.pdf
This handbook from the U.S. Department of Education for those advising students on financial aid for post-secondary education includes information about federal student aid programs, the application process, how to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), and how financial need is determined for students who may have expenses related to their disability. Available in pdf (7.24 MB, 88 pp).
America’s Promise Alliance Releases “Building a Grad Nation” (November 2010)
Report
https://www.americaspromise.org/Our-Work/Grad-Nation/Building-a-Grad-Nation.aspx
America’s Promise Alliance, Civic Enterprises and Johns Hopkins University’s Everyone Graduates Center have released “Building a Grad Nation.” The number of high schools where 40% or more of the students fail to graduate fell significantly from 2002 to 2008, according to analysis of the latest government data compiled in this report. The report discusses strides that have been made in the past decade in reducing the dropout rate, and showcases the practical and effective strategies that have helped.
Annenberg Institute for School Reform Report on Community Organizing and Reform (January 2011)
Report
https://www.annenberginstitute.org/Products/NMEF.php
The Annenberg Institute for School Reform (AISR) has issued “The Strengths and Challenges of Community Organizing as an Education Reform Strategy: What the Research Says,” on how community organizing fits into systemic education reform. Community organizing for school reform can create equitable changes in schools and districts, finding education solutions from the knowledge of underserved communities to support schools and districts and hold them accountable for improving achievement. AISR’s report includes a directory of 50 community organizations involved in New England education reform.
Casey Family Program’s Revised Supporting Success: Improving Higher Education Outcomes for Students from Foster Care (December 2010)
Guide
https://www.casey.org/Resources/Publications/SupportingSuccess.htm
Casey Family Program has updated its “Supporting Success: Improving Higher Education Outcomes for Students from Foster Care.” This second edition of the framework provides program development tools for college counselors, administrators, staff, and youth advocates. It helps education professionals define a plan for improving their institution’s support for students from foster care and homeless youth.
Child Trend’s What Works in Out-of-School Programs for African American Children (February 2011)
Fact Sheet
https://www.childtrends.org/Files//Child_Trends-2011_02_01_RB_WW4AAChildren.pdf
African American children and adolescents often face challenges that differ from other groups of children in the U.S. Although a number of out-of-school time programs serving African American children have been implemented, data on which approaches work for this group are scarce. This Child Trends synthesis reviews evaluations of out-of-school programs to identify programs that work, and the intervention strategies that contribute to program success. The programs targeted outcome areas such as reproductive health, substance use, and physical health and nutrition. Available in pdf (300 KB, 14 pp).
Child Trend’s What Works in Out-of-School Programs for Latino Children (February)
Fact Sheet
https://www.childtrends.org/Files//Child_Trends-2011_02_01_RB_WW4LatinoChildren.pdf
Latino/Hispanic children and adolescents often face challenges that differ from other groups of children in the U.S. Although a number of out-of-school time programs serving Latino children have been implemented, data on which approaches work among these groups are scarce. This Child Trends synthesis reviews evaluations of out-of-school programs to identify programs that work, and the intervention strategies that contribute to program success. The programs targeted outcome areas such as reproductive health, substance use, and physical health and nutrition. Available in pdf (199 KB, 10 pp).
Corporate Voices for Working Families and United Way Worldwide Release Business Engagement Toolkit for Community Organizations (January 2011) Toolkit
https://www.corporatevoices.org/supporting-education-pipeline
Corporate Voices and United Way Worldwide, in partnership with Workforce Strategy Center, have released a toolkit designed to provide community leaders with resources to help them recruit, engage and develop ongoing relationships with businesses and business leaders in their communities. “Supporting the Education Pipeline: A Business Engagement Toolkit for Community-Based Organizations” and the companion website feature tips, tools, resources and examples of techniques used to engage business. When leaders in education, business, government and community organizations align resources, build on existing high-quality supports and work together, outcomes improve. Business partners play a critical role in supporting community efforts that create a prepared, innovative and competitive workforce.
Corporate Voices Releases Business Engagement Stakeholders Wheel (January 2011)
Tool
https://forumfyi.org/content/corporate-voices-releases-business-engagement-stakeholders-wheel
Corporate Voices has released “The Business Engagement Stakeholders Wheel,” a tool to help nonprofits to identify all local businesses and business organizations in their community. The Wheel lists different business organizations and business leaders who could partner, as well as information on the roles business can play to ensure all youth are ready for college, work and life.
Dispute Resolution in Special Education: Four Exemplary State Systems (June 2010)
Report
https://www.directionservice.org/cadre/exemplar/exemplarprofiles.cfm
Between Fall 2008 and Summer 2010, The Center for Appropriate Dispute Resolution in Special Education (CADRE) examined state special education dispute resolution systems that are particularly effective, and how other states can learn from those systems and their components. Four states – Iowa, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin – were identified as exemplars and CADRE has published system profiles on them.
Minority Parent and Community Engagement: Best Practices and Policy Recommendations for Closing the Gaps in Student Achievement (June 2010)
Report
https://maldef.org/resources/premium-publications/NEA_Report.pdf
“Minority Parent and Community Engagement: Best Practices and Policy Recommendations for Closing the Gaps in Student Achievement,” from the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund (MALDEF) and National Education Association (NEA), aims to increase the active involvement of minority parents in their children’s schools by identifying obstacles to such engagement and recommending strategies for parents, schools and communities to overcome them. The report includes policy recommendations submitted to Congress and the U.S. Department of Education during the 2010 reauthorization process of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act. Available in pdf (604 KB, 44 pp).
More To Do, But Less Capacity To Do It: States’ Progress In Implementing the Recovery Act Education Reforms (February 2011)
Report
https://www.cep-dc.org/
“More To Do, But Less Capacity To Do It: States’ Progress In Implementing the Recovery Act Education Reforms,” from the Center on Education Policy, finds that stimulus funds have built momentum for common school reform agendas, but state budget crises now threaten to stall them. The anonymous survey results from 42 states and the District of Columbia suggest that education budgets and staffing may be insufficient, at least through 2011, to fully implement critical reform activities.
Moving Beyond the Three-Tier Intervention Pyramid Toward a Comprehensive Framework for Student and Learning Supports (February)
Policy Brief
https://smhp.psych.ucla.edu/pdfdocs/briefs/threetier.pdf
Both response to intervention (RTI) and positive behavior intervention and supports (PBIS) use a three-tier intervention pyramid. This brief from the Center for Mental Health in Schools discusses the limitations of the pyramid as an intervention framework and illustrates a multidimensional intervention framework that can foster a comprehensive, multifaceted, and cohesive system of student and learning supports. Available in pdf (171 KB, 12 pp).
NCES Data on Transition from High School to College and Work (January 2011)
Issue Tables
https://nces.ed.gov/pubsearch/pubsinfo.asp?pubid=2011234
The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) at the Institute for Education Sciences, part of the U.S. Department of Education, has released “Postsecondary and Labor Force Transitions among Public High School Career and Technical Education Participants.” These Issue Tables describe the transition of high school career and technical education (CTE) participants into postsecondary education and the labor market during the first two years after high school graduation (from 2004 to 2006). For the transition to postsecondary education, the tables include information on postsecondary enrollment in general; enrollment in 4-year institutions; immediate, full-time enrollment; persistence; and the relationship between CTE coursetaking in high school and postsecondary field of study. For students who did not enroll in postsecondary education, the tables look at employment and unemployment rates, wages, full-time employment, and the relationship between CTE coursetaking in high school and occupation.
NCWD/Youth’s Blazing the Trail: Youth Call-to-Action (2010)
Report
https://www.ncwd-youth.info/blazing-the-trail-youth-call-to-action
“Blazing the Trail: A New Direction for Youth Development and Leadership: A Youth Call-to-Action” is based on findings from the Blazing the Trail summit organized by the National Collaborative on Workforce and Disability for Youth (NCWD/Youth), held in August 2007. The Youth Call-to-Action outlines actions youth can take to enhance their development and become leaders in their community and the nation, including learning about their rights and responsibilities, becoming a self-advocate, learning about disability history, and researching scholarships.
NCWD/Youth’s Cyber Disclosure Workbook for Youth with Disabilities (2011)
Workbook
https://www.ncwd-youth.info/cyber-disclosure
The National Collaborative on Workforce and Disability for Youth (NCWD/Youth) and the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Disability Employment Policy released “Cyber Disclosure for Youth with Disabilities,” a supplement to “The 411 on Disability Disclosure: A Workbook for Youth with Disabilities,” which helps 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. Now it is possible to disclose disability status on the internet without even being aware of it. This can be as simple as a picture of a person using a wheelchair, a comment on a friend’s blog about disability, or a profile posted on a disability organizations website. This document provides youth with suggestions on how to make informed decisions about their own disability disclosure and to manage their disclosures online.
NCWD/Youth’s Guide on Supporting Career Development of Youth with Learning Disabilities (2010)
Guide
https://www.ncwd-youth.info/ld-guide
“Charting the Course: Supporting the Career Development of Youth with Learning Disabilities,” from the National Collaborative on Workforce and Disability for Youth (NCWD/Youth), is intended to help practitioners, administrators, and policymakers improve services and outcomes for youth, ages 14-25, with learning disabilities, both diagnosed and undiagnosed. (Some youth have learning disabilities that have never been identified, and others may know they have a learning disability but choose not to disclose.) The Guide includes reference charts, tables, and tools for counselors, career advisors, and other professionals who work directly with youth. Topics covered include types and impact of learning disabilities, needed supports, and research-based interventions.
NCWD/Youth’s Initial Findings of Individualized Learning Plans (2011)
Project Summary
https://www.ncwd-youth.info/ilp-summary
The National Collaborative on Workforce and Disability for Youth (NCWD/Youth) has issued “Individualized Learning Plans: A Research and Demonstration Project – Summary,” based on the study launched in the 2008-09 school year and targeted for completion in 2012-13, the first longitudinal research and demonstration project designed to understand the effectiveness of Individualized Learning Plans. The study was funded by the U.S. Department of Labor’’s Office of Disability Employment Policy.
NCWD/Youth’s Strengthening Transition Partnerships Resource Directory (May 2010)
Transition Resource Directory
https://www.ncwd-youth.info/whats-new
“Strengthening Transition Partnerships: Building Federal Technical Assistance Center Capacity: A Transition Resource Directory,” from the National Collaborative on Workforce and Disability for Youth (NCWD/Youth), includes descriptions submitted by federally supported projects and centers with work that focuses on youth transition.
NCWD/Youth’s Workbook to Aid Adults Supporting Youth with Disability Disclosure (2011)
Workbook
https://www.ncwd-youth.info/411-on-disability-disclosure-for-adults
The National Collaborative on Workforce and Disability for Youth (NCWD/Youth) has issued a workbook to benefit adults in the lives of young people with both visible disabilities and those with disabilities that are not apparent. “The 411 on Disability Disclosure: A Workbook for Families, Educators, Youth Service Professionals, and Adult Allies Who Care About Youth with Disabilities” 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, and how that decision affects a young person’s educational, employment, and social life.
No Teacher Left Behind (February 2011)
Policy Brief
https://www.all4ed.org/press_room/press_releases/02082011
“Transforming High Schools: Performance Systems for Powerful Teaching,” a policy brief from the Alliance for Excellent Education, calls for a set of standards and assessments to measure the quality of teacher performance. It proposes changes to the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (currently No Child Left Behind) to elevate the teaching profession, support performance assessments, and encourage feedback systems to help teachers continually improve. It recommends that federal and state policymakers support educator development in high schools by establishing college and career readiness as the core mission of the K-12 education system; creating standards of teaching knowledge and practice; and developing rigorous assessments of teaching effectiveness.
NYEC’s Building Roads to Success: Key Considerations for Communities and States Reconnecting Youth to Education (February 2011)
Report
https://nyec.org/content/documents/Building%20Roads%20cover-FINAL.pdf
The National Youth Employment Coalition (NYEC) has released “Building Roads to Success: Key Considerations for Communities and States Reconnecting Youth to Education.” It includes briefs to assist community and state leaders, youth advocates, educators, and other stakeholders interested in improving and expanding education options for struggling students and out-of-school youth. It is relevant to the work of municipal government, community-based organizations, school districts, postsecondary institutions, workforce development organizations, apprenticeship programs, and other youth-serving organizations, as well as governors’ offices and state policymakers, departments of education, youth advocates, and workforce boards. Specific topics covered include: State & Local Policy, Cross-System Collaboration, Data Collection and Use, Building Capacity, and Funding. Examples of promising and successful programs, policies, initiatives, and citations for key resources are provided. Available in pdf (1.57 MB, 42 pp).
Providing Financial Aid for Youth Who Are Unaccompanied or From Foster Care (August 2009)
Report
https://www.casey.org/Resources/Publications/pdf/ProvidingEffectiveFinancialAid.pdf
The Foster Youth Success Initiative at the California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office released a report, “Providing Effective Financial Aid Assistance to Students from Foster Care and Unaccompanied Homeless Youth: A Key to Higher Education Access and Success.” Available in pdf (2.48 MB, 40 pp).
Recruiting and Retaining Qualified Special Education Personnel: Approaches from Eight State Education Agencies
Policy Analysis
https://www.projectforum.org/
The National Association of State Directors of Special Education (NASDSE) has published this policy analysis based on interviews as a follow-up to the survey document on the same topic. The interviews addressed 10 recruitment and retention strategies that were chosen based on the Personnel Improvement Center at NASDSE work with states, analysis of existing literature regarding best practices in the field, and survey responses. State level infrastructures, recruitment to the field, recruitment to specific jobs, retention, barriers and recommendations are discussed. An appendix on interviewed states’ approaches to recruitment and retention is provided.
Research Compares Youth with Disabilities Then and Now (September 2010)
Report
https://ies.ed.gov/ncser/pubs/20103008/index.asp
A new report from SRI International, a nonprofit scientific research institute, “Comparisons Across Time of the Outcomes of Youth with Disabilities 4 Years after High School,” compares two longitudinal studies of youth with disabilities held from 1983-1990 and from 2001-2009. The research, available from the U.S. Department of Education’s Institute of Education Sciences (IES), shows that 46% of young adults with disabilities had enrolled in postsecondary education in 2005, versus only 26% in 1990. However, youth with disabilities were slightly less likely to find employment in 2005 than in 1990 (56% and 62%, respectively).
Saving for Post-Secondary Education: Strategies for Individuals with Disabilities (2009)
Article
https://www.worksupport.com/research/viewContent.cfm/847
“Saving for Post-Secondary Education: Strategies for Individuals with Disabilities,” by researchers at Virginia Commonwealth University, appeared in the Journal of Vocational Rehabilitation. Citing misconceptions among individuals with disabilities, family members, and the disability services provider community, the article clarifies and details saving opportunities for students with disabilities that are in line with the Social Security disability benefit program rules.
Strategies to Increase School Completion Rates for Students with Emotional/Behavioral Disorders (2010)
Discussion Transcript
https://www.ndpc-sd.org/dissemination/teleseminars.php#ebd
This August 2010 teleseminar, hosted by the National Dropout Prevention Center for Students with Disabilities, focused on the prevention and intervention among high school students at risk for school failure due to problem behavior. A transcript of the discussion and audio or video recordings of it are available on the NDPC website.
Traumatic Brain Injuries
For those affected by TBI — traumatic brain injury.
Brainline is a national multimedia project offering information and resources about preventing, treating, and living with TBI.
https://www.brainline.org/
