In this issue you will Find Topics On:
Autism
A Parent’s Guide to Autism Spectrum Disorder
Report
https://tinyurl.com/3t3fwdw
“A Parent’s Guide to Autism Spectrum Disorder,” recently updated by the National Institute of Mental Health, helps parents understand what autism spectrum disorder is, recognize common signs and symptoms, and find the resources they need.
Brain Based Learning
Six tips for brain-based learning.
In this free classroom resource guide, you’ll get practical tips across the K-12 spectrum, including a reading list and a variety of resources to help you learn more about the fascinating findings of research on the brain and what promotes learning.
https://www.edutopia.org/brain-based-learning-strategies-resource-guide
Bullying
Bullying in Schools: An Overview
Bulletin
https://www.ojjdp.gov/pubs/234205.pdf
The Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention has released “Bullying in Schools: An Overview.” This bulletin examines the connection between different types and frequencies of bullying, truancy, and student achievement, and whether students’ engagement in school mediates these factors, finding that victimization in the form of bullying can distance students from learning. Schools can overcome this negative effect if they adopt strategies that engage students in their work, creating positive learning environments that produce academic achievement. Available in pdf (1.20 MB, 12 pp).
Department of Justice report on the impact of bullying in schools.
The Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention recently released Bullying in Schools: An Overview, the first of five bulletins examining bullying in schools and support schools can provide bullying victims.
https://www.ojjdp.gov/pubs/234205.pdf
State policies on bullying.
In December 2011, the U.S. Department of Education released Analysis of State Bullying Laws and Policies, which summarizes current approaches in the 46 states with anti-bullying laws and the 41 states that have created anti-bullying policies as models for schools.
https://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/opepd/ppss/reports.html#safe
Careers and or College Readiness
Career Clusters: Forecasting Demand for High School Through College Jobs, 2008-2018
Report
https://cew.georgetown.edu/clusters/
The Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce’s “Career Clusters: Forecasting Demand for High School Through College Jobs, 2008-2018” is a report produced in collaboration with the National Research Center for Career and Technical Education and the National Association of State Directors of Career Technical Education Consortium. It compares the educational requirements and pay across jobs for each of the 16 nationally-recognized career clusters and projects that the most promising financial future is for workers with bachelor’s and master’s degrees. While a bachelor’s degree offers better accessibility to all high-paying jobs, occupation matters, with the STEM cluster paying the highest wages overall.
Career Pathways to Employment: Aligning Career and Technical Education to Labor Market Projections Summary
Video
https://newmediamanager2.net/node/2141/popup
This forum brief summarizes the American Youth Policy Forum event, “Career Pathways to Employment: Aligning Career and Technical Education to Labor Market Projections,” featuring Anthony Carnevale, Director of the Center on Education, and James Stone, Director of the National Research Center for Career & Technical Education, on the importance of using education to prepare students for jobs.
State High School Tests: Changes in State Policies and the Impact of the College and Career Readiness Movement
Report
https://www.cep-dc.org/
“State High School Tests: Changes in State Policies and the Impact of the College and Career Readiness Movement,” the tenth annual report on high school exams and other assessments by the Center on Education Policy found that, for the first time in six years, the number of states requiring students to pass high school exit exams to earn a diploma had gone down, and the most states are preparing for new assessments aligned with the Common Core State Standards, while and more than one-fourth offer college and career readiness assessments. The report provides individual profiles for states with exit exams, college entrance exam policies, and/or college and career readiness.
USDOL Releases New Career Pathway Toolkit
Toolkit
https://learnwork.workforce3one.org/page/tag/General_Information_on_Career_Pathways
The U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration’s Career Pathways Initiative has released the “Career Pathways Toolkit: Six Key Elements for Success,” to help guide state and local leaders in building and sustaining career pathway systems. This toolkit offers a road map for administrators, service providers, workforce professionals, and policymakers seeking to develop career pathway systems at local, regional, or state levels. It details the Six Key Elements Framework, highlights promising practices, and provides tools to support visioning and strategic planning.
Early Intervention
Video | The Part C regulations, brought to you by…
Believe it or not, it’s been 25 years since we’ve had new regulations for Part C. Take a trip down memory lane with some of the Department of Education personnel who helped to roll out the final regulations this fall in this 9-minute video. (The cheesy 80s music and pop culture references will make you smile!)
Tipsheets for early childhood practice.
The University of Maine Center for Community Inclusion and Disability Studies (CCIDS) has expanded its Growing Ideas Tipsheets and Resources for Guiding Early Childhood Practices. These free online materials are for early childhood and schoolage care professionals, parents, and guardians. Many of the tipsheet topics include virtual toolkits that can be used for professional development activities or shared with parents, guardians or others.
https://ccids.umaine.edu/resources/ec-growingideas/
Research synthesis points on quality inclusive practices.
This document provides brief descriptions and supporting references for the evidence-based and promising practices that support early childhood inclusion. From the National Professional Development Center on Inclusion. https://community.fpg.unc.edu/resources/articles/NPDCI-ResearchSynthesisPointsInclusivePractices-2011.pdf
Scribble, scribble – Help your infant prepare to learn to write.
From the Center for Early Literacy Learning: Is your infant beginning to feed herself with a spoon? If she is, then it’s time to introduce her to crayons and other writing materials. Ideas can be found here!
https://www.earlyliteracylearning.org/cellcasts/scribblescribble.php
The Helpdesk at Tots ‘n Tech.
This new resource from Tots ‘n Tech is designed to help you easily find resources on assistive technology for infants and toddlers. You can find information on communication & socialization, getting around, arms & hands, problem solving, and more.
https://tnt.asu.edu/tnt-helpdesk
Family and Communities
What do I do, my child won’t go to school!
Helpful tips from the MATRIX parent center on what to do for a child with an IEP or a child without an IEP who refuses to attend school. It’s in English and Spanish!
https://www.matrixparents.org/pub/Spanish%20pdf/child.wont.go.to.school.eng.span.pdf
How to handle a meltdown.
The Friendship Circle’s Among Friends blog tackles the tough question of how to handle a child’s meltdown in this new three-part series. Check out all three for tips on surviving a meltdown:
Part 1: A Crash Course in Meltdown Management.
https://blog.friendshipcircle.org/2011/12/06/a-crash-course-in-meltdown-management-part-1-of-3/
Part 2: 26 Sensory Integration Tools for Meltdown Management.
https://blog.friendshipcircle.org/2011/12/13/26-sensory-integration-tools-for-meltdown-management/
Part 3: How to manage and prevent a panic attack.
Top 10 Special Education Advisor blogs for 2011.
There are plenty of “top 10” lists out these days, but Special Education Advisor’s is packed with useful information on questions to ask at an IEP meeting, mistakes to avoid in an IEP meeting, steps to writing IEP goals, and who to follow on social media.
IEP meeting conversation stoppers.
From the National Center for Learning Disabilities: Some of the statements made to parents at IEP meetings are “conversation stoppers” – comments that create barriers and can prevent the IEP team from working cooperatively to develop effective special education services and supports for students with disabilities. Here are nine common “conversation stoppers,” some information about what may be the real issues of concern, and suggestions for how parents can respond in a forceful but respectful way so that planning for their child can move forward. https://networkedblogs.com/rO1A8
Centers for youth with disabilities, parents, and professionals working in transition and employment planning.
This VR Research in Brief, prepared by PACER, summarizes current research findings on Rehabilitation Services Administration Parent Training resources. Parent involvement is an essential principle during the critical period when youth with disabilities transition from the public education system to adult services and the adult world. The need to provide families with information and training that will help them successfully launch their youth into adulthood is an essential part of IDEA.
https://rsatac.ed.gov/docs/VRBrief_Centersforyouth.pdf
Inclusion
Webinar | Inclusion for students with intellectual disabilities.
January 12, 2012 | 4:00-5:30 ET
The American Association on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities will present Great Expectations: Meaningful Participation in General Education Settings, in its series on “Inclusion: Information and Strategies You Can Use.” This webinar will present evidence-based strategies to facilitate the participation of students with intellectual and developmental disabilities in the general education curriculum and provide strategies that can be used across grade levels and with students with diverse needs.
https://aaidd.org/content_7587.cfm
Mental Health
Evaluating the Educational Needs of Children with Mental Health Conditions
Report
https://bit.ly/kwQJvO
Students with mental health conditions are more likely than their peers to encounter academic, social, or emotional problems at school. Mental health conditions that affect mood, thinking, interactions with peers, and physical and emotional arousal levels may also interfere with a student’s ability to focus on learning. Massachusetts General Hospital’s “Evaluating the Educational Needs of Children with Mental Health Conditions” describes the evaluation process and includes important points for schools, parents, and clinicians.
Ten “Best Practices” Schools Can Use to Help Students Living with Mental Illnesses (June)
Report
https://bit.ly/kSEKac
“Ten Best Practices for Schools,” from the National Alliance on Mental Health is a resource that describes ten “best practices” schools can engage in to support students living with mental health needs. The academic performance and behavioral functioning of students significantly improve when their mental health needs are effectively addressed. Available in pdf (23.5 KB, 1 p).
The Impact of Health Care Reform on Services and Supports for Young Adults with Serious Mental Health Conditions (July 2011)
Fact Sheet
https://www.pathwaysrtc.pdx.edu/pdf/proj4-healthCareFAQ.pdf
“The Impact of Health Care Reform on Services and Supports for Young Adults with Serious Mental Health Conditions,” from the Research and Training Center for Pathways to Positive Futures, explores what is known now about the reform’s impacts and areas that will require further clarification. Available in pdf (5.73 MB, 4 pp).
Study Skills
Tips for strengthening study skills.
The December 2011 issue of LD Online’s newsletter lists multiple resources to help students with learning disabilities develop their study skills.
https://www.ldonline.org/ldnewsletters
Survey Participation
PEPNet 2.0 Training Institute (PTI) Update
https://www.pepnet.org/pti/
The PEPNet 2.0 Training Institute (PTI) has extended its deadline (originally January 5) for proposals for presentations for the PEPNet 2.0 National Conference, to be held in conjunction with the Association of Higher Education and Disabilities (AHEAD) 2012 Conference in New Orleans, LA, July 9-14, 2012. Papers should address issues related to enrolling, retaining, and instructing students who are deaf or hard of hearing or to the varying communication needs of, and methods used by, individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing, such as oral transliteration services, cued language transliteration services, sign language transliteration and interpreting services, and transcription. New deadline for proposals: February 3, 2012.
Participants Sought for Survey on Mentoring Services for High-Risk Youth
www.surveymonkey.com/s/YouthMentoringSurvey
The National Mentoring Partnership, Global Youth Justice, and the National Partnership for Juvenile Services are conducting a survey to improve the design and delivery of mentoring services for youth at risk for delinquency, alcohol and drug abuse, truancy, and other problem behaviors. Results will be included in a research report and in training and technical assistance materials, which will be free and available online. The survey is funded by the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention. Mentoring and juvenile justice professionals working in detention, corrections, probation, dependency courts, delinquency courts, and teen court/youth court diversion programs are encouraged to participate.
America’s Promise Launches Grad Nation Communities
https://www.americaspromise.org/gradnationcommunities
America’s Promise Alliance is drafting more communities into its campaign to boost high school graduation. The Alliance recently launched Grad Nation Communities, part of the Grad Nation Campaign, a 10-year initiative to mobilize all Americans to take action to end the high school dropout crisis and better prepare young people for college and the 21st century workforce. The Alliance invites communities to join this network of cities and towns that will work to improve high school graduation rates by focusing on the local schools that are most in need of improvement.
Transition Services
Family Information Guide to Assistive Technology and Transition in English and Spanish
Guide
https://www.fctd.info/show/fig_summary
The Family Center on Technology and Disability has released a Spanish language version, “Guía Informativa Familiar Sobre la Tecnología Asistencial y Planificación de la Transición,” of its “Family Information Guide to Assistive Technology and Transition.” The guide has an illustrated glossary of assistive technology (AT) and transition terms, and helps families and teachers understand the role of AT in their child’s special education and transition plans.
NCES Releases America’s Youth: Transitions to Adulthood
Report
https://nces.ed.gov/pubsearch/pubsinfo.asp?pubid=2012026
The U.S. Department of Education’s Institute of Education Sciences’ National Center for Education Statistics has released “America’s Youth: Transitions to Adulthood.” Youth of 2011, compared to their peers in 1980, 1990, and 2000, have greater education and less labor force participation, have delayed establishing their own families, and have higher expectations for their future. The report contains statistics on important aspects of the lives of youth, including family, schooling, work, community, and health and presents trends in various social contexts that may relate to youth education and learning.
Teacher Burnout
Preventing teacher burnout.
We love teachers, and don’t want you to burn out on the profession. Check out this suite of resources that address sources and symptoms of burnout and identify ways to reduce environmental stressors, increase personal capability, and enhance social support to prevent burnout.
https://smhp.psych.ucla.edu/qf/burnout.htm
Travel Training
Two resources on travel training for student success.
Good postsecondary activities like college and job training are only effective if the young adult can actually get to them. Easter Seals Project ACTION has a wealth of free resources that can help you get started on travel training and help you continue to support an ongoing program. Check out these two in particular:
Webinar |Supporting Postsecondary School Outcomes through Transportation Education.
January 26, 2012 | 2:00 – 3:00 p.m. ET
Registration deadline: January 20, 2012
https://projectaction.easterseals.com/site/Calendar?view=Detail&id=36985
Travel training for student success.
Here’s a primer for school administrators interested in learning how high schools across the country are connecting students to travel training services, developing and adapting goals, and supporting local implementation of travel training programs.
