March 2011 – Special Educator e-Journal

Table of Contents

• Update from the U.S. Department Education

• Calls to Participate

• Special Education Resources 

• Update From The National Dissemination Center for Children with Disabilities

• Latest Employment Opportunities Posted on NASET

• Upcoming Conferences and Events

• Funding Forecast and Award Opportunities

• Acknowledgements

• Download a PDF Version of This Issue

Update from the U.S. Department of Education

U.S. Supporting Reform While Maintaining a Commitment to At-Risk Students

President Obama firmly believes that all children deserve a world-class education. When he says all children, he means all – regardless of their race, ethnicity, disability, native language, income level or zip code.

The President’s proposal to fix NCLB focuses on schools and students at-risk, and on meaningful reforms that will help these students succeed. The plan will maintain the federal government’s formula programs serving disadvantaged students, English learners, migrant children, and students with disabilities. Many people are speculating that the President wants to make these programs competitive. They are wrong. The President is committed to keeping the historic federal role of providing funding for students who need it most. He does not want the programs dedicated to at-risk students to become competitive. And he does not want to reduce the funds distributed by formula.

The President does believe there’s a role for competitive funding in education reform – and that these programs will benefit at-risk students. For too long in education, we have failed to recognize and reward success at the state, local or school level.  The Race to the Top program changed that. It spurred innovation, rewarded stakeholders working together to implement reform, and gave states incentives to raise their academic standards, invest in the teaching profession, use data to improve schools, and focus on fixing their lowest-performing schools. Through Race to the Top, 46 states developed comprehensive plans to advance these reforms. Eleven states and the District of Columbia are leading the way on them. Race to the Top created incentives for 41 states to voluntarily adopt college and career ready standards. This will raise expectations for all students and end a practice of setting a low bar that was particularly harmful to poor and minority students.

With just 1 percent of the annual education spending, Race to the Top states are blazing a path for reforms for decades to come. They are creating innovative solutions and effective practices that will benefit all students.
This powerful combination of formula funding supporting at-risk students and competitive funding for reform will position America to win the global race in education. It will ensure that all students, including our most at-risk, receive the world-class education they deserve. Arne Duncan is the Secretary of Education.

Secretary Duncan on Fixing NCLB and Elevating the Teaching Profession

“We’re absolutely committed to…[fixing No Child Left Behind] and doing it in a bipartisan way as we move forward this year,” Secretary Duncan said in this video response to questions.  “It’s too punitive, it’s too prescriptive, it’s led to a dummying down of standards, and it’s led to a narrowing of the curriculum.  We have to fix all of those things.”

“We’re also going to do everything we can to elevate the teaching profession,” he said.  “The President talked about in other countries like South Korea, teachers are seen as nation builders.  That’s exactly what they are here.  We need to recognize them as such.”

Duncan also talked about recruiting “the next generation of great talent” into the teaching profession and the TEACH.gov website.
To see the video, visit http://www.ed.gov/blog/2011/02/secretary-duncan-on-fixing-nclb-and-elevating-the-teaching-profession/

How to Play Catch Up in Math (While Moving Students Forward)

This item comes from John Seelke, a high school math teacher and 2007 Presidential Awardee in Math and Science Teaching (PAEMST) in Washington, D.C..  I met John at a teacher town hall with Secretary Duncan at SiriusXM in July.  At the time, I was struck by his passion for teaching and reaching at-risk students.  He recently passed along a strategy called “Remediation through Acceleration,” which he uses to help students who are behind in math while teaching the regular curriculum.  –Laurie Calvert, Washington Teaching Ambassador Fellow

For years, math teachers have faced the conundrum of what to do with students who are in their class but are not fully prepared to tackle the grade-level material. For some teachers, the solution has been to focus on remediation (for example, spending weeks on positive and negative numbers in an Algebra I class). I found this strategy unsatisfying, however, because it continually leaves students with gaps in their knowledge, and those gaps are simply passed on to the following year’s teacher.

As a new teacher at McKinley Technology High School, I struggled to get kids caught up while also teaching them the material within the curriculum.  Fortunately, my principal introduced to me the idea of “remediation through acceleration.” The concept introduces students to higher-level thinking and higher-level problems. Within the context of those problems, the teacher offers remediation to students who need it.

On the first day of the school year, I adopted this method in the first lesson for my pre-calculus class. Instead of spending the class on review, I had the students create a unit circle, using concepts they should have learned from previous classes (plotting points, using a protractor, etc.). By the end of the second day of class, students had used the assignment to create a unit circle and a sine and cosine graph. By monitoring each student’s progress at every step, I could tell which students struggled with math concepts, and I targeted them individually. Most importantly, the students moved ahead with important material in the pre-calculus class and felt proud that they were learning something new.

Parents As Teachers (PAT) Coordinator Offers Preschool Activity for Parents
I am the Parents as Teachers (PAT) Coordinator in Leander, Texas. PAT is a program that serves families with children from birth to age five to build strong foundations for academic success.  I believe parents are a child’s first and best teacher and that learning begins at home.

Parents often ask me when is the right time to begin introducing letter recognition activities, what letters to start with, and how to go about teaching the ABCs in a meaningful and fun way.  I always suggest that parents start with what is important to their child…their name!

One activity that parents may want to use, as part of a larger strategy to build early language and literacy skills, is Name Envelopes.  The parents with whom I work with find that they are a fun, easy, and inexpensive way to start children on the exciting journey of learning letters.

Here is what you will need:

• Envelope (standard or legal)
• Foam paper (any paper will work, but foam lasts longer)
• Permanent marker
• Scissors

Procedure:

1.)  Write the child’s first name on the front of the envelope leaving a little bit more space between each letter than normal, but not so much that the name is distorted.

Ex.  J  o  s  é (Remember the first letter is upper case and the rest are lower case.)

1.     Write the child’s first name on the foam paper.
2.     Cut out the letters (just cut between each letter so you end up with square tiles) from the foam paper, and then place the letters in the envelope.
3.     Have the child dump out the foam letters tiles and match them by placing each foam letter on top of the corresponding letter on the envelope. Be sure to name the letter as your child picks it up. Celebrate that your child just made his name!

Next Steps:

1.     Ask your child to dump out the letters and, using the name on the envelope as a model, have him put the letters in order right below the envelope.
2.     Dump out the letters and turn the envelope over. Now ask your child to put the letters in the correct order to spell his name.
3.     Once your child has mastered his first name, do the same activity with his last name.
4.     Is your child ready to learn words?

Try this:

1.     Write ___at on the front of an envelope.  Talk with your child about what those two letters say (sound like) when they are together.
2.     Write letters on foam paper that would make words when a tile is placed on the blank (m, h, b, c, r, s, p, f) and cut them out.
3.     When your child places the “m” on the line, say “You just made a word! Let’s sound it out.”
4.     Go through all the letters in the envelope. “If you can read mat, then you can read bat, cat, sat, etc.”

This is a great activity for the car and at restaurants. Parents have been surprised at how such an easy activity has kept their children busy while learning name and letter recognition at the same time. Have fun! Learning letters must be fun!!

Erin Garner
Parents as Teachers (PAT) Coordinator,
Leander, Texas

Michigan Class Queries Cunningham on ED Policy

When I began my year as a Classroom Teaching Ambassador Fellow, it was a priority of mine to bring my students into the experience as much as possible. My hopes were exceeded last month when my Advanced Placement Government and Politics students got a first-hand lesson in federal education policy from Assistant Secretary for Communications and Outreach at the U.S. Department of Education, Peter Cunningham.

After a morning visit with Detroit Public Schools, Mr. Cunningham traveled to my school — Pioneer High School in Ann Arbor, Michigan, on January 21 . After giving us a brief description of his job, the Assistant Secretary talked about the Department’s work to recruit and reward high quality teachers and to support education reform taking place in schools across the country. He spent most of his time answering their questions, which ranged from inquiries about No Child Left Behind to whether he knows Rahm Emanuel.

I was proud of my students’ thoughtful comments about the importance of listening to student input when evaluating teachers, their concerns about “teaching to the test,” and the need for arts education.

“They’re more than just classes for me,” said one of Pioneer’s music students. “It’s who I am.”

While in Ann Arbor, Mr. Cunningham and I also conducted a round table conversation about education policy with teachers, and earlier the same day, we visited several schools in Detroit. I appreciate Mr. Cunningham’s visit, which provided a unique opportunity for me to visit and learn more about the Detroit schools and to give my students and colleagues a chance to contribute to our national conversation about education. When the bell rang to signal that class was over for my AP students, everyone was disappointed. After the kids applauded, Mr. Cunningham responded, “That was fun!”  And it was.

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Calls to Participate

Interagency Working Group on Youth Programs Seeks Comments on Federal Youth
http://www.findyouthinfo.gov/provideinput.aspx
The Interagency Working Group on Youth Programs seeks public comments to inform the development of a strategic plan for Federal youth policy. The Working Group is focusing on youth across several developmental stages, including (1) early adolescence (ages under 14), (2) middle adolescence (ages 15-17), and (3) late adolescence/early adulthood (ages 18-24); and on three outcomes for youth through this framework: (a) basic needs: health, safety, and wellness, (b) school, family, and community engagement and connections, and (c) education, training, employment, transitions, and readiness for careers and adulthood.

University of Missouri-Kansas City Institute for Human Development Seeks Input on the Assistive Technology Needs of Individuals with Developmental Disabilities
http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/6QXRRS7
The University of Missouri-Kansas City (UMKC) Institute for Human Development is looking for people who wish to use and/or are currently using assistive technology to take a brief survey on their assistive technology needs.

The Administration on Developmental Disabilities Projects of National Significance
http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/add/survey/survey_landed.html
The Administration on Developmental Disabilities (ADD) seeks input from individuals with developmental disabilities and their families across the country in considering future plans and how ADD can best meet the diverse needs of these groups. ADD seeks to use its resources to focus on the most pressing and relevant concerns of the developmental disabilities community, and is looking for their thoughts regarding the focus of future Projects of National Significance (PNS). The purpose of PNS is to: create opportunities for people with developmental disabilities to contribute to, and participate in, all facets of community life; and support the development of national and state policies to reinforce and promote the self-determination, independence, productivity, inclusion, and integration of individuals with developmental disabilities into all facets of community life.

The Arc FINDS Survey
http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/TheArcFinds2010
The Arc FINDS (Family and Individual Needs for Disability Supports) survey is now online and available to families, individuals, and self-advocates. They invite individuals with intellectual or developmental disabilities, families, and caregivers across the nation to share their opinions on a variety of issues relating to disability. There is no cost to taking the survey. (Additional information on Arc is on their general website, http://www.thearc.org.)

New Videos Encourages Special Ed Students to Participate in State Outcome Survey
http://www.psocenter.org/data_collection.html
To help educators improve services for students with disabilities who are still in school, every state is conducting a survey to find out what students who received special education services are doing one year after leaving high school. To help increase response rates, the National Post-School Outcomes Center has announced the launch of “Be a Superstar – Take the Survey.” These YouTube videos were designed to encourage students and families to complete post-school outcomes surveys. Prepared in collaboration with PACER Center, versions are available for youth and parents in both English and Spanish. (The survey can also be accessed from http://www.youtube.com/pacercenter.)

PACER Survey Parent Survey
http://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.

America’s Promise Alliance/AT&T: My Idea Grant Program
http://tinyurl.com/2vwcjlj
America’s Promise Alliance and AT&T are looking for energy, enthusiasm, creativity, and commitment to help make this country a Grad Nation through the My Idea Grants program. My Idea will empower young people to examine the high school dropout crisis and help their peers graduate on time, as well as improve outcomes for themselves and their community. National grants of $10,000-$20,000 will be awarded to 20-25 youth for the best ideas submitted to help increase a community’s graduation rate anywhere in the United States. Additional opportunities are available for young people living in Chicago, Houston, Indianapolis, Jackson, Louisville, Nashville, New York, New Orleans, Oakland, and Washington, D.C.

Peer Reviewers Needed at the U.S. Department of Education, Office of Postsecondary Education
http://opeweb.ed.gov/frs
The U.S. Department of Education, Office of Postsecondary Education (OPE), is seeking peer reviewers (field readers) for its discretionary grant program application reviews. The application review process involves a reader orientation, reading and evaluation of applications, and discussions with other panelists. Apply on-line to become a reader for the OPE grant program.

The Gateway Project
http://www.thegatewayproject.org
The Gateway Project, a collaboration between the University of Wisconsin-Madison and the Academic Autistic Spectrum Partnership in Research and Education (AASPIRE), which is itself a collaboration between Oregon Health & Science University, Portland State University, and the Autistic Self-Advocacy Network, aims to serve as a gateway to research committed to the values of inclusion, respect, accessibility and relevance. The Gateway Project is recruiting participants on the autistic spectrum, and participants with and without disabilities for a series of continuing Internet-based research studies on topics such as health care, well-being, and problem solving.

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Special Education Resources

High School Transcript Study Data Now Added to NAEP Data Explorer
Database
http://nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard/hstsdata/
The updated NAEP Data Explorer for the High School Transcript Study database, from the National Center for Education Statistics within the Institute of Education Sciences, now provides more information on the course-taking patterns of high school graduates. Users can access the data and create statistical tables and charts on the types of courses students take, credits earned, grade point averages, the relationship between course-taking patterns and achievement on NAEP assessments, and performance on other assessments.

Making Resources Count 
Toolkit
http://erstrategies.org/resources/details/the_teaching_job/
Education Resource Strategies has released a practical kit of tools designed to help districts identify and address resource decisions to improve student performance. “The Teaching Job: Restructuring for Effectiveness” is one of six publications to help district leaders allocate school resources. It includes a self-assessment to help leaders understand best practices for restructuring the job of teaching and matching resources with instructional needs.

Out-of-School Time Update from Harvard Family Research Project
Research Update
http://erstrategies.org/resources/details/the_teaching_job/
The 21st Century Community Learning Centers (21st CCLC) initiative provides funds for afterschool programs. “Research Update No. 4” focuses on evaluations and research studies of programs that are funded by the 21st CCLC initiative, with a bibliography of research studies and evaluations of 21st CCLC-funded programs in the Appendix. The series provides insight from the evaluations and profiles covered in Harvard Family Research Project’s Out-of-School Time (OST) Program Research and Evaluation Database and Bibliography.

Parent-Teacher Conference Tip Sheets in English and Spanish 
Tip Sheets
http://tinyurl.com/46ul66n
The Harvard Family Research Project has updated its tip sheets (in both English and Spanish) on getting the most out of parent-teacher conferences. Face-to-face interactions between parents and teachers are the cornerstone of school family engagement efforts. The tip sheets provide key strategies for parents and teachers to come to conferences informed and prepared, to ensure the most successful outcomes; and a tip sheet for school principals outlines how school administrators can support parents and teachers to that end.

Special Education Research: Where to Start?
Report
http://www.nichcy.org/Research/Basics/Pages/Start.aspx
The National Dissemination Center for Children with Disabilities has updated its report, “Special Education Research: Where to Start?” It is intended for stakeholders who are teachers, school administrators, students getting trained to work in schools, or others looking for research in special education to help guide their work or study or advocacy on behalf of children.

The Grantmaking Landscape: Benchmarking 2010  
Report
http://edfunders.org/downloads/GFEreports/GFE_Benchmarking2010.pdf
Grantmakers for Education’s report on the grantmaking landscape, “Benchmarking 2010: Trends in Education Philanthropy,” examines current priorities, practices, and concerns of education grantmakers. It discusses: the types and priorities of grantmakers who fund education, the geographic scope of work, amounts granted annually and at what point in the education system; which funding priorities and strategies figure most prominently; the range of collaborations in which grantmakers participate and motivations for and approaches to policy engagement; grantmakers’ reflections on trends in the field (with a sidebar on topics funders feel are not sufficiently addressed by education philanthropy); and ways to increase the collective impact of work, and bring greater alignment to the field. Available in pdf (267 pages, 1.59 MB).

The Job Seeker’s Toolkit 
Toolkit
http://www.afb.org/learn/course.asp?eid=4796
The Job Seeker’s Toolkit, from the American Foundation for the Blind, is an online course that helps users develop skills and tools for seeking jobs. The free course covers self awareness, career exploration tools, finding employment, the interview, and maintaining employment.

Voices in Urban Education: Student-Based Budgeting
Theme Issue
http://www.annenberginstitute.org/VUE/
The Fall issue of Voices in Urban Education, produced in partnership with Education Resource Strategies, grew from the ERS-convened Fair Student Funding Summit last March, which brought together more than 60 urban education leaders from 14 school districts that use student-based budgeting. School finance reform is a critical component for improving U.S. public schools. A growing number of districts are turning to student-based budgeting, allocating budgets to schools based on a school’s particular mix of students, rather than staff positions. This approach allows more equitable allocation of funds among schools with differing needs and better alignment of school budgets with instructional goals.

What Works? Can We Say?  
Report
http://www.nichcy.org/Research/Basics/Pages/WhatWorks.aspx
The National Dissemination Center for Children with Disabilities has updated its report, “What Works? Can We Say?´ It is intended for people teaching children with disabilities in schools or caring for pre-schoolers, and examines what research in special education has found about effective practices in teaching or caring for children with disabilities

CORE of a Good Life  
Report
http://www.waisman.wisc.edu/naturalsupports/pdfs/CORE_Guide.pdf
“CORE of a Good Life: Guided Conversations with Parents on Raising Young Children with Disabilities” is a resource from the University of Wisconsin’s Waisman Center, giving parents guidance from the experiences of other parents on raising young children with disabilities by drawing on the “CORE”: Community (connections and participation), Opportunities (to explore and pursue interests), Reciprocity (in relationships), and Enjoyment (in our lives. Available in pdf (29.8 MB, 64 pp).

Crafting E-Curriculum that Inspires 
Report
http://www.edweek.org/ew/collections/e-learning-2011-winter/index.html
This report from “Education Week,” the final installment of a three-part series on e-learning, examines how schools are working to create high-quality digital curricula and online courses. It covers the influence the common-core standards are likely to have on building the online curricula of the future, the growing emphasis on teaching social skills to virtual school students, how schools are building courses that blend face-to-face and online learning, and the evolving role of e-assessments.

Guide for High Schools on Creating Job Shadowing Opportunities for Youth with Disabilities  
Guide
http://www.ivrs.iowa.gov/Transition/BuildPartnershipsforCareerExploration.pdf
“How to Build Partnerships for Career Exploration: Using Job Shadowing to Explore the World of Work” is a guide for high schools on how to collaborate with a postsecondary institution or other organization to plan and carry out a job shadow day. The guide describes the preparation tasks needed at the high school and at partner sites, provides details for the job shadow day and for follow-up activities, and includes a task timeline helpful as a planning tool. It is part of a series of resource guides from the Monadnock Center for Successful Transitions (MCST). Available in pdf (617 KB, 130 pp).

Helping Families Prepare for the Future: 2008-2009 Outcome Data from Rehabilitation Services Administration (RSA) Parent Information and Training Programs  
Report
http://www.pacer.org/tatra/pdf/RSA%20Book%202010lowres.pdf
This publication summarizes the work of parent information and training programs funded by the U.S. Department of Education Rehabilitation Services Administration (RSA) to “provide training and information to enable individuals with disabilities, and the parents, family members, guardians, advocates, or other authorized representatives of the individuals to participate more effectively with professionals in meeting the vocational, independent living, and rehabilitation needs of individuals with disabilities.” The data in this report were collected by parent centers conducting RSA-funded parent training and compiled by the Technical Assistance on Transition and the Rehabilitation Act (TATRA) Project. Available in pdf (901 KB, 26 pp).

Insulating the Education Pipeline to Increase Postsecondary Success 
Issue Brief
http://forumfyi.org/files/RB21_Credentialed-by-26_Brief-1[1].pdf
The first in the Forum for Youth Investment’s new “Ready by 21, Credentialed by 26” series, this issue brief explores why postsecondary completion is an important goal and how the United States is faring. It identifies partners that need to be mobilized and policy approaches that need to be enacted to increase completion rates and help more young people successfully transition to adulthood. Available in pdf (342 KB, 7 pp).

Quality Counts: Uncertain Forecast 2011 
Report
http://tinyurl.com/4sabtpt
Education Week has released its 15th “Quality Counts” report, evaluating states’ educational performance and policymaking, and providing analysis of each state’s Chance-for-Success Index and K-12 Achievement Index. Few large-scale, state-level education policy changes could be attributed to the economic downturn (officially begun December 2007 and ended June 2009). Many states have enacted modest policy modifications to give districts greater flexibility, such as broadening uses of funds previously reserved for particular programs or groups, or loosening regulations on length of the school year, week, or day. Few reforms have been fundamental. Maryland was again top-ranked, at B-plus. Massachusetts and New York each followed with a B. At the bottom end, the District of Columbia, Nebraska, and South Dakota each received a D-plus. The nation overall again earned a C, and continues to need improvement.

Statewide Longitudinal Data Systems Brief Offers Tips on Protecting Student Privacy 
Technical Brief
http://nces.ed.gov/pubsearch/pubsinfo.asp?pubid=2011603
The U.S. Department of Education’s Institute of Education Sciences’ National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) has released a technical brief from Statewide Longitudinal Data Systems (SLDS) “Statistical Methods for Protecting Personally Identifiable Information in Aggregate Reporting.” It examines what protecting student privacy means in a reporting context. Protecting a student’s privacy means the student’s personally identifiable information must not be publicly released. Typically, reports on students’ educational progress release only aggregated data (data for groups of students), but even with aggregation unintended disclosures of personally identifiable information may occur. The Brief illustrates that some practices work better than others in protecting against disclosures of identifiable information about individuals and recommends rules that maximize the amount of detail that can be safely reported without allowing disclosures from student outcome measures based on small numbers of students.

The Strengths and Challenges of Community Organizing as an Education Reform Strategy: What the Research Says  
Report
http://www.annenberginstitute.org/PDF/NMEF_Report.pdf
The Annenberg Institute for School Reform (AISR) at Brown University has released this report, commissioned by the Nellie Mae Education Foundation (NMEF), on the importance of community organizing for school reform, bringing new ideas and solutions to education reform efforts. The report especially examines results of community organizing in New England. The research series provides NMEF grantees, community-based organizations, other funders, and policy-makers with information about the field of community organizing and its presence in New England. Available in pdf (530 KB, 35 pp).

Tools and Training for Volunteer and Service Programs Involving Students with Disabilities 
Resource List
http://www.nationalserviceresources.org/practices/topic/152
The Corporation for National and Community Service’s Resource Center offers this list of resources and links to methods for including people with disabilities in national service programs, including accessibility assessments, mentoring, special education students as camp counselors and many other ideas.

Transition Trek Game Updated  
Educational Game
http://www.pacer.org/premium-publications/OrderForm.pdf
The updated Transition Trek Game, from the Parent Advocacy Coalition for Educational Rights (PACER) is an educational board game that helps youth and young adults plan for life after high school by drawing cards with questions related to careers, independent living, and self determination and seeing how their answers make progress on the board. PACER’s order form is available in pdf (100 KB, 1 p).

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Update from the National Dissemination Center for Children with Disabilities

IT ALL STARTS IN FAMILIES AND COMMUNITIES

NIH research results for the public.
What’s NIH found in all its medical research? Have a look at this incredible list of fact sheets written for the public. Sign up to receive email updates from NIH on the results of its research.
http://www.nih.gov/about/researchresultsforthepublic/index.htm
 
Speaking of research…are you a parent of a child on the autism spectrum?
Want to take part in a study being conducted by Boston University? They’re out to develop a comprehensive measure of adaptive behavior of children and youth with autism spectrum disorders (ASD), ages 3-21 years. The researchers are looking for 600 parents (legal guardians) of children and youth with an ASD ages 3-21 from across the United States to complete an online survey that asks questions about their child’s ability to perform everyday life tasks, as well as about his/her behaviors. Read more about it, at:
http://www.bu.edu/kidsincontext/
 
Minority health.
The FDA Office of Minority Health was established in 2010, as required by the Affordable Care Act. Visit its shiny new website!
http://www.fda.gov/minorityhealth
 
Three goodies from Wrightslaw.
Wrightslaw is a great resource, isn’t it? Here are 3 articles you may want to check out.
 
Behavior Management and School-Related Behavior Problems 
http://www.wrightslaw.com/nltr/11/nl.0201.htm
 
The Do’s & Don’ts of Parent Advocacy
http://www.wrightslaw.com/nltr/11/nl.0125.htm 
 
Will Retention Help Your Child?
http://www.wrightslaw.com/nltr/11/nl.0118.htm 
 
 
A national scan of parent leadership training programs.
Annenberg Institute senior consultant Anne Henderson looks at four successful parent training programs across the country and offers up strategies that can be used by cities and districts looking to implement similar initiatives.
http://www.annenberginstitute.org/Products/Henderson.php
 
Fact sheets for youth with disabilities, written by youth with disabilities.
KASA stands for Kids as Self-Advocates. It offers more than 60 fact sheets written by youth with disabilities on its Advisory Board and youth writers from its network. Great stuff.
http://www.fvkasa.org/resources/index.php
 
Paraprofessional Toolkit: Working with a 1-on-1 aide in school.
This toolkit is written BY youth, with sections for students, paras, and school administrators. Cost: $25.00 per toolkit ($20.00 for KASA members) including shipping. Download the order form at:
http://fvkasa.org/KASA%20PTK%20order%20form%20wcover.doc

THE LITTLE ONES: EARLY INTERVENTION/EARLYCHILDHOOD 

In praise of NECTAC’s eNotes. – We’ve said it before, but we’ll say it again. The best news source on the block for early intervention/early childhood is NECTAC. Sign up for its eNotes and let the news come to you. (BTW, check out the resources listed in the January 28 issue of eNotes.)
http://www.nectac.org/enotes/enotes.asp
 
Recruitment and retention of EI professionals. This practice brief from the Personnel Improvement Center suggests strategies to improve the recruitment and retention of EI personnel, including related service providers such as occupational therapists, physical therapists, and speech-language pathologists.
http://tinyurl.com/4dgp743
 
Family involvement in early childhood education.
This research brief synthesizes the latest research that demonstrates how family involvement contributes to young children’s learning and development.
http://tinyurl.com/4ru35bo
 
Young Latino infants and families: Parental involvement implications.
This study provides a deeper understanding of how cultural practices combine with other factors to shape parenting behaviors among families in the United States in the first year of children’s lives. Several findings provide information about ways in which practitioners and Latino families can more effectively engage with young Latino children to influence their cognitive, social, language, and literacy development-and therefore facilitate their school readiness.
http://tinyurl.com/4z3hzyb
 
Making data come alive for families through young children’s play.
How to use children’s work as a unique type of student data to track development and share children’s progress with parents. From the Harvard Family Research Project.
http://tinyurl.com/4hkgx96
 
Eligibility policies and practices for young children under Part B of IDEA.
Hot off the press! From NECTAC.
http://www.nectac.org/pubs/titlelist.asp#nnotes27
 
State characteristics: Kindergarten.
This StateNote examines key components of each state’s kindergarten policy, including the lower compulsory age; entrance age; if districts must offer; and if students must attend. A December 2010 report from the Education Commission of the States.
http://www.ecs.org/clearinghouse/90/71/9071.pdf
 
Best Practice Tutorial Series | Early childhood mental health.
The Center for Early Childhood Mental Health Consultation (ECMHC) offers this series of six tutorials, which are designed to enhance users’ skills and knowledge around how to implement effective mental health consultation in Head Start and Early Head Start (HS/EHS) programs.
http://www.ecmhc.org/tutorials/index.html
 
Early literacy learning: 3 from CELL.
The Center for Early Literacy Learning (CELL) has released three new CELLcasts for parents (audio/video versions of CELL practice guides for viewing online or downloading to an iPod/Mp3 player).World of Words teaches parents where to find everyday literacy-rich opportunities in their community. Get Write on It discusses ways to encourage early writing in toddlers. Listen Hear focuses on helping children make letter and sound connections while learning to read and spell.
http://www.earlyliteracylearning.org/ta_cellcasts1.php

SCHOOLS, K-12

Video | Spelling as a diagnostic tool.
Literacy expert Dr. Louisa Moats trains teachers across the country in how to interpret spelling mistakes. It’s important to learn what kinds of spelling errors can signal a child’s slow progress and the need for extra help.
http://www.readingrockets.org/atoz/spelling_word_study#video

Reading Rockets’s newest booklist: On the Go in the New Year.
It may still be winter, but the world isn’t hibernating – it’s on the move! Ride the rails, take a rocket ship to the moon, or put on wings and fly through poetry. An adventure awaits in the pages of these books.
http://www.readingrockets.org/articles/books/c1225 

NIH curriculum supplements for middle schools and high schools.
The NIH curriculum supplements are teacher’s guides to two weeks of lessons on the science behind selected health topics. They combine cutting-edge biomedical discoveries with state-of-the-art instructional practices. Several titles are disability-related (e.g., The Science of Mental Illness); all are just plain interesting!
http://science-education.nih.gov/customers.nsf/WebPages/CSHome

The brain’s inner workings: Activities for grades 9 through 12.
This collection of multimedia resources and inquiry-based activities tied to the National Science Education Standards help teachers and students learn about the structure, function and cognitive aspects of the human brain. The packet includes a teacher’s manual, student manual, DVD of videos, and a CDROM of accompanying materials.
http://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/brains-inner-workings/the-brains-inner-workings-activities-for-grades-9-through-12.shtml

Alphabet soup: School leaders overwhelmed by acronyms!
This module from the IRIS Center will help you understand selected acronyms used in the field of special education and identify available resources for explaining frequently used special education acronyms.
http://iris.peabody.vanderbilt.edu/activities/class/icl018.pdf

Effective reading interventions for students with LD.
http://www.ldonline.org/article/33084

Center on Instruction has a new website!
COI is a gateway to scientifically based resources on instruction. Check out its new website, at:
http://www.centeroninstruction.org/

Q&A on funding RTI.
New, from the National Center on RTI.
http://www.rti4success.org/images/stories/NCRTI_RTI_Funding_Questions_and_Answers.pdf

Youth subcultures: Understanding subgroups to better address barriers to learning.
So…do you know the subcultures of today’s youth? Goth, hip hop, emo, jock, gang…to name a few. Here’s a series of information fact sheets that can help.
http://smhp.psych.ucla.edu/materials/trainingpresentation.htm#fact

A training manual on conducting FBAs.
The Practical Functional Behavioral Assessment Training Manual for School-Based Personnel is available from the PBIS Center (OSEP Technical Assistance Center on Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports).
http://www.pbis.org/pbis_resource_detail_page.aspx?PBIS_ResourceID=887

A roadmap to legal dispute resolution for sudents withdisabilities.
This article maps out the similarities and differences among the various routes to Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) and Section 504 dispute resolution.
http://www.directionservice.org/cadre/RoadmapLegalDR.cfm

On responding to a crisis.
Besides natural disasters such as earthquakes and fires, students can experience traumatic events such as the suicide of friends, gang activity, snipers, rape, and hostage-taking. The Center for Mental Health in Schools has compiled this page of resources to help schools respond to a crisis.
http://smhp.psych.ucla.edu/crisisresp.htm

Gateway to a world of resources for enhancing mental health in schools.
This gateway is a links “map” that provides quick access to relevant resources on the internet with respect to:
• mental health in schools
• concerns related to children’s severe mental health disorders
• concerns related to children’s psychosocial problems
• positive social/emotional development and prevention of psychosocial/mental health problems, and
• others focused on addressing barriers to learning and development.
Access the gateway at:
http://smhp.psych.ucla.edu/gateway/gateway_sites.htm

STATE & SYSTEM TOOLS

Three new practice briefs on recruitment and retention. Also from the PIC, these briefs highlight state and local level practices in the following areas:

Creating mentoring programs as a means of retaining qualified special education personnel
http://tinyurl.com/4r5rdn5 

Recruitment and retention of qualified early intervention personnel
http://tinyurl.com/4dgp743  

Using new social media to recruit and retain qualified special education personnel
http://tinyurl.com/4megbhk 

Cultural competency, what it is and why it matters.
http://www.lpfch.org/programs/culturalcompetency.pdf

Funding a comprehensive system of learning supports.
According to this 3-pager from the School Mental Health Project, the Louisiana Department of Education has developed a manual and tools to assist local education agencies in understanding how to integrate multiple funding sources to accomplish initiatives (such as the development of the state’s design for a Comprehensive Learning Supports System). Possible funding streams include Title I, II, III, IV, VI, X, School Improvement, MFP, and IDEA.
http://smhp.psych.ucla.edu/pdfdocs/fundingstream.pdf

The U.S. Department of Education’s new dashboard.
ED has launched a new website that provides transparent access to key national and state education data, highlighting the progress being made across the country in every level of the education system and encouraging communities to engage in a conversation about their schools.
http://dashboard.ed.gov

SPECIAL FOCUS: Rare Disorders

Roughly 7,000 rare diseases/disorders have been identified as affecting the human race. Because they are rare, it can be a real challenge for a person to be diagnosed. Finding effective treatments, especially medicine, can also be a challenge—and for the same reason. Rareness.

If you have a rare disease, know someone who does, or work with people who might, here’s a core of resources we hope are helpful. We’ve excerpted these from our newly updated Rare Disorders fact sheet, which has all of the info below, plus extra info in two categories:

• The Human Genome Project
• Orphan Drugs

Organizations Addressing Rare Disorders

NORD, the National Organization for Rare Disorders, at:
http://www.rarediseases.org

Office of Rare Disorders at the National Institutes of Health, at:
http://rarediseases.info.nih.gov/

Genetic and Rare Diseases Information Center (GARD)
http://rarediseases.info.nih.gov/GARD/

DiseaseInfoSearch, for information on specific genetic conditions, at:
http://www.geneticalliance.org/

Rare Disorders, at:
http://www.rare-disorders.com/

The Children’s Rare Disease Network, at:
http://www.crdnetwork.org/

The Rare Blog.
http://www.crdnetwork.org/blog/

Genetics and Genetic Disorders
 
Three from the Genetic Alliance. If genetics or genetic disorders interest you, check out these three resources from the Genetic Alliance.
Understanding Genetics begins with a basic introduction to genetics concepts, followed by detailed information on topics such as diagnosis of genetic conditions, family history, newborn screening, genetic counseling, understanding patient stories, and ethical, legal, and social issues in genetics.
http://www.geneticalliance.org/understanding.genetics

Making Sense of Your Genes: A Guide to Genetic Counseling includes general information about genetic counseling, tips on how to prepare for an appointment, and details about different specialties in the field.
http://www.geneticalliance.org/counseling.guide

Students Living With a Genetic Condition: A Guide for Parents | You know how to identify and manage symptoms at home, and it may be scary to have someone else manage your child’s medical care in your absence. This guide provides information that may be helpful when writing a letter or when preparing to meet with your student’s teacher, school nurse, and physical education teacher or coach. This may also be a useful resource for bus drivers, babysitters, church leaders, or any other potential caregiver. http://tinyurl.com/23neulr

Frequently asked questions.
 Go to the link below, which is the landing page that can connect you to more info about genetic disorders, genetic testing, genetic counseling and evaluation, and how to locate a genetics professional. There’s also information on how genetics professionals help patients interpret and understand genetic information.
http://www.genome.gov/27527652

GINA–the law against genetic discrimination.
 With genetic testing becoming increasingly pervasive in medical care and our daily lives, three of the most prominent organizations in genetics (the Genetics and Public Policy Center at Johns Hopkins University, the National Coalition for Health Professional Education in Genetics, and Genetic Alliance) have teamed up to produce educational materials about the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act (GINA), a landmark federal law that protects individuals from the misuse of genetic information in health insurance and employment. Start in at:  http://www.ginahelp.org/

The Undiagnosed Condition

Learning about an undiagnosed condition in a child.
http://www.genome.gov/17515951

Tips for those with an undiagnosed condition.
http://rarediseases.info.nih.gov/GARD/TipsForAnUndiagnosedCondition.aspx

The Undiagnosed Disease Program @ NIH.
http://rarediseases.info.nih.gov/Resources.aspx?PageID=31

Mystery Diagnosis | The TV Series.
Heard of this TV show on Discovery? It frequently deals with rare diseases or disorders that have gone undiagnosed for years. Each episode tells a different person’s story—you hear from the person, the medical staff, and the person’s family. The link below takes you to the list of diseases the show has highlighted. Maybe your rare disorder is one of them!
http://health.discovery.com/fansites/mystery-diagnosis/diseases.html

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Latest Employment Opportunities Posted on NASET

ES Learning Support Teacher

Brussels, Belgium
Job Category: Learning Support Teacher

Description

For August 2011:

The International School of Brussels (http://www.isb.be) is a dynamic learning organization committed to developing independent learners and international citizens. The school is a vibrant community in which students, teachers, staff and parents work together towards the achievement of our mission and goals.

The successful candidate’s role would include:

• Promoting the inclusive values and mission of the school within the department
• Full time teaching of students with mild to moderate learning disabilities.  Teaching structure will be a combination of co-taught, small group, and could be “push in” or “pull out” depending on student need
• Case managing 15- 20 students with learning disabilities which includes facilitating teacher and parent meetings, management of Individualized Learning Plans, and overall student advocacy
• Co-teaching with a designated class in language arts and mathematics
• Designing specialized instructional opportunities at a grade level for groups of students with learning disabilities depending on needs
• Collaborating through a multidisciplinary team based approach – collaborating with counselors, OT’s and SLT’s, teachers, parents, administrators  etc…
• Monitoring students identified but not receiving direct services, and for students identified as gifted and talented
• Assessing student needs and progress regularly
• Managing new referrals to learning support
• Supporting teachers with differentiation strategies in the classroom
• Guiding the development of unit plans through the lens of differentiation • Promoting the use of assistive/adaptive technologies
• Keeping up-to-date on curriculum developments and trends in remediation in the field of learning disabilities

Requirements
BA degree and, preferably, a minimum of 2 years experience

Contact
CV, cover letter, and references to Kristen Pelletier, Head of Learning Support, at LSjobs@isb.be

Deadline: 18 March 2011

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HS Learning Support Teacher (1 year replacement)

Brussels, Belgium
Job Category: Learning Support Teacher

Description

For August 2011:

The International School of Brussels (http://www.isb.be) is a dynamic learning organization committed to developing independent learners and international citizens. The school is a vibrant community in which students, teachers, staff and parents work together towards the achievement of our mission and goals.

The successful candidate’s role would include:

• Full time teaching of students with mild to moderate learning disabilities.  Teaching structure will be a combination of co-taught, small group, and could be “push in” or “pull out” depending on student need
• Case managing 15- 20 students with learning disabilities which includes facilitating teacher and parent meetings, management of Individualized Learning Plans, and overall student advocacy
• Co-teaching at least one class in a subject area
• Promoting the inclusive values and mission of the school within the department
• Collaborating through a multi-disciplinary team approach – collaborating with counselors, OT’s and SLT’s, teachers, parents, administrators  etc…
• Monitoring students identified but not receiving direct services, and for students identified as gifted and talented
• Assessing student needs and progress regularly
• Managing new referrals to learning support
• Supporting teachers with differentiation strategies in the classroom
• Promoting the use of assistive/adaptive technologies
• Guiding the development of unit plans through the lens of differentiation
• Keeping up-to-date on curriculum developments and trends in remediation in the field of learning disabilities

Requirements

BA degree with, preferably, a minimum of 2 years experience

Contact

CV, cover letter, and references to Kristen Pelletier, Head of Learning Support, at LSjobs@isb.be

Deadline: 18 March 2011

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Senior Alternate Assessment Specialist – Job6403

Washington, DC
Job Category: Full Time

Description
The Assessment Program at AIR is a well regarded organization that is growing rapidly. We focus on providing our clients with customized assessments that not only measure student achievement against state standards, but also provide meaningful score reports that can help students, parents, and educators address any areas of student weakness. Our environment is fast-paced and requires people at all levels that are willing to roll up their sleeves to get the work done in time without jeopardizing quality. We are currently seeking a Senior Alternate Assessment Specialist to assist with the overall responsibility for developing the adaptive alternate assessments that use the academic performance based design.

Responsibilities
The Senior Alternate Assessment Specialist must be able to work collaboratively in a fast paced environment; anticipate problems and come up with creative methods of solving them; develop strong, positive, constructive relationships with clients; coordinate among the various project teams; and make sure that quality control procedures are adhered to in order to produce high quality, performance based, alternate assessments.

Senior Alternate Assessment Specialist responsibilities include:

• Demonstrate leadership for AIR in the alternate assessment practice area among clients, partner organizations, and at national meetings.
• Provide subject matter expertise and leadership to state department staff who have responsible for the development and oversight of state wide alternate assessments.
• Contribute ideas and information to support project efforts through presentations, trainings or seminars; while working directly with state department of education and district level staff.
• Work with internal staff and subcontractors to develop processes, procedures, for meeting project deliverables and client special education related needs.
• Work collaboratively with AIR staff to ensure that all plans and schedules are viable.
• Adhere to a master schedule of deadlines and deliverables.
  Provide information, support, and problem-solving to the clients, as needed, in a manner that provides positive solutions.
• Keep AIR senior management informed of any potential project problems, including issues with a client or another stakeholder and any potential for missed deadlines.

Requirements
Minimum of a Master’s degree in special education, autism spectrum disorders, or low incidence disabilities.
Minimum of 5 years of instructing students (K-12) with significant cognitive disabilities in academic content areas.
Experience working in alternate assessment, extended/expanded standards and large-scale assessment.
Experience teaching students with deaf-blindness is desirable.
Experience providing instruction using assistive technology is desirable.

TO APPLY
AIR offers an excellent compensation and benefits package, including a fully funded retirement plan, generous paid time off, subsidized garage parking, tuition assistance, and more.  For more information, please visit our website at www.air.org.  To apply, please go to http://jobs-airdc.icims.com?&sn=naset.org and conduct a job title search.  EOE. 

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$125,000 Salary for Master Middle School Teacher

New York City
Job Category: (Special Education)

Description
Earn a $125,000 salary and join a team of master teachers at The Equity Project (TEP) Charter School, recently featured on the front page of the New York Times: (http://www.tepcharter.org/nytimes.php).

TEP is a 480-student 5th through 8th grade middle school in the Washington Heights neighborhood of New York City.  Applications are currently being accepted for teaching positions in Science, Latin, Math, English, Social Studies, Music, PE/Health Education, and Special Education.

Learn more and apply today at http://www.tepcharter.org/apply.php

About TEP Charter School
TEP aims to put into practice the central conclusion of a large body of research related to student achievement: teacher quality is the most important school-based factor in the academic success of students, particularly those from low-income families. In singling out teacher quality as the essential lever in educational reform, TEP is uniquely focused on attracting and retaining master teachers. To do so, TEP uses a three-pronged strategy that it terms the 3 R’s: Rigorous Qualifications, Redefined Expectations, & Revolutionary Compensation.

For more information, visit us online at http://www.tepcharter.org

Compensation
$125,000 salary + potential annual bonus, full benefits package

Requirements & Application
Learn more and apply today at http://www.tepcharter.org/apply.php

********************

Senior Alternate Assessment Specialist

Washington, DC
Job Category: Special Education SME/Test Development/Program Man

Description
Senior Alternate Assessment Specialist responsibilities include:

• Demonstrate leadership for AIR in the alternate assessment practice area among clients, partner organizations, and at national meetings.
• Provide subject matter expertise and leadership to state department staff who have responsible for the development and oversight of state wide alternate assessments.
• Contribute ideas and information to support project efforts through presentations, trainings or seminars; while working directly with state department of education and district level staff.
• Work with internal staff and subcontractors to develop processes, procedures, for meeting project deliverables and client special education related needs.
• Work collaboratively with AIR staff to ensure that all plans and schedules are viable.
• Adhere to a master schedule of deadlines and deliverables.
  Provide information, support, and problem-solving to the clients, as needed, in a manner that provides positive solutions.
• Keep AIR senior management informed of any potential project problems, including issues with a client or another stakeholder and any potential for missed deadlines.

Requirements

• Minimum of a Master’s degree in special education, autism spectrum disorders, or low incidence disabilities.
• Minimum of 5 years of instructing students (K-12) with significant cognitive disabilities in academic content areas.
• Experience working in alternate assessment, extended/expanded standards and large-scale assessment.
• Experience teaching students with deaf-blindness is desirable.
• Experience providing instruction using assistive technology is desirable.
  Benefits

AIR offers an excellent compensation and benefits package, including a fully funded retirement plan, generous paid time off, subsidized garage parking, tuition assistance, and more.

Contact
TO APPLY, please go to our Career Center at: https://jobs-airdc.icims.com/jobs/6403/job

Funding Forecast and Award Opportunities

Forecast of Funding Opportunities under the Department of Education Discretionary Grant Programs for Fiscal Year 2010-2011
http://www.ed.gov/fund/grant/find/edlite-forecast.html
This document lists virtually all programs and competitions under which the U.S. Department of Education has invited or expects to invite applications for new awards for fiscal year 2010-2011 and provides actual or estimated deadlines for the transmittal of applications under these programs. The lists are in the form of charts organized according to the Department’s principal program offices and include programs and competitions previously announced as well as those to be announced at a later date.

FY 2010-2011 Discretionary Grant Application Packages
http://www.ed.gov/fund/grant/apply/grantapps/index.html
This site, from the Department of Education, provides information on grant competitions that are currently open.

Amgen: Award for Science Teaching Excellence
http://www.amgen.com/citizenship/aaste.html
The Amgen Award for Science Teaching Excellence recognizes extraordinary contributions by educators across the United States who elevate the level of science literacy through creativity in the classroom and motivation of students. Maximum award: $5,000. Eligibility: full-time classroom teachers grades K–12 in public or private school whose major responsibilities include teaching science and who work in California, Colorado, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Puerto Rico, Rhode Island, or Washington state. Deadline: February 11, 2011.

ING Unsung Heroes Program Opens Grant Program for K-12 Educational Projects
http://ing.us/about-ing/citizenship/childrens-education/ing-unsung-heroes
The ING Unsung Heroes program annually provides grants of $2,000 to U.S. K-12 education professionals using new teaching methods and techniques to improve learning. Educators may submit grant applications describing projects they have initiated or would like to pursue. Each project is judged on its innovative method, creativity, and ability to positively influence students. Each year, one hundred educators are selected to receive $2,000 each to help fund their innovative class projects. Three recipients are then selected to receive additional top awards of $5,000, $10,000, and $25,000. All K-12 education professionals are eligible to apply. Applicants must be employed by an accredited K-12 public or private school located in the United States and must be full-time educators, teachers, principals, paraprofessionals, or classified staff with projects that improve student learning. Deadline: April 30, 2011

Pathways Within Roads to Reading Initiative
http://www.pwirtr.org/annual_donation_prog.html
The Pathways Within Roads to Reading Initiative donates books to literacy programs in small and rural low-income communities. Maximum award: 200 books appropriate for readers age 0 to young adult; English only. Eligibility: 501(c)3 organizations that run school, after-school, summer, community, day-care, and library reading and literacy programs; organizations must have an annual operating budget of less than $95,000 (schools and libraries are exempt from this budget requirement) and be located in an underserved community with a population of less than 50,000. Deadline: March 30, 2011.

Do Something: Seed Grants
http://www.dosomething.org/grants/faq
Do Something Seed Grants can aid project ideas and programs that are just getting started, to jump-start programs and realize ideas for the first time; or projects that are already developed and sustainable and moving toward the next steps of the project and organization as the project expands. Maximum award: $500. Eligibility: U.S. or Canadian citizens aged 25 or under. Deadline: ongoing. 

National Association of Biology Teachers: Evolution Education Award
http://www.nabt.org/websites/institution/index.php?p=132#award2
The National Association of Biology Teachers (NABT) Evolution Education Award, sponsored by The American Institute of Biological Sciences (AIBS) and the Biological Sciences Curriculum Study (BSCS), recognizes innovative classroom teaching and community education efforts to promote the accurate understanding of biological evolution. Maximum award: $1,000, a recognition plaque to be presented at the NABT Professional Development Conference, and a one-year complimentary NABT membership. Eligibility: biology and life science teachers. Deadline: March 15, 2011.

Earthwatch: Education Fellowships
http://www.earthwatch.org/aboutus/education/edopp/edfelfund/
The Earthwatch Institute offers educators fully funded fellowships for hands-on learning with leading scientists doing field research and conservation on one of 130 projects. Earthwatch’s Education Fellowships are national in scope, and supported by a wide range of businesses, foundations, and individuals. Maximum award: full cost of expedition, including all research costs, meals, housing, on-site travel, etc. Eligibility: K-12 classroom educators of any subject(s) from public or private schools nationwide. Deadline: Applications accepted on a rolling basis.

Best Buy: Teach@15 Award
http://www.bestbuy-communityrelations.com/teach_awards.htm
Best Buy’s Teach@15 Award program improves classroom learning by helping schools (grades 7-12) meet technology needs. A teen member (age 13-18) who is a registered member on www.at15.com can nominate his/her school to win a Teach@15 Award. Eligible are accredited, nonprofit junior or senior public, private, parochial, magnet, and charter high schools in the U.S. serving any grades 7-12.

Campbell’s: Labels for Education
http://www.labelsforeducation.com/about-the-program.aspx
The Campbell’s, Inc., Labels for Education Program gives schools free educational equipment in exchange for labels from Campbell products. For more than 30 years, Labels for Education has been awarding free educational equipment to schools in exchange for proofs of purchase from the Campbell family of brands.

Federal Student Aid – Grant Program (English)
http://tinyurl.com/yfbe5tb
From Disability.gov, the English-language version of this fact sheet provides an overview of the major federal student aid grant programs. The federal government provides grant funds for students attending colleges, including career colleges and universities. Grants, unlike loans, do not have to be repaid. Available in pdf (42.4 KB, 1 p).

Federal Student Aid – Grant Program (Spanish)
http://tinyurl.com/282krpk
From Disability.gov, the Spanish-language version of this fact sheet provides an overview of the major federal student aid grant programs. The federal government provides grant funds for students attending colleges, including career colleges and universities. Grants, unlike loans, do not have to be repaid. Available in pdf (145 KB, 1 p).

Funding Education Beyond High School – Federal Student Aid at a Glance
http://tinyurl.com/2bzq9sa
A quick reference guide and Federal Student Aid Summary Chart that describes various federal student aid programs, who may be eligible, and how to apply.

On Line Compilations of Scholarships for Students with Disabilities from Michigan State University
http://staff.lib.msu.edu/harris23/grants/3disable.htm
A comprehensive list of scholarships offered to students with disabilities located on the Michigan State University Libraries website.

Do Something Invites Applications for Six Flags Friends Scholarships
http://www.dosomething.org/grants/sixflags/scholarships
Do Something has teamed up with Six Flags Friends to award college scholarships to young leaders who are taking action to make their community (locally or globally) a better place. Scholarships will be awarded based on past, current, and planned action in the community as well as the applicant’s passion, commitment, and proven leadership skills. Six scholarships of $1,500 each will be awarded.

NEA Learning and Leadership Grant
http://tinyurl.com/yacbb5b
NEA’s Learning & Leadership grants support public school teachers, public education support professionals, or faculty and staff in public institutions of higher education for two purposes: grants to individuals to fund participation in high-quality professional development experiences, such as summer institutes or action research; and grants to groups to fund college study, including study groups, action research, lesson study, or mentoring experiences for faculty or staff new to an assignment.

Powered by Service Offers Funding to Seed Youth-Led Service Projects
http://tinyurl.com/y8l7j44
Grants will be awarded to young people around the world who are conducting service projects that encourage youth to become involved in addressing problems facing their communities. Grants presently are being accepting only from Atlanta GA, Detroit MI, Los Angeles CA, Milwaukee WI, New Orleans LA and New York NY, but other communities will be added at intervals. Deadline: Open.

Travelocity’s Travel for Good Volunteer Travel Opportunities
http://tinyurl.com/2v7sh2
Travelocity’s Travel for Good offers funding quarterly for its Change Ambassadors Grant to help support Americans who wish to travel to participate in volunteer opportunities (volunteer vacations). Two grants of $5,000 each will be awarded to individuals or groups going on volunteer vacations; applicants must demonstrate a previous commitment to volunteering and financial need. Deadline: not applicable.

Financial Aid On Disabilityinfo.Gov
http://www.disabilityinfo.gov/digov-public/public/DisplayPage.do?parentFolderId=84
This Web site includes links to scholarship applications for students with various disabilities for graduate and undergraduate as well as vocational studies.

Got Grants?
http://www.teachersourcebook.org/tsb/articles/2009/03/16/02grants.h02.html
Successful education grant writers offer advice on how to access teacher-learning funds.

Michigan State Library of Financial Aid
http://www.lib.msu.edu/harris23/grants/3disable.htm
Michigan State’s comprehensive list of financial aid resources for students with disabilities can be found at their Web site.

Scholarships4students.Com
http://www.scholarships4students.com/special_scholarships.htm
Scholarships4students’s Web site includes a list of scholarships for students with disabilities, by disability category.

National Scholarship Providers Association
http://www.scholarshipproviders.org
The National Scholarship Providers Association (NSPA) web site offers information on NSPA scholarships for Latino students and for students formerly in foster care. A new NPSA product, the Scholarship Data Standard, allows students to complete an online scholarship application and then re-use the information with other scholarship providers without retyping their data.

Charles Lafitte Foundation: Grants for Education & Child Advocacy
http://www.charleslafitte.org/education.html
The Charles Lafitte Foundation Grants Program helps groups and individuals foster lasting improvement on the human condition by providing support to education, children’s advocacy, medical research, and the arts. Maximum award: varies. Eligibility: 501(c)3 organizations. Deadline: rolling.

Plum Grants
http://www.dosomething.org/programs/plum-grant-guidelines
Individuals who have recently created a sustainable community action project, program or organization and need $500 to further the growth and success of the program are eligible to apply for a Plum Youth Grant. Plum grants are given out weekly. Deadline: None.

Nonprofit Music Programs
http://www.guitarcentermusicfoundation.org/grants/index.cfm?sec=info
The Guitar Center Music Foundation’s mission is to aid nonprofit music programs across America that offer music instruction so that more people can experience the joys of making music. Maximum Award: $5000. Eligibility: 501(c)(3) organizations. Qualifying applicants are established, ongoing and sustainable music programs across the United States that provide music instruction for people of any age who would not otherwise have the opportunity to make music. Deadline: N/A.

Live Monarch Educator Outreach Program
http://www.lmf-educator-award.com/index.html
The Live Monarch Foundation Educator Outreach Program provides funding for U.S. teachers to enroll in the National Campaign to bring monarch butterflies into the classroom. This program provides education and materials to strengthen the monarch’s 3,000-mile migratory route within North America by creating self-sustaining butterfly gardens and refuges. Materials will be provided for each participant to raise a virtual butterfly and start a real butterfly garden with professional instruction on each level of its maintenance and care. Maximum Award: n/a. Eligibility: teachers and classrooms in areas on the monarch migratory route. Deadline: rolling.

Disaboom Scholarship Directory
http://www.disaboom.com/scholarships
Disaboom recently launched a scholarship directory for students with disabilities, listing over 125 scholarships.

Federal Student Aid Grant Program Fact Sheet
http://tinyurl.com/yfbe5tb
Disability.Gov has created a fact sheet that provides an overview of the major federal student aid grant programs. The federal government provides grant funds for students attending colleges, including career colleges and universities. Grants, unlike loans, do not have to be repaid. (A Spanish version is at: http://tinyurl.com/yz2zheg.) Available in pdf (1 page, 164 KB).

Funding Education Beyond High School
http://tinyurl.com/yk7uot7
The US Department of Education’s Guide to Federal Student Aid (2009-2010) provides information for students and families on applying for federal student aid to pay for post-secondary education. This guide explains the application process, the various federal loans, grants, and work-study programs available, and how to apply for them. Education creates opportunities and is an important step toward success. Available in pdf (64 pages, 2.95 MB).

NASFAA and Casey Family programs: Guide to Financial Aid Assistance to Students from Foster Care and Unaccompanied Homeless Youth
www.casey.org/Resources/Publications/ProvidingEffectiveFinancialAid.htm
This guide provides information for those who help youth from foster care and unaccompanied homeless youth to secure financial aid for postsecondary education or training programs. It describes how to respond to new FAFSA questions 55-60 that will determine federal financial aid status for these students. A section on sensitive communications is also included. This guide will be useful for financial aid professionals, independent living coordinators, guidance counselors, financial aid counselors, social workers and advocates who are helping youth to secure the maximum allowable financial aid.

Scholarships and Internships for Latino Students with Disabilities
http://www.proyectovision.net/english/opportunities/scholarships.html
The World Institute on Disability (WID) has a five-year grant to establish the National Technical Assistance Center for Latinos with Disabilities living in the United States, through Proyecto Vision. Proyecto Vision’s website has a list of scholarship opportunities for college students who are Latino and who are living with disability.

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Acknowledgements

Portions of this month’s NASET Special Educator e-Journal were excerpted from:

• Committee on Education and the Workforce
• FirstGov.gov-The Official U.S. Government Web Portal
• National Center on Secondary Education and Transition, an electronic newsletter of the National Center on Secondary Education and Transition (NCSET), available online at http://www.ncset.org/enews. NCSET is funded by the U.S. Department of Education, Office of Special Education Programs.
• National Collaborative on Workforce and Disability for Youth
• National Dissemination Center for Children with Disabilities
• National Institute of Health
• National Organization on Disability
• Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration
• U.S. Department of Education
• U.S. Department of Education-The Achiever
• U.S. Department of Education-The Education Innovator
• U.S. Department of Labor
• U.S. Food and Drug Administration
• U.S. Office of Special Education
• U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

The National Association of Special Education Teachers (NASET) thanks all of the above for the information provided for this edition of the NASETSpecial Educator e-Journal.

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