TABLE OF CONTENTS
President’s Message-Dr. Roger Pierangelo
- The Bill That Congress Passed
- Press Releases and Analyses
- Children’s Diabetes-Legal Issues
- The American’s with Disabilities Act- Job Applicants and Employees with
- Intellectual Disabilities
- President Signs GOP Bill to Support Teachers & Needy Schools, Cut Off
- Excess Subsidies to Loan Providers
- Taxpayer-Teacher Protection Act to Address Shortage of Special Education Teachers
- UK-Hyperactivity drugs found wanting
- As Many as One in 10 People in Scotland Suffer from Dyslexia
- Supreme Court Rules Out Autism Therapy Funding
U.S. Department of Education News
- Statement by House Education & the Workforce Committee Chairman
- Boehner on Resignation of Education Secretary Paige
- President Bush Nominates Margaret Spellings as Secretary of Education
- Teaching Children with AD/HD
- Northeastern California Partnership for Special Education Accelerates
- Training for Quality Teachers
- Study Shows Educational Achievement Gender Gap Shrinking
- New Parent Guide on NCLB
- More on NCLB from NCLD
- What Do Teachers Think of the Law?
- Early Reading First and NCLB
- New Guide! Implementing Effective School Choice Programs
- NCLB Implementation in Rural America
- Putting It All Together: IDEA and NCLB
- Putting It All Together: IDEA and ESEA
- Tracking NCLB at the Community Level
National Institute of Health News
- NIAA Releases New Alcohol Prevention Website for Middle Schoolers
- Pediatricians Can Help Immigrant Mothers by Explaining Child Development-Parents Need Child Development Information to Identify Problems
- Infection Puts Extremely Low Birth Weight Infants at Risk for Developmental Delays
From The National Dissemination
Center for Children with Disabilities
- Bullying-A Discussion and Activity Kit to Use with Children
- 15 Elements of Effective Adolescent Literacy Programs
- The National Center for Special Education Personnel and Related Service Providers (Personnel Center) New Web Site
- Identifying the Genes Contributing to AD/HD
- Flexible Assessment Methods
More Topics of Interest for Special Educators
- Buddies Help Students with Autism
- Research from The National Council on Disability: Designing for
- Inclusion- Creating a New Marketplace
- Supplemental Educational Services
- Deciphering A Mystery: New Research Provides Clues To The Genetic,
- Neurological, And Molecular Basis Of Autism
- Top 10 Toys for Children with ADHD
- New Fact Sheet on Employment Rights of People with Intellectual Disabilities
- National Inclusive Schools Week
- Violence-Related Injury Prevention Research
The National Center on Secondary
- Call for Presentations: Minnesota¹s Second Annual Care and Treatment
Education Conference - What’s Your Secret Weapon in the Classroom? Essays Sought
- Career Guidance and Exploration (November 2004)-Web Topic
- 2001 Dropout Rates in the U.S. (November 2004)
Upcoming Events and Conferences
- ZERO TO THREE/National Center for Infants, Toddlers, and Families National Training Institute
- National Association for Bilingual Education Annual Conference
President’s Message-
Dr. Roger Pierangelo
Welcome to the December 2004 issue of NASET’s Special Educator e-Journal. There’s so much going on right now in education, especially special education. First, big news in special education occurred throughout the last 30 days in Washington DC. The unified IDEA bill unveiled by the Conference Committee on Wednesday, November 17, 2004, has been passed by Congress. The House passed the bill by a vote of 397 – 3 on Friday. The Senate immediately followed suit, passing the bill by voice vote Friday night. As of this publication going to press, the bill is on to the President for his signature. When that happens, IDEA will officially be reauthorized as the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act. This is an exciting time, and one in which NASET will stay on top of any time news breaks on the law. All of you as members should have received various NASET NEWS ALERTS on the reauthorization on IDEA throughout the month of November.
There’s so much more to talk about, but I’ll let the e-journal bring you up to speed for the rest of the information. We hope you find this month’s information both practical and informative. Finally, on a separate note, all of us here at NASET wish you a very happy and healthy holiday season.
Sincerely,
Dr. Roger Pierangelo
IDEA Update
The Bill That Congress Passed
• The PDF file of the text appearing in the Congressional Record-House:
www.nichcy.org/reauth/report11_17_04.pdf
• Text-only version posted at thomas.gov. To access the report, go to the link below. Under the column “Congressional Record,” select “This Congress by Date.” At the next page, select “November 17 House.” You’ll get a long list of House activities yesterday. You want #81 (scroll down), called Conference Report on H.R. 1350.
• A clarification noted by Senator Kennedy regarding a sentence that was inadvertently left out of the Conference Report with respect to attorney’s fees, which detailed the limited circumstances in which local educational agencies and State educational agencies can recover attorney’s fees. Read Senator Kennedy’s clarification, at:
https://frwebgate.access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin/getpage.cgi?dbname=2004_record&page=S11655&position=all
Press Releases and Analyses
• News from the Committee on Education and the Workforce, November 19th:
https://edworkforce.house.gov/press/
press108/second/11nov/ideapasseshouse111904.htm
• Issues page, which provides links to such documents as: the Bipartisan House-Senate Conference Report on H.R. 1350; a summary of the bill; and four fact sheets on the bill, entitled (1) Special Education Reform: Supporting Teachers & Schools, Providing New Choices for Parents & Students; (2) Making Special Education Stronger for Students & Parents; (3) Reducing Unnecessary Lawsuits and Litigation in Special Education; and (4) Building on Historic Funding Increases for Special Education. Find the issues page at:
https://edworkforce.house.gov/issues/108th/education/idea/idea.htm
• Analyses of changes in the law, from Wrightslaw:
www.wrightslaw.com/law/idea/idea04.index.htm
Legal Issues Corner
Children’s Diabetes-Legal Issues
Unfortunately, people with diabetes — of all ages — face discrimination at times. Children with diabetes most often run into discrimination at school or day care. Here are some real-life examples of problems that children with diabetes have faced.
Not allowed to go on field trips, or not allowed unless a parent comes along.
Being cut from a sport because the coach thinks people with diabetes can’t be good athletes.
Not allowed to check bg level in class.
Not allowed to eat snacks in class or on the bus.
Being punished for being absent from school because of diabetes.
Not allowed to participate in after — school activities because no one there knows about caring for diabetes.
The American Diabetes Association has put together a web page discussing:
Discrimination at School-Find out school discrimination and how you can prevent it from happening to your child.
Know Your Rights!-Learn about the federal laws that protect people with disabilities in school daycare settings.
What You Can Do-Find what you can do to prevent or stop discrimination.
To read more about diabetes and the law, visit: https://www.diabetes.org/for-parents-and-kids/diabetes-and-the-law.jsp
The American’s with Disabilities Act- Job Applicants and Employees with Intellectual Disabilities
The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) is a federal law that prohibits discrimination on the basis of disability. Title I of the ADA makes it unlawful for any employer to discriminate against a qualified applicant or employee because of a disability in any aspect of employment. The ADA covers employers with 15 or more employees, including state and local governments. Section 501 of the Rehabilitation Act provides the same protections for federal government employees and applicants. In addition, most states have their own laws prohibiting employment discrimination on the basis of disability. Some of these state laws may apply to smaller employers and provide protections in addition to those available under the ADA.
This guide is the third in a series of fact sheets addressing particular disabilities in the workplace. It explains how the ADA might apply to job applicants and employees with intellectual disabilities. To read the entire guide, visit: https://www.eeoc.gov/facts/intellectual_disabilities.html
President Signs GOP Bill to Support Teachers & Needy Schools, Cut Off Excess Subsidies to Loan Providers
WASHINGTON , D.C. – President George W. Bush has signed into law a Republican bill to expand student loan relief for highly qualified teachers who teach key subjects in high poverty K-12 schools, where they are badly needed. The bill, the Taxpayer-Teacher Protection Act (H.R. 5186), was proposed by Rep. John Boehner (R-OH) and Sen. Judd Gregg (R-NH) to address the shortage of math, science, and special education teachers – a shortage that is particularly severe in rural and urban schools. The bill cuts off excess subsidies for student loan providers, and uses the money to expand incentives to help states and schools recruit and retain the highly qualified teachers they need.
“States and schools are working to place a highly qualified teacher in every public school classroom, as called for by the bipartisan No Child Left Behind Act,” said Boehner. “The Taxpayer-Teacher Protection Act creates real financial incentives to help rural and urban communities find and keep the teachers they need. This is a benefit that will encourage teachers to stay in needy, Title I schools; a benefit they will get in a few years if they seek out teaching positions in the places that need them the most.”
The Taxpayer-Teacher Protection Act more than triples the amount of student loan relief available to highly qualified math, science, and special education teachers who agree to teach for at least five years in needy schools. To protect taxpayers and support school teachers, the bill: Shuts down a 9.5 percent interest rate subsidy that has resulted in excess profits for some student loan providers, as President Bush first urged Congress to do in February 2004.
Uses the savings achieved from shutting down the 9.5 percent subsidy to more than triple federal student loan forgiveness for math, science, and special education teachers who agree to teach for five or more years in high poverty K-12 schools. The maximum amount would go from the current maximum of $5,000 to a new maximum of $17,500.
Shuts down excess subsidies without shutting down smaller, non-profit student aid providers. House Democrats, after spending most of 2004 opposing a GOP bill that would permanently shut down the excess subsidies and failing to include language in their own Higher Education Act reauthorization bill to address the 9.5 percent loans, changed course in September 2004 and introduced legislation that would go too far, sparking outrage from non-profit student aid providers across the nation. The legislation signed by President Bush cuts off the excess subsidies without taking this harmful step.
“The Taxpayer-Teacher Protection Act is a double victory for America ’s parents, students, and taxpayers,” said Rep. Howard P. “Buck” McKeon (R-CA), chairman of the 21st Century Competitiveness Subcommittee. “The plan not only eliminates the 9.5 percent subsidy as President Bush has been requesting all year, but it addresses the very serious problem of a lack of highly qualified teachers in math, science, and special education.”
K-12 schools in high-poverty areas are facing a shortage of qualified teachers in key subjects. The loan forgiveness under the Taxpayer-Teacher Protect Act closely resembles the Teacher Recruitment and Retention Act (H.R. 438), legislation introduced by Rep. Joe Wilson (R-SC) and passed with overwhelming bipartisan support in July 2003.
“With common sense solutions, we are making it possible to have a highly qualified teacher in every classroom,” said Wilson . “This is such great news for children in disadvantaged schools throughout the nation. I have long believed that increased student loan forgiveness for teachers in key subjects will help alleviate the teacher shortages in rural and urban schools. By signing this bill, the President is helping make that goal a reality.”
The expanded loan forgiveness, an initiative proposed by President Bush in both his FY 2004 and FY 2005 budgets, will serve as a valuable recruiting tool for needy schools. The increased loan forgiveness of $17,500 will be available to teachers after five years, providing an incentive for highly qualified teachers in these subject areas not only to teach in high poverty schools, but to stay there for at least five years.
H.R. 5186 has been applauded by the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics, which represents 100,000 educators across the nation. “We are pleased and gratified to see action being taken to provide tangible support for the oft-stated goal of attracting and retaining quality mathematics teachers in classrooms where they are most needed,” wrote NCTM President Cathy L. Seeley in an October 4, 2004 letter to Chairman Boehner. “Providing up to $17,500 in federal student loan forgiveness for deserving early-career teachers should make our critically important and rewarding profession more appealing to young teachers.”
Taxpayer-Teacher Protection Act to Address Shortage of Special Education Teachers
WASHINGTON , D.C. – President George W. Bush has signed into law a Republican bill to expand student loan relief for highly qualified teachers who teach key subjects in high poverty K-12 schools, where they are badly needed. The bill, the Taxpayer-Teacher Protection Act (H.R. 5186), was proposed by Rep. John Boehner (R-OH) and Sen. Judd Gregg (R-NH) to address the shortage of math, science, and special education teachers – a shortage that is particularly severe in rural and urban schools. The bill cuts off excess subsidies for student loan providers, and uses the money to expand incentives to help states and schools recruit and retain the highly qualified teachers they need. For more details, visit https://www.naset.org/nasetnewsalert.0.html .
International News
UK-Hyperactivity drugs found wanting
Research suggests children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder disrupt family life most in the mornings and early evenings. Doctors believe current treatments should be effective at these times – but a study found this often does not tally with parents’ experiences. Survey findings revealed:
Almost half of parents agree that ADHD has had a severe impact on family life as a whole, limiting family activities and outings
53% of families avoid going out to public places and 23% avoid eating out
39% of parents experience difficulty getting their child with ADHD dressed and ready for school
59% say their child finds it difficult to sit through breakfast
68% experience difficulties getting equipment ready for school
53% of families avoid going out to public places and 23% avoid eating out
An ADHD 24/7 campaign has been launched to provide practical help. For more information, visit: https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/3974399.stm
As Many as One in 10 People in Scotland Suffer from Dyslexia
Dyslexia Scotland is being formed by the merger of the Scottish Dyslexia Trust and Dyslexia in Scotland. The condition is usually associated with difficulties in reading, writing and spelling. The charity’s president, former F1 champion Sir Jackie Stewart, said he thought he was “thick” at school before discovering he was dyslexic. Sir Jackie said “word blindness” meant he had to race to keep up with other pupils.
“The whole idea is to try and ensure we train our teachers in Scotland better and hopefully one day we will have a teacher who specializes in learning disabilities, or learning differences, in every primary school. To learn more, visit:
https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/scotland/4018751.stm
Supreme Court Rules Out Autism Therapy Funding
Reversing lower court decisions, the Supreme Court has ruled that the province of British Columbia does not have to foot the bill for an effective, but expensive treatment program for autistic children.
Four families had sued the B.C. government, arguing it should pay for the costly treatment of their autistic children. They argued that Autism Spectrum Disorder is a medical disability, and as such, merits health-care funding.
https://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/1100875272252_96284472/?hub=Canada
U.S. Department of Education News
Statement by House Education & the Workforce Committee Chairman Boehner on Resignation of Education Secretary Paige
WASHINGTON , D.C. – The following statement was issued today by U.S. Rep. John Boehner (R-OH), chairman of the House Committee on Education & the Workforce, regarding the resignation of U.S. Education Secretary Rod Paige.
“Rod Paige’s tenure as Education Secretary will go down in the history books as the time when Americans got serious about closing the achievement gap in our public schools between disadvantaged students and their more affluent peers. He has challenged the education establishment on behalf of poor children and parents, overseen the creation of the first school choice program for low-income families in the District of Columbia, and fought valiantly to end the soft bigotry of low expectations that for too long has denied opportunities to children across the nation. He is a good man and a committed leader who will leave Washington having made a huge and positive difference for disadvantaged children, parents, teachers, and our nation’s future.”
President Bush Nominates Margaret Spellings as Secretary of Education
For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
November 17, 2004
THE PRESIDENT: Thank you all. Please be seated. Good morning. I’m proud to announce my nomination of Margaret Spellings to be the Secretary of Education.
I’ve known Margaret Spellings for more than a decade. I have relied on her intellect and judgment throughout my career in public service. As governor of Texas, I called on her to serve the children of our state as my chief education advisor, a job she carried out with conviction and great results.
When I was elected President, I asked her to serve as Assistant to the President for Domestic Policy. I’ve benefited from her knowledge and experience on many issues — from health care to immigration to job training. I’m now calling on this energetic reformer to serve the children of America by continuing our vital work of improving our nation’s public schools.
Margaret Spellings has a special passion for this cause. She believes that every child can learn, and that every school can succeed. And she knows the stakes are too high to tolerate failure. She believes in high standards and improving the resources necessary — and providing the resources necessary to meet those standards. In Margaret Spellings, America’s children, teachers and parents will have a principled, determined ally in my Cabinet. She has my complete trust and she will be an outstanding Secretary of Education.
With the Senate’s approval, Margaret Spellings will continue the work of a fine educator and leader, Secretary Rod Paige. As Secretary of Education, this humble and decent man inspired his department and implemented the most significant federal education reform in a generation. Today, thanks to the No Child Left Behind Act, students of every background are making hopeful progress in reading and math. The nation’s schools are stronger because of Rod Paige’s leadership. I’m grateful for his friendship; I’m grateful for his years of service.
We’ve made great progress in our schools, and there is more work to do. Margaret Spellings and I are determined to extend the high standards and accountability measures of the No Child Left Behind Act to all of America’s public high schools. We must ensure that a high school diploma is a sign of real achievement, so that our young people have the tools to go to college and to fill the jobs of the 21st century. And in all our reforms, we will continue to stand behind our nation’s teachers, who work so hard for our children.
The issue of education is close to my heart. And on this vital issue, there is no one I trust more than Margaret Spellings. Two decades ago, as a young aid in the Texas state legislature, Margaret dedicated herself to strengthening public schools. She went on to help lead the Texas Association of School Boards, to advise two governors on school reform, and to serve four years as my top domestic policy advisor right here in the White House. And now her talent and idealism have brought her to the highest education office in the land. Through it all, she has kept her good humor and her perspective on life. She is a devoted, loving mother to Mary and Grace, and Laura and I are proud to count her and Robert as good friends.
I urge the Senate to promptly confirm Margaret Spellings as America’s eighth Secretary of Education. And I look forward to having her in my Cabinet. Congratulations. (Applause.)
MS. SPELLINGS: Thank you, Mr. President. I am joined today, as you said, by my husband, Robert, and our — two of our four children, my daughters Mary and Grace LaMontagne, who get to miss school to be here. (Laughter.) On behalf of myself and my family, thank you, Mr. President for this opportunity not only to serve you and our country, but the children of America. I am humbled and honored by your confidence.
More than 10 years ago, you gave me the opportunity to work with you on improving Texas schools. You said then that the government should do a few things and do them well, and that one of those few things is educating all children. I share your passion for education and your commitment to seeing that each and every child has the skills and qualities necessary to realize the American Dream. Our schools must keep their promise to all our children. And I pledge to do all I can to ensure that no child is left behind.
It has been a privilege to serve as your domestic policy advisor for these past four years. I have mixed feelings about leaving this White House and will miss all of my wonderful friends and colleagues here: our great Chief of Staff, my wonderful Domestic Policy Council staff, and of course, all the great Texans who have been at your side for more than a decade.
One of those great Texans is, of course, Secretary Rod Paige, who distinguished himself as an educator and has served admirably as your Secretary of Education. He has laid the foundation for leaving no child — leaving no child behind, and I pledge to honor his lifelong commitment to children by continuing the good work he started.
To you, Mr. President, and to Mrs. Bush, who shares your commitment to education, thank you. I am a product of our public schools. I believe in America’s schools, what they mean to each child, to each future President or future domestic policy advisor, and to the strength of our great country. If confirmed by the Senate, I commit to work alongside America’s educators and my new colleagues at the Department of Education to make our schools the finest in the world.
Mr. President, thank you for this opportunity and for your continued trust and confidence in me.
Teaching Children with AD/HD
The Department of Education has completed the second report in a series of planned reports on attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (AD/HD). This report, Teaching Children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder: Instructional Strategies and Practices, is a 32-page document that outlines three areas of intervention that must be present for an educational program to be successful with these students. The three areas are: Academic Instruction, Behavioral Interventions, and Classroom Accommodation. Find the report at: www.ed.gov/teachers/needs/speced/adhd/adhd-resource-pt2.doc
Note: The first report, ADHD — Identifying and Treating Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder: A Resource for School and Home, is a 22-page guide to identifying and treating the disorder as well as information about how schools can meet legal requirements when educating them. Find the report at: www.ed.gov/teachers/needs/speced/adhd/adhd-resource-pt1.doc
Northeastern California Partnership for Special Education Accelerates Training for Quality Teachers
The special education teachers of California’s Chico School District have a first-person understanding of what it means to be a hardworking student – particularly those who have gone through the alternative route to certification offered by the Northeastern California Partnership for Special Education. This program requires aspiring special education teachers to complete a rigorous application to be accepted into the program, and then to participate in a challenging, multi-faceted regimen in order to become certified.
The California State University at Chico (CSUC) launched this program in 1989, in partnership with 57 local education agencies, the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing, and the federal government. The program was created in order to bring qualified teachers to the understaffed special education programs of school districts in Northern California’s rural Chico area.
The program has attracted teachers who bring multiple perspectives to their schools. Many candidates are career-changers, and some are parents of students who receive special education. The program targets African American and Hispanic candidates, who are underrepresented nationally among special education teachers.
The program’s leaders emphasize its rigor. To apply, candidates must come into the program with a bachelor’s degree and a GPA of at least 2.67, demonstration of subject-matter competency, and successful completion of the California Basic Education Skills test.
Candidates then pass through an extensive interview process guided by the “Star” teacher selection system—developed by the Haberman Educational Foundation (see Innovator # 7 ), which has a 95 percent predictive rate over its 35-year history. This serves to inform both the instructors about the abilities of their candidates and also the candidates about the rigor of the program.
Once candidates are selected, they begin to fulfill the requirements of their “Individualized Induction Program” (IIP), which is crafted to chart their progress and is anchored in standards: the California standards for the teaching profession, the education specialist standards for earning the credential, and the academic content standards for students. A candidate must meet all of these standards by the end of training.
The program’s final evaluation of a candidate’s readiness to teach special education rests on the following accomplishments:
• 3.0 or higher GPA in all program courses;
• Artifacts, including a journal demonstrating classroom experience;
• Observation feedback from mentors, documenting growth and skills in teaching;
• Results from twice-yearly individual progress conferences between the candidate and a university faculty member; and
• Successful evaluation of competencies determined by the supervisor, the employer, and related faculty
At the end of the program, each candidate submits a portfolio and gives an oral presentation at a peer-reviewed session.
Of course, the program’s administrators and the school district both have a vested interest in ensuring the success of their candidates. For this reason, they provide an individualized support network that includes supervision and mentoring. Program participants begin teaching full time while undertaking the highly structured, organized, sequential learning experience. It takes approximately two years to complete the program, including either summer school on the CSUC campus or on-line courses taken through real-time broadcasting on the Internet.
The curriculum is ultimately geared to pupil outcomes, and under the Pupil Assessment Project, for example, candidates focus on the learning of four or five of their most challenging students and how to further their achievement. The emphasis is on using ongoing assessment to support pupil growth.
Teaching strategies form the core of the program. “We are a fifth-year program, meaning that candidates come in with subject matter content, so the focus is on pedagogy,” says the program director. “However, it’s very content rich. And the fact is, both content and pedagogy are special education specific.”
The program has helped to eliminate the emergency credentialing of special education teachers. Since 1990, the program has graduated 331 fully credentialed teachers, 91 percent of whom teach in the region’s schools. As a result, 206,875 special education pupils have gained credentialed teachers.
These new teachers also bring their learning experience to the larger environment of the schools in which they teach. They introduce new educational practices to veteran general education teachers through the university link to cutting edge research, and candidates are often asked to model practice, consult with other teachers, or present at board meetings.
The success of the program depends on the large scale cooperation of all stakeholders: the state, the school district, the university system, school faculty, and the candidates who take part in it. The alternative route program has required extensive infrastructure building and commitment. It received the 2004 American Council on Rural Special Education (ACRES) award for “Exemplary Preservice and Inservice Teacher Preparation.” This program is featured in the latest OII Innovations in Education book, Alternative Routes to Teacher Certification.
Study Shows Educational Achievement Gender Gap Shrinking
Many of the educational gaps between males and females have been closed. The large academic achievement gaps that once existed between males and females have been eliminated in most cases and have significantly decreased in others, according to a new study by the U.S. Department of Education.
In elementary school, female fourth-graders outperformed their male peers in reading (2003) and writing (2002) assessments. Gender differences in mathematics achievement have been small and fluctuated slightly between 1990 and 2003. At the secondary school level, the gap in the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) reading achievement grew from 10 points in 1992 to 16 points in 2002, with males performing lower than females. Females entering college baccalaureate programs were more likely than their male counterparts to graduate within six years. In 2001, the overall participation rate of females in adult education was higher than that of their male peers (53 percent vs. 46 percent).
Other findings are that:
• Females are less likely to repeat a grade and to drop out of high school.
• Differences based on gender in math and science course-taking appear to be shrinking.
• Female high school seniors tend to have higher educational aspirations than their male peers.
• Females have made substantial progress at the graduate level overall, but they still earn fewer than half of the degrees in many fields.
“It is clear that girls are taking education very seriously and that they have made tremendous strides,” said U.S. Secretary of Education Rod Paige. “The issue now is that boys seem to be falling behind. We need to spend some time researching the problem so that we can give boys the support to succeed academically.”
The study presents comparisons between males and females regarding preprimary education, elementary and secondary education, postsecondary education, and educational outcomes. Women overall have made substantial gains over the past 30 years educationally, although they are still underrepresented in some fields of study, such as computer science, engineering, and physical sciences, as well as more generally in doctoral and first-professional degree programs, the study found.
Trends in Educational Equity of Girls and Women was produced by the Department’s National Center for Education Statistics in the Institute of Education Sciences, and responds to legislation under the No Child Left Behind Act. It is an update and substantial revision of an earlier study released in 2000.
To download or view the report, please visit: https://nces.ed.gov/pubsearch/pubsinfo.asp?pubid=2005016
No Child Left Behind News
New Parent Guide on NCLB
The National Center for Learning Disabilities (NCLD) and Schwab Learning have developed a useful handbook called Making the “No Child Left Behind Act” Work for Children Who Struggle to Learn: A Parent’s Guide. The guide describes ways that parts of NCLB that can be used by parents of children with disabilities to improve educational services for their children. In particular, it discusses the law’s emphasis on accountability, Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) and its effects on children with learning disabilities, and the consequences to schools if they do not make AYP. The guide is available on the Web sites of both organizations:
www.LD.org/NCLB
www.SchwabLearning.org/NCLB
More on NCLB from NCLD
NCLD (the National Center for Learning Disabilities) addresses policies that impact students with learning disabilities, particularly with respect to their full participation in the general curriculum. What policy recommendations does NCLD make? Find out on a spectrum of issues: access to the general curriculum, high-quality teachers and paraprofessionals, conditions of teaching, access to accommodations, appropriate use of test results, fair treatment of subgroups, parent involvement, full funding of NCLB and IDEA, and monitoring NCLB implementation. Visit:
www.ld.org/advocacy/nclb_policy.cfm
What do YOU think of NCLB?
The National PTA is collecting survey responses to questions about NCLB. They want to learn about the positive or negative effects that the law is having on teachers and schools. The National PTA plans to use the results of this survey to help direct its future advocacy efforts on behalf of children.
They want your opinions on questions such as: Has NCLB increased student achievement in your school? Are parent involvement provisions being implemented? Are your state’s standards an accurate measurement of student’s academic performance? The survey will take just a few minutes of your time and may benefit our children for a lifetime. For more information visit: www.pta.org/ptawashington
What Do Teachers Think of the Law?
The Civil Rights Project at Harvard set out to answer this question. The work has resulted in the release of findings in the September 2004 report, Listening to Teachers: Classroom Realities and No Child Left Behind. The document is based on studies of two different schools with high minority populations. The teachers had a lot to say, and they tended to hold the same views regardless of current school quality status.
They believe that their schools were doing a good job of developing curricula that reflect high standards that are linked with high academic standards. The “adequate yearly progress” portions of the law were not as well received. Moreover, sadly, most of the teachers in schools that are currently in need of improvement do not plan to remain in the teaching profession. Find out in this report from the Civil Rights Project at Harvard.
www.civilrightsproject.harvard.edu/research/
articles/NCLB_Survey_Report.pdf
Early Reading First and NCLB
The U.S. Department of Education awarded 32 Early Reading First grants to organizations that work to help children prepare to enter kindergarten. Among its goals, the Early Reading First Program seeks to promote oral language abilities, listening comprehension, phonological awareness, print awareness, and alphabetic knowledge using literacy activities developed from scientifically based reading research. More information about the grant and grantees can be found online in A Synopsis of the 2004 Early Reading First Project Grantees available at:
www.ed.gov/programs/earlyreading/abstractpackagefinal.doc
New Guide! Implementing Effective School Choice Programs
NCLB “supports choice through multiple grant programs as well as through the law’s key accountability provisions: School districts with Title I schools deemed to be ‘in need of improvement’ must offer parents an opportunity to move their children to schools that are meeting standards, and districts must pay for the transportation to make this move. These requirements are creating new forms of choice and causing many more districts and schools to grapple with how to implement choice effectively.”
These words come from the introduction of Innovations in Education: Creating Strong District School Choice Programs. This guide presents advice and examples of successful school choice programs. Copies are available online, at:
www.ed.gov/admins/comm/choice/choiceprograms/index.html
NCLB Implementation in Rural America
The United States Government Accountability Office (GAO) has released the report, No Child Left Behind Act: Additional Assistance and Research on Effective Strategies Would Help Small Rural Districts. Officials in small rural districts, the GAO reports, are having difficulty providing teacher development opportunities and identifying effective remedial services that would improve student performance. GAO recommends that the Department of Education “provide additional assistance on approaches small rural districts to address their unique challenges.” It was also recommended that the Department support research on effective strategies to improve student performance in small rural districts through the new rural education research center it funded in September 2004.The report is available online at:
www.gao.gov/new.items/d04909.pdf. Highlights are posted at:
www.gao.gov/highlights/d04909high.pdf
Putting It All Together: IDEA and NCLB
Focus on Special Education is an issue of WestEd’s R & D Alert that discusses the need of general education and special education to collaborate in order to meet the combined requirements of these two laws. Articles include:
When Special Education and General Education Unite, Everyone Benefits
From the CEO: Improving Special Education Means Improving Education
Special Educators Responding to Shifting Definitions of “Highly Qualified”
Responsiveness to Intervention: A Promising Alternative for Identifying Students with Learning Disabilities
Improving Assessment for Special Needs
Focus on Special Education is available online at:
www.wested.org/online_pubs/RD-04-01.pdf
Putting It All Together: IDEA and ESEA
The National Association of State Directors of Special Education (NASDSE) and the National Education Association (NEA) have joined together to produce IDEA and ESEA: Intersection of Access and Outcomes to provide guidance to state and school district leaders who will be responsible for the implementation of both laws. The manual helps to clarify the parts of ESEA (now known as NCLB) that impact the education of students with disabilities as well as the effects ESEA may have on IDEA reauthorization. Find the manual online at:
www.nea.org/specialed/images/ideaeseaintersection.pdf
Tracking NCLB at the Community Level
This new Web site monitors how communities across the nation are meeting the challenges of NCLB. This includes tracking news articles on the subject. Visit and find NCLB News by state, by issue, and more.
Visit at: www.nclbgrassroots.org/
National Institute of Health News
NIAA Releases New Alcohol Prevention Website for Middle Schoolers
The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), has released a new version of “The Cool Spot,” the institute’s website for middle school (11- to 13-year-old) children. The website can be accessed at:
“‘The Cool’ Spot uses engaging games and graphics to deliver important messages about the risks of underage drinking and ways to resist peer pressure,” says NIAAA Director Ting-Kai Li, M.D. “It’s vital to reach this age group, because the younger people are when they start to drink, the higher their chances of developing an alcohol problem at some point in their lives.”
Research shows that more than 4 in 10 people who start drinking before age 15 eventually become alcohol dependent. “The Cool Spot’s” new content is largely based on curriculum for grades 6-8 developed by NIAAA-supported researchers at the University of Michigan. The curriculum was used in a large-scale, multi-year project called the Alcohol Misuse Prevention Study (AMPS).
One goal of AMPS was to give young teens a clearer picture about alcohol use among their peers. Teens tend to overestimate how much other teens drink. But when they are provided with accurate information about peer-group drinking habits, teens may feel less pressure to drink. Other goals of AMPS were to help kids learn skills to resist pressure to drink and to give them reasons not to drink. “The Cool Spot” incorporates AMPS goals in these and other features. To learn more, visit:
Early Childhood News
Pediatricians Can Help Immigrant Mothers by Explaining Child Development-Parents Need Child Development Information to Identify Problems
Groups of immigrant mothers from Japan and South America knew less about child development than did their European American counterparts, according to a study by researchers at the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development of the National Institutes of Health.
Such gaps in parenting knowledge, the authors wrote in the November issue of “Pediatrics,” could have a negative impact on children’s development, with mothers possibly missing warning signs that their children need medical attention or early intervention services.
The authors added that pediatricians could assist parents who lack knowledge of child development by taking steps to educate them about the topic. The study was conducted by Marc Bornstein, Ph.D., and Linda Cote, Ph.D., C.F.L.E., both of NICHD’s Section on Child and Family Research. The researchers pointed out, however, that the immigrant mothers knew as much about health practices concerning their children’s physical safety as did the European American mothers.
“New parents have a need for accurate and helpful information about child development and pediatricians can help meet that need,” said NICHD Director Duane Alexander, M.D. “In turn, parents who have an understanding of child development can provide pediatricians with information that will help them better serve pediatric patients.”
In the article, the researchers wrote that study of child rearing practices among immigrants is extremely important because a large proportion of U.S. children come from immigrant families. The researchers cited a U.S. Census Bureau statistic that roughly 1 in 5 U.S. children, about 14 million in all, lives with at least 1 immigrant parent. The researchers added that they chose to study Asian and Latino mothers because those groups are currently the majority immigrant groups in the United States.
“Moreover, the Asian and Latino populations in the United States are expected to triple by mid-century, making it increasingly important that clinicians better understand Asian and Latino parents,” the authors wrote.
The researchers recruited 114 mothers of 20-month-old children for the study. Of these, 38 were Japanese immigrants, 36 were South American immigrants, and 40 were 4th and 5th generation European Americans. The South American immigrant mothers largely were from Argentina, Peru, and Colombia. All of the women resided in the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area, were middle-class, of a similar age, and had comparable levels of education.
The researchers measured the women’s knowledge of child rearing by having them fill out a survey form known as the Knowledge of Infant Development Inventory, or KIDI. The survey assesses knowledge of parental contributions to children’s psychological and social development, normal developmental milestones, as well as knowledge of health and safety guidelines.
The researchers found that immigrant mothers tended to score lower on the test than did the European American mothers. Specifically, the researchers identified 18 questions that the immigrant mothers tended to answer incorrectly or to which they did not know the answers. Nearly all the questions with which the immigrant mothers experienced difficulty involved either child development or parent-child relationships.
For example, fewer than half of the immigrant mothers were aware that babies begin “babbling” around 5 months of age. Infant babbling, the stringing together of vowel and consonant sounds, is an important stage in the eventual development of language. Similarly, fewer than half of the immigrant mothers knew that an infant will begin to respond to his or her name at 10 months of age.
“A mother who is aware of when the onset of babbling should occur and the age at which an infant can respond to his/her name will be more likely to identify potential hearing problems and bring them to the attention of her pediatrician than a mother who is unaware of such markers,” the authors wrote.
On another survey response, only about a third of the immigrant mothers knew that the average newborn cries for a total of about 1-2 hours out of every 24. Equal numbers of the immigrant mothers said they believed that 3 to 6 hours of crying out of 24 is normal as said they didn’t know how much crying was normal. If parents believe long periods of crying is normal, the authors noted, then they might be less likely to respond to their infants if something is wrong.
“Knowledge of developmental milestones is important because it is widely agreed that early intervention is key to preventing long-term problems in children,” the authors wrote. “If parents are unaware of what those milestones are, they will be less likely to recognize and raise problems with their pediatrician.”
Similarly, lack of knowledge about what constitutes normal infant behavior may interfere with a mother’s emotional relationship with her child, the authors wrote. For example, a mother, expecting an infant who likes to be cuddled, may instead have an infant who doesn’t enjoy cuddling. The woman may feel that her mothering skills are to blame, when in fact it’s normal for some babies to not enjoy being cuddled.
Drs. Bornstein and Cote pointed out that immigrant mothers did not differ significantly from the European American mothers in their answers to questions concerning children’s physical health or safety. For example, the immigrant mothers knew that soft bedding material placed in the crib — such as pillows and loose blankets — increase an infant’s risk for sudden infant death syndrome.
The researchers believe that the European American mothers in the study were more knowledgeable about child development because they were more likely to seek out written materials on child development than were their immigrant counterparts.
The study authors noted that pediatricians often do not talk with parents about child development or child rearing, and that parents do not ask their children’s pediatricians for advice about these topics. They cited studies showing that 79 percent of mothers could use more information in at least one area of childrearing, and 53 percent could use more information in three or more areas.
Pediatricians who are aware of mothers’ knowledge and expectations about their children’s development will be better able to serve their patients’ needs, Drs. Bornstein and Cote wrote. To help parents learn about child development, pediatricians might make multilingual written or visual materials available in their waiting rooms, the authors wrote. A series of publications on child development has been developed by the American Academy of Pediatrics and Zero to Three, an organization that promotes healthy child development. The series, “Healthy Minds: Nurturing Your Child’s Development,” can be downloaded free of charge at
https://www.zerotothree.org/healthyminds.
The authors added that physicians lacking an adequate educational background in child development might consider asking a child development specialist to join their practices.
“Considering parental knowledge level and cultural background inevitably introduces a layer of complexity to the clinician’s tasks, but to eschew or negate such considerations risks access to vital information about the child patient,” the authors concluded.
Infection Puts Extremely Low Birth Weight Infants at Risk for Developmental Delays
Extremely low birth weight infants, the tiniest category of premature infants, are much more likely to experience developmental impairments if they acquire an infection during the newborn period, according to a study by the Neonatal Research Network of the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, one of the National Institutes of Health. The developmental impairments were seen regardless of the type of infection — whether it occurred in the brain, blood or intestines.
The study was conducted by Barbara J. Stoll, M.D., of the Emory University School of Medicine in Atlanta, Georgia and her colleague. Appearing in the November 17 “Journal of the American Medical Association,” the study reported that 65 percent of a group of extremely low birth weight infants had developed at least one infection during their hospitalizations after birth. These infants were more likely to have an impairment than were infants who had not developed an infection.
“This study shows us that successfully treating an extremely low birth weight infant’s infection does not automatically ensure that the infant will do well,” said NICHD Director Duane Alexander, M.D. “Parents and health care workers need to monitor these children carefully as they grow, and be ready to provide them with developmental and educational services, if necessary.”
To learn more, visit: https://www.nih.gov/news/pr/nov2004/nichd-16.htm
From The National Dissemination
Center for Children with Disabilities
Bullying-A Discussion and Activity Kit to Use with Children
“The Bully” tells the story of a character most of our children will recognize. It’s designed to be used to stimulate discussion and problem-solving with children. Originally published as an ebook and still available online in that form, it is now also available in print form. Find out more at www.thebullybook.com/
15 Elements of Effective Adolescent Literacy Programs
Written by five of the nation’s leading researchers, “Reading Next: A Vision for Action and Research in Middle and High School Literacy,” charts an immediate route to improving adolescent literacy. For more information, visit: www.all4ed.org/premium-publications/ReadingNext/
The National Center for Special Education Personnel and Related Service Providers (Personnel Center) New Web Site
The National Center for Special Education Personnel and Related Service Providers (Personnel Center) has launched its new Web site and information center, which offers up-to-date research and information on recruiting, preparing, and keeping special educators, early intervention providers, and related service personnel. Those interested in careers in these fields can find out where programs of study are and financial aid. Find all this, and more, at: www.personnelcenter.org/
Identifying the Genes Contributing to AD/HD
Want to participate in this medical research study? NIH (National Institutes of Health) is looking for 1,000 families nationwide with a child affected to Ad/HD. No travel is required to participate in the study; all the information will be collected over the phone and through the mail. Also, all study-related tests are provided at no charge. Information obtained from this study may assist in developing new treatments for ADHD. Find out more by calling 1.800.411.1222 (1.866.411.1010, TTY), or online at:
www.cc.nih.gov/participate.shtml
Flexible Assessment Methods
You can teach yourself about fair assessment of students with disabilities through the free online course presented by the California Service for Technical Assistance and Training center. The course, Bridging the Gap between Teaching and Learning for All Students, consists of five lessons, with associated self-tests. The class is available online after free registration at: www.calstat.org/assessment/index.html
More Topics of Interest for
Special Educators
Buddies Help Students with Autism
A state grant lets school in Howell pair peers to learn how to improve learning experience. At Challenger Elementary School, all the children are becoming part of Connor’s (a 9-year old boy with autism), educational plan. They learn how to be “peer buddies.” Connor’s education team hopes to make him less dependent on his full-time aide, who has been with him since kindergarten. To read more about this story, visit:
https://www.detnews.com/2004/schools/0411/01/c05l-321301.htm
Research from The National Council on Disability: Designing for Inclusion- Creating a New Marketplace
Designing with access in mind can significantly increase the size of targeted markets for electronic and information technology (E&IT). Good business practice dictates that designers and engineers avoid unintentionally excluding large populations of consumers from accessing and using the E&IT they develop and manufacture. People with disabilities are at the highest risk of exclusion. Other consumer groups are also at risk. They are—
• Individuals 65+ years old
• Consumers living in low-bandwidth information infrastructures
• People who never learned to read
• Users of English as a Second Language (ESL)
• Tourists and people living in multilingual societies
• Consumers living in high-density populations
Designing with access in mind can be accomplished through universal design (UD). Universal design is a process to ensure that E&IT is inclusive, accessible, and usable by everyone, including people with disabilities. Accessible design is a step forward when developing E&IT products, but it tends to lead to technologies that will be used separately, or in addition to, the main E&IT product, which diminishes the effectiveness of designing for all. Incorporating UD processes when developing E&IT is one solution to accommodating people with disabilities that also improves the usability of the products for the rest of the population.
The National Council on Disability (NCD) undertook this research to understand the market for universally designed mainstream consumer products and services, document successful UD development processes, understand consumer needs, understand UD facilitators and barriers, and identify and address current issues in universal design. This research comes at a time when understanding and incorporating UD into the development process are most crucial. We are in the window of opportunity for implementing section 508. If progress is not made quickly in improving the skills of government and industry employees on accessibility issues, the window will soon shut with little having been accomplished. If industry does not see that federal agencies are serious about implementing section 508 in a consistent manner, companies will shift the monetary and human resources needed for improving accessibility to product development opportunities that offer a higher return on investment. Progress must be made now, and the purpose of this report is to present the information and recommendations that will guide this progress.
Through this research, NCD aims to educate designers and manufacturers about how electronic and information technology intersects with the needs of individuals with disabilities. In addition to providing knowledge about disabilities, we see the importance here and now of educating individuals on universal design. Currently, many business people have never heard of UD, and many of those who have do not understand that it is more than just a design for disability. This research aims to provide businesses with the knowledge of UD methods they need to clearly see how their complex products can be made accessible in a cost-effective way.
As part of this research, six product lines were analyzed from the telecommunications, software, consumer electronics, and digital services industries for both accessibility and usability. We estimated how useful these products are to people with disabilities and whether the products conformed to section 508 standards and section 255 guidelines. We were able to present recommendations for improving such products. At a time when the incorporation of universal design is crucial, NCD hopes that the information provided in this report will motivate and drive the development of more universally, accessibly designed E&IT.
To read the entire study by The National Council on Disability and its recommendations, visit:
https://www.ncd.gov/newsroom/premium-publications/2004/newmarketplace.htm
Supplemental Educational Services
The Hall County School System (FL) has approved tutorial services for students who qualify for the free and reduced-price lunch program at three “needs improvement schools.” The system will spend $1,234 on tutoring for each student. To learn more, visit:
https://www.gainesvilletimes.com/news/stories/20041021/localnews/45182.shtml
Deciphering A Mystery: New Research Provides Clues To The Genetic, Neurological, And Molecular Basis Of Autism
In new research, scientists have found that a specific gene contributes to autism and that autistic people have fewer receptors for the brain messenger acetylcholine, as well as more tightly packed columns of neurons in the cerebral cortex. Another study found that autistic children were less able to discriminate similar sounds than were other children. To learn more, visit: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2004/10/041030131949.htm
Top 10 Toys for Children with ADHD
Shire and the Oppenheim Toy Portfolio today announced the top 10 toys for children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), along with selection criteria designed to help guide parents this season as they shop for toys for a child with ADHD. All the toy selections as well as the criteria used are posted on ADHDSupportCompany.com.
The Top 10 list of toys has been developed based on the specific needs of children with ADHD, including the need to better focus attention, to gain self-confidence and to learn to socialize and interact appropriately with other children. The selection criteria used to choose these toys may provide useful guidelines for parents to consider when shopping for toys that their child with ADHD can enjoy. Together, the toy list and criteria may help parents interact with their child and also assist them to direct the child’s energy in a more productive way. To learn more, visit:
https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2004-11/pn-t1t111604.php
Parent Academy Could Help Kids Learn
Parents in Miami-Dade County could get free classes next fall — ranging from how to talk with teachers to how to plan a family budget and how to write a résumé — in an effort to teach them how to extend their kids’ education from school into the home.
The idea of a Parent Academy was approved Wednesday by the Miami-Dade School Board, and though the planning is still preliminary, it is supposed to launch at the beginning of the 2005-06 school year.
Many of the classes will be designed to teach parents how to extend education from the school into the home. For more information, visit:
https://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/news/local/10210717.htm?1c
New Fact Sheet on Employment Rights of People with Intellectual Disabilities
The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) has released a fact sheet on the application of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) to persons with intellectual disabilities in the workplace. The new publication is available at https://www.eeoc.gov/.
The term “intellectual disability” describes the condition once commonly referred to as “mental retardation.” Approximately one percent of the United States ‘ population, an estimated 2.5 million people, has an intellectual disability. Estimates indicate that only 31 percent of individuals with intellectual disabilities are employed, although many more want to work.
National Inclusive Schools Week
The National Institute for Urban School Improvement is sponsoring the National Inclusive Schools Week, December 6-10 to foster the development of schools and communities that are welcoming of all students, including those with disabilities. Please visit https://www.inclusiveschools.org/ for more detail.
Violence-Related Injury Prevention Research
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has announced funding for violence-related injury prevention research in the areas of youth violence, suicidal behavior, child maltreatment, intimate partner violence, and sexual violence.
The goals of the program are to (1) Solicit research; (2) Build the scientific base for the prevention and control of fatal an nonfatal injuries and related disabilities; (3) Encourage professionals from a wide spectrum of disciplines to perform research in order to prevent and control injuries more effectively; and (4) Encourage investigators to propose research that involves intervention development and testing and enhances the maintenance of effective intervention strategies.
Eligible applicants include public and private nonprofit and for profit organizations and governments and their agencies. The approximate total funding is $1,680,000 for five to six grants. The average award amount is $300,000.
Deadlines: December 6, 2004 (Letter of Intent); February 2, 2005 (Application)
For more information on program goals and objectives, please visit https://a257.g.akamaitech.net/7/257/2422/06jun20041800/edocket.access.gpo.gov/2004/04-24618.htm
Autism may be caused by brain swelling due to immune system reaction
Autism could be caused by an immune system reaction which causes the brain to swell, say researchers at John Hopkins University School of Medicine, USA. If this is so, we may one day be able to create a test for autism, and perhaps even develop treatment to prevent it. …Professor Carlos Pardo-Villamizar , team leader, said to the BBC “These findings open new possibilities for understanding the dynamic changes that occur in the brain of autistic patients during childhood and adulthood. Although they may lend themselves to the development of new medical treatments for autism, much more research would be needed to establish the validity of this approach.”
https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/medicalnews.php?newsid=16379
The National Center on Secondary
Education and Transition News
Call for Presentations: Minnesota¹s Second Annual Care and Treatment
Education Conference
The Minnesota Department of Education invites you to submit a breakout
session proposal for the 2nd Annual Care and Treatment Conference being held March 14-15, 2005, at Cragun’s Resort and Hotel in Brainerd, MN. They are looking for relevant and dynamic presenters who work with children and youth who are placed for care and treatment, and encourage presentations by teams that include parents; students; education, treatment, and correctional professionals; and others as co-presenters. Application deadline: December 10, 2004. For further information contact Mary Beth Schafer, Care and Treatment Program/Fiscal Specialist, Special Education Policy Section, Minnesota Department of Education, at 651-582-8818 or
marybeth.schafer@state.mn.us.
What’s Your Secret Weapon in the Classroom? Essays Sought
The George Lucas Educational Foundation¹s new magazine Edutopia is looking for reader comments for their column “Sage Advice,” in which readers suggest solutions to problems, like a reverse Dear Ann. To see a few of the many notes received in response to the last topic, “How can We Alleviate
Childhood Obesity? visit https://www.edutopia.org/sageadvice.
The question for the next issue is: “What¹s Your Secret Weapon
in the Classroom?” If interested, send a 100-300 word reply or offer suggestions for future questions to sage@edutopia.org. https://www.edutopia.org/sageadvice/
Career Guidance and Exploration (November 2004)-Web Topic
This revised NCSET Web Topic explores explores how families a professionals can help youth with disabilities to gain an understanding of their interests, skills, abilities, and aptitudes as they relate to employment. Like all NCSET Web topics, it includes an introduction, frequently asked questions, related research, emerging practices, Web sites, and additional resources. Revised in November 2004 (originally posted in August 2002). To learn more, visit: https://www.ncset.org/topics/career/default.asp?topic=1
2001 Dropout Rates in the U.S. (November 2004)
This report is the latest in a series on high school dropout and completion
rates from the National Center for Education Statistics. It includes estimates of 2001 rates and time series data on high school dropout and completion rates for 1972-2001. In addition to extending time series data reported in earlier years, the report examines the characteristics of high school dropouts and completers in 2001. It shows that while progress was made during the 1970s and 80s in reducing high school dropout and increasing high school completion, rates of both have since stagnated. To learn more, visit:
https://nces.ed.gov/pubs2005/dropout2001/
The National Council on Disability Recommendations
The National Council on Disability (NCD), an independent federal agency making recommendations to the President and Congress to enhance the quality of life for Americans with disabilities and their families, has released a report on consumer-directed health care for people with disabilities. The report lists some of the strengths and weaknesses of the federal government¹s current research agenda related to consumer-directed health care for Americans with disabilities and sheds light on the relationship between consumer-directed health care and practice. To learn more, visit:
https://www.ncd.gov/newsroom/premium-publications/2004/consumerdirected.htm
Upcoming Events and Conferences
December, 2004
Conference Name: ZERO TO THREE/National Center for Infants, Toddlers, and Families National Training Institute
Dates: 12/3 through 12/5
Conference URL: www.zerotothree.org/nti00/index_main00.html
January, 2005
Conference Name: National Association for Bilingual Education Annual Conference
Dates: January 19, 2005 to January 22, 2005
Conference URL: www.nabe.org/conferences.asp
Acknowledgements
“Portions of this e-mail newsletter were excerpted from:
- Committee on Education and the Workforce
- FirstGov.gov-The Official U.S. Government Web Portal
- The National Center on Secondary Education and Transition
- The National Collaborative on Workforce and Disability for Youth
- The National Dissemination Center for Children with Disabilities
- The National Institute of Health
- U.S. Department of Education
- U.S. Department of Education-The Achiever (Nov., 2004)
- U.S. Department of Education-The Education Innovator
- U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
- U.S. Office of Special Education
The National Association of Special Education Teachers (NASET) thanks all of the above for the information provided for this month’s newsletter
