December 2009 – Special Educator e-Journal

Table of Contents

Update from the U.S. Department Education

Update From The National Dissemination Center for Children with Disabilities

Calls to Participate

Special Education Resources

Upcoming Conferences, Workshops, and Events

Funding Forecast and Award Opportunities

Acknowledgements

Download a PDF Version of This Issue

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Update from the U.S. Department of Education

The Early Learning Challenge: Raising the Bar

Last week, Secretary Duncan spoke at the annual conference of the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC), which represents the largest national gathering of stakeholders in the early childhood education community.

Secretary Duncan noted that the nation has a special opportunity today to build a bigger, better-coordinated system of early care and education for its youngest learners. “It is time to transform early learning from a system of uneven quality and access into a system that truly and consistently prepares children for success in school and in life,” he stated.

The Obama Administration has stressed the importance of developing a seamless cradle-to-career educational pipeline. But, as President Obama and Secretary Duncan have pointed out, that pipeline will not work properly unless the road to college begins at birth. Secretary Duncan cited the need for educators and schools to get out of the “catch-up business” now by making a strong commitment to prepare children for high achievement before they enter kindergarten.

After his remarks, Secretary Duncan joined in an impromptu dance with a gathering of NAEYC staff members and well-known children’s songwriters and musicians.

Athletes Highlight Education as Key to Their Success

Shane Battier and Myron Rolle taped video addresses for the “I Am What I Learn” video contest, hosted by the U.S. Department of Education and YouTube. In their videos, they each describe the role education plays in their lives, and they encourage students to dedicate themselves to their own education.

Battier explains how he faced the same challenges in school as he did on the basketball court.”… The journey to the NBA was a very difficult one,” Battier says, “one where I was doubted every step of the way‧ The same thing happened in school. People looked at me and didn’t give me a chance to be a good student, and I took that as a challenge…I put as much energy into school as I did [in] basketball, [and I] proved people wrong.”

Myron Rolle talks about his decision to defer the 2009 NFL Draft to pursue a Rhodes Scholarship at Oxford University.

“The day that I won the Rhodes Scholarship was truly incredible,” Rolle says. “I think our football coach Bobby Bowden put it best [when] he said, ‘This is not only a win for Myron Rolle, but this is a win for Florida State University and all kids who really are serious about their academics.’”

Rolle also encourages young students to make their education a priority.

“I hope my decision to delay my NFL career and study at Oxford as a Rhodes Scholar can influence and impact the younger generation to embrace the life of being an academic,” Rolle adds. “They say if you’re a nerd or a geek, so to speak, that you’re uncool, that being smart isn’t the way to do it. Well, to me, that’s not true. To me, the people who are running the country, who are making changes, who are written about in history books are the ones who focused in school and developed [their] education.”

Shane Battier and Myron Rolle’s stories illustrate the impact academics makes on their lives, and these stories encourage students across the country to take responsibility for achieving the best education possible.

The “I Am What I Learn” video contest launched Sept. 21. More than 600 students submitted videos describing their academic goals and the role education plays in determining their future. Ten finalists were announced on Nov. 16. The YouTube public can vote on the videos at www.YouTube.com/IAmWhatILearn. The three videos with the most votes will be announced in mid-December. Each winner will be awarded a $1,000 prize issued by the U.S. Department of Education.

Duncan Endorses Efforts to Improve STEM Education

U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan today praised corporate and philanthropic leaders for stepping up to support improvements in science, technology, engineering and mathematics education.

“The president and I believe that ensuring our nation’s children are excelling in the STEM fields is essential for our nation’s prosperity, security, health and quality of life,” Secretary Duncan said. “All of us need to be engaged in task of improving STEM education. Business leaders and major donors are leading the way, and leaders from other sectors need to join them.”

Duncan attended at an event at the White House where the president addressed the importance of STEM education to a group that included other Cabinet members, business executives, foundation leaders and students from Washington, D.C. schools.

At the event, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the Carnegie Corp. of New York, and several corporate leaders announced they will work together to gather support for STEM education and recruit others to join them. They also will raise awareness of the STEM education priority in the department’s $4 billion competition for states to develop comprehensive reform plans under the Race to the Top Fund.

Board members of the new group include Craig Barrett, the former chairman of Intel; Ursula Burns, the chief executive officer of Xerox; Glenn Britt, chairman and CEO of Time Warner Cable; and Antonio Perez of Kodak.

Time Warner Cable committed $100 million in media time and promises to produce shows that promote STEM issues. Media efforts will be launched by other partners, including Discovery Communications and Sesame Street. The MacArthur Foundation and other donors are supporting National Lab Day — an effort to promote and celebrate learning in science labs and other learning environments, and to build communities of support for STEM teachers across the country through the Web site nationallabday.org. National Lab Day will include a year-long effort to expand hands-on learning methods throughout the country.

Voting Begins on “I Am What I Learn” VideoContest

Since September 21, hundreds of students across the country have responded to the President’s call to take greater responsibility for their education by creating videos explaining why education is important to their future. In less than two months, students submitted more than 600 video entries to the “I Am What I Learn” video contest, hosted by the U.S. Department of Education and YouTube. In their entries, students talked about their personal goals and the role education plays in meeting them. The submissions came from students with diverse economic, social and ethnic backgrounds, and the content ranged from music videos to short skits. The common theme in all of these videos is that education is the key to their success.

“We’re very excited about the tremendous participation and extraordinary creativity that our video contest has received,” U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan said. “I want to thank these students for sharing their stories and for being leaders in spreading this important message.”

The U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Communications and Outreach has carefully reviewed the submissions and narrowed them down to 10 finalists based on use of creativity, strength and originality of content, and ability to inspire. These videos are now available on YouTube at www.youtube.com/IamwhatIlearn.

Voting to determine the three winning videos begins today, November 16, and runs through December 4. The three finalists whose videos receive the most votes by December 4 will each win a $1,000 prize issued by the U.S. Department of Education.

The submissions and stories from students across the country are so inspiring that two friends of the U.S. Department of Education—Shane Battier of the Houston Rockets and Rhodes Scholar Myron Rolle—wanted to share their stories about the role education plays in their own lives. Please visit http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gkAAgeYcrHQ and http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zpeCf2eKEcs to learn how education has impacted their lives.

U.S. Department of Education Opens Race to the Top Competition

U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan today released the final application for more than $4 billion from the Race to the Top Fund, which will reward states that have raised student performance in the past and have the capacity to accelerate achievement gains with innovative reforms.

“The president said last week that Race to the Top will require states to take an all-hands-on-deck approach,” Duncan said. “We will award grants to the states that have led the way in reform and will show the way for the rest of the country to follow.”

The U.S. Department of Education is asking states to build comprehensive and coherent plans built around the four areas of reform outlined in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.

The application requires states to document their past success and outline their plans to extend their reforms by using college- and career-ready standards and assessments, building a workforce of highly effective educators, creating educational data systems to support student achievement, and turning around their lowest-performing schools.

The $4.35 billion for the Race to the Top Fund is an unprecedented federal investment in reform. Duncan will reserve up to $350 million to help states create assessments aligned to common sets of standards. The remaining $4 billion will be awarded in a national competition.

To qualify, states must have no legal barriers to linking student growth and achievement data to teachers and principals for the purposes of evaluation. They also must have the department’s approval for their plans for both phases of the Recovery Act’s State Fiscal Stabilization Fund prior to being awarded a grant.

The final application released today includes significant changes to the proposal released by the U.S. Department of Education in July. After reviewing responses to the draft proposals from 1,161 people, who submitted thousands of unique comments, ranging from one paragraph to 67 pages, the U.S. Department of Education restructured the application and changed it to reflect the ideas of the public.

“The public’s input on this application was invaluable to us,” Duncan said. “The comments helped us clarify that we want states to think through how they will create a comprehensive agenda to drive reform forward.”

The final application also clarifies that states should use multiple measures to evaluate teachers and principals, including a strong emphasis on the growth in achievement of their students. But it also reinforces that successful applicants will need to have rigorous teacher and principal evaluation programs and use the results of teacher evaluations to inform what happens in the schools.

In Race to the Top, the department will hold two rounds of competition for the grants. For the first round, it will accept states’ applications until the middle of January, 2010. Peer reviewers will evaluate the applications and the department will announce the winners of the first round of funding next spring.

Applications for the second round will be due June 1, 2010, with the announcement of all the winners by Sept. 30, 2010.

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Update From The National Dissemination Center for Children with Disabilities

NICHCY shared several new resources this month, available for free on their website.

Where’s NICHCY’s Catalog of Publications?
We don’t officially have one anymore. All of our pubs, old and new, are available on our website. But to make it easier to share info about what we offer, we’ve designed NICHCY’s 2009 Guide to Our Online Publications. Feel free to print it out and pass it along.
http://www.nichcy.org/InformationResources/Documents/NICHCY%20PUBS/onlinecatalog09.pdf

Where’s NICHCY’s brochure to share at trainings, meetings, and conferences?
Umm…that’s gone, too. (Costs a fortune to print.) But we’ve come up with something we hope will serve you better: flyers you can include in your own information. There’s a Flyer for Families (in English and Spanish) and a Flyer for Educators (also in English and Spanish, if educators would like to share news of NICHCY with Spanish-speaking families of children with disabilities). Available at: http://www.nichcy.org/InformationResources/Pages/flyers.aspx

IT ALL STARTS IN FAMILIES ANDCOMMUNITIES

Spread the Word: United We Ride National Dialogue.
November 2-13, 2009
Do you have a suggestion about how to increase access to affordable and reliable transportation services for people with disabilities, older adults, and people with limited incomes? Sign up now to participate in an upcoming online National Dialogue with representatives of the federal government, as well as state and community leaders.  www.UWRdialogue.org

November is National Family Caregivers Month.
America’s family caregivers are family, friends, partners, and neighbors. A wealth of resources for caregivers is available at the National Family Caregivers Association, plus you can read all about what they have planned for this month, find ways to participate, and get posters and kits.
http://www.thefamilycaregiver.org/national_family_caregiver_month/ 

9th annual Inclusive Schools Week: December 7-11, 2009.
Sponsored by the Inclusive Schools Network, this year’s event is subtitled “Inclusive Technologies.” http://www.inclusiveschools.org/

Special education scorecards: How’s your state doing?
THe National Center for Learning Disabilities (NCLD) has updated its Special Education Scorecards, which provide each state’s special education enrollment (including students with learning disabilities), student performance on key performance indicators, federal funding provided to states in support of special education, and the state’s latest rating by the U.S. Department of Education regarding implementation of IDEA.
http://www.ncld.org/on-capitol-hill/policy-related-publications/special-education-scorecards 

Understanding the ADA Amendments Act and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act.
This Parent Advocacy Brief will help you understand the changes brought about by the ADAAA, how they apply to Section 504, and how these changes may impact children with disabilities, including learning disabilities, as well as other conditions such as AD/HD, Aspergers Syndrome, diabetes, asthma, and life-threatening food allergies.
http://www.ncld.org/publications-a-more/parent-advocacy-guides/understanding-the-americans-with-disabilities-act-amendments-act-and-section-504-of-the-rehabilitation-act 

New Medical Home state data website.
The Data Resource Center is partnering with the American Academy of Pediatrics to help state and family leaders quickly access data on how children and youth in each state experience receiving care within a medical home.
http://medicalhomedata.org/content/Default.aspx 

Guía para la familia sobre los sistemas de cuidado para niños con necesidades de salud mental.
The link below takes you to the Spanish version of SAMHSA’s Family Guide to Systems of Care for Children With Mental Health Needs.
http://mentalhealth.samhsa.gov/premium-publications/allpubs/sma-4054S/

Haciendo frente a la sobrerepresentación: Pautas para los padres.
This brief, in Spanish, defines the concept of overrepresentation, identifies possible causes for the problem, and offers a variety of ways that parents and families can help prevent or decrease overrepresentation of culturally and linguistically diverse students in special education programs.
http://www.nccrest.org/Briefs/BRIEF_spanish_parent_guide_DOCUMENT.pdf

CapScribe.
CapScribe is a free, open-source technology application that adds caption and/or audio description to audio and video files.
http://atmac.org/capscribe/ 

THE LITTLE ONES: EARLY INTERVENTION/EARLY CHILDHOOD

Foundations of Inclusion Birth to Five video.
This 11-minute video can be found at CONNECT (Center to Mobilize Early Childhood Knowledge).  http://community.fpg.unc.edu/connect

Would you like to preview a module on Embedded Interventions?
CONNECT is also making its Module 1 available for preview through November 30th, 2009. The preview is a slimmed-down version of the actual module, designed to give instructors a quick glimpse of content and resources available for learners. http://community.fpg.unc.edu/connect  

Headsprout Early Reading.
 “Headsprout Early Reading” is an Internet-based supplemental early literacy curriculum of forty 20-minute animated episodes designed to teach phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension. The What Works Clearinghouse’s review of the research on its effectiveness found this literacy curriculum to have potentially positive effects on oral language and print knowledge.  http://ies.ed.gov/ncee/wwc/reports/early_ed/headsprout/

Videos and presentations from the National Early Childhood Summit.
On September 16-18, 2009, the National Governors Association Center for Best Practices (NGA Center) held a first-of-its-kind national summit called Building Brighter Futures for Our Children. The summit brought together teams from 39 states to develop a coordinated policy agenda among state health, early education, and human service systems for improved child outcomes. If you missed it, you can view videos from the summit here.

How much are we spending on our children?
First Focus recently released Children’s Budget 2009, a comprehensive guide to over 180 federally funded programs seeking to improve the lives of America’s children. This year’s guide includes a special analysis of investments in children provided through the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act (ARRA)–almost $144 billion. http://www.firstfocus.net/pages/3631  

What works in early childhood mental health?
The Georgetown University Center for Child and Human Development (GUCCHD) released a new report entitled What Works? A Study of Effective Early Childhood Mental Health Consultation Programs.
http://gucchd.georgetown.edu/78358.html

Early literacy? 2 new CELL reviews.
CELL is the Center on Early Literacy Learning, with two new reviews:

• Development of Infant and Toddler Mark Making and Scribbling
  http://www.earlyliteracylearning.org/cellreviews/cellreviews_v2_n2.pdf 
• Research Informing the Development of Infant Finger Drawing
  http://www.earlyliteracylearning.org/cellreviews/cellreviews_v2_n1.pdf

Public policy developments in state early care and education.
The National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) has published its annual report, State Early Care and Education Public Policy Developments (FY10), which shows that ARRA stimulus funds are giving states opportunities to avoid cuts to certain early childhood programs and fund some new or expanded initiatives. Governors and state legislatures have approved policy changes for FY10 in areas such as: infant/toddler initiatives, professional development, and child care subsidies.
http://www.naeyc.org/files/naeyc/file/policy/state/StateECEPublicPolicyDevelopmentsFY10.pdf

Revised NAEYC early childhood professional preparation standards.
http://www.naeyc.org/files/naeyc/file/positions/ProfPrepStandards09.pdf

How’s Head Start doing in your state?
Find out in these state fact sheets from the Center for Law and Social Policy (CLASP). Each fact sheet includes all Head Start programs in the state (Early Head Start, Head Start preschool, American Indian and Alaskan Native Head Start, and Migrant/Seasonal Head Start), as well as data on participants, families, staff, and programs. http://www.clasp.org/in_the_states/

Challenging common myths about young English language learners.
This article challenges six commonly held beliefs about the development of young children who are learning English as their second language and presents research evidence drawing from a variety of disciplines that can better shape education policies for all children.
http://www.fcd-us.org/resources/resources_show.htm?doc_id=669789

Training teachers to support young children’s behavior and emotional development.
Can Teacher Training in Classroom Management Make a Difference for Children’s Experiences in Preschool? provides promising findings from Foundations of Learning (FOL), a demonstration and random assignment evaluation of an intervention that trains preschool teachers to better support young children’s behavior and emotional development.
http://www.mdrc.org/premium-publications/527/full.pdf  

SCHOOLS, K-12

Looking for complimentary teaching materials?
Still trying to find basic classroom items for your students? Edutopia suggests free online tips for obtaining the everyday supplies you need.
http://www.edutopia.org/free-school-supplies-fundraising-donation 

A synopsis of The Power of Feedback.  
Feedback, defined as information about performance, is an integral aspect of instruction and learning. Want to know what a synthesis of 12 meta-analyses of 196 studies found when feedback was included as an instructional strategy? The Center on Instruction  has produced a synopsis of Hattie and Timperley’s (2007) “The Power of Feedback” published in the Review of Education Research (Review of Education Research, 77, 81-112), Find COI’s synopsis at:
http://www.centeroninstruction.org/files/Corrected%20Synopsis%20Power%20of%20Feedback.pdf  

Guidelines for students with disabilities in case of flu outbreaks.
The U.S. Department of Education has issued guidance on flexibility and waivers for SEAs, LEAs, postsecondary institutions, and other grantee and program participants. The guidance includes a section on students with disabilities whose attendance might be disrupted due to flu. The guidance is now available to download.  http://www.ed.gov/admins/lead/safety/emergencyplan/pandemic/guidance/flexibility-and-waivers.doc

The new National Center on Universal Design for Learning.
CAST has just launched this new website to provide educators and stakeholders with resources, expertise, and analysis of Universal Design for Learning (UDL), a research-based set of principles for designing and developing curriculum and instructional practices that meets the educational needs of all learners. http://www.udlcenter.org

Functional behavior assessment and behavior plans.
The IRIS Center offers a new STAR Legacy module: Functional Behavior Assessment: Discovering the Reasons for Problem Behavior and Developing a Behavior Plan.  http://iris.peabody.vanderbilt.edu/fba/chalcycle.htm

More on behavior: Conduct an A-B-C analysis.
http://iris.peabody.vanderbilt.edu/activities/independent/iin005.pdf 

Learning to read: What we know about cracking the code.
Over the last decade, neuroscience breakthroughs and educational research findings have led to an entirely new understanding of how the human brain learns to read. If you want to visit a truly fascinating website, this one will take you on an odyssey you won’t soon forget, in the classroom or out. Allot a chunk of time, because you won’t want to leave, once you start delving in. (Of course, you can always go back…) http://www.childrenofthecode.org/

Written expression: Grades 2-5.
The IRIS Center has also published a new case study set that presents writing strategies to help students in the elementary and middle-school grades who struggle with writing. http://iris.peabody.vanderbilt.edu/case_studies/ICS-013.pdf

Assistive technology: What every school leader should know.
http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qa3673/is_3_129/ai_n31481907/

Cochlear implants, the IEP, related services, and IDEA.
This article from the American Society for Deaf Children examines the standing of cochlear implants in a child’s IEP, what types of cochlear-related services are excluded by IDEA, and what services are not.
http://www.deafchildren.org/resources/31_What’s%20the%20IDEA%20-%20AT.pdf

Autism and resources for professionals.
The National Professional Development Center on Autism Spectrum Disorders has posted a number of resources for the public: Evidence-Based Practices for Children and Youth with Autism Spectrum Disorders, Autism Internet Modules; and Foundations of Autism Spectrum Disorders Online Course.
http://www.fpg.unc.edu/~autismPDC/resources/resources_public_ebp.cfm

RTI as it relates to early intervening services: Recommendations.
This document provides the legal background of RTI and EIS, as well as a potential barriers and policy recommendations.
http://www.projectforum.org/docs/RtIasitRelatestoEIS.pdf

Vital characteristics of successful middle grades schools.
If this caught your eye, then you may be pleased to know that, on November 5, National Middle School Association will release the fourth edition of This We Believe: Keys to Educating Young Adolescents and a companion book of research and resources that support its concepts.
http://www.nmsa.org/u_rd/102009/twb.htm

Middle schools save the date.
April 22-23, 2010.
That’s when the Middle Level Essentials Conference will be held in Las Vegas, Nevada. http://www.nmsa.org/ProfessionalDevelopment/conferencesWorkshops/MiddleLevelEssentials/tabid/590/Default.aspx

What works in adolescent literacy: Read 180.
The What Works Clearinghouse’s review on the effectiveness of “Read 180” found this reading program to have potentially positive effects on comprehension and general literacy achievement. http://ies.ed.gov/ncee/wwc/reports/adolescent_literacy/read180/

Travel training for student success.
Are you worried that your student will not be able to get to work when s/he finishes high school?  This curriculum will help a student learn to travel safely and independently on fixed-route public transportation.
http://projectaction.easterseals.com/site/PageServer?pagename=ESPA_travel_training&s_esLocation=tc_

STATE & SYSTEM TOOLS

Moving from highly qualified teachers to highly effective teachers.
The second biennial report of the National Comprehensive Center for Teacher Quality synthesizes the emerging research base on teacher effectiveness and equitable distribution of K-12 teachers. http://www.tqsource.org/premium-publications/2009TQBiennialReport.php

Indian education policies in 5 northwest region states.
This REL-NW report categorizes the policies of five northwest region states based on 13 key policies identified in the literature and describes the legal methods used to adopt them, such as statutes, regulations, and executive orders. The study found that six key policies had been adopted by all five states. Find out more about the policies at:
http://ies.ed.gov/ncee/edlabs/projects/project.asp?ProjectID=187

Project Forum has been very busy.
This OSEP-funded project conducts policy analyses on critical topics in special education. Three new analyses are now available:

• Superintendent leadership: Promoting general and special education collaboration
• RTI: Select state programs (Colorado, Florida, Iowa, Kansas, Pennsylvania and Rhode Island)
• Serving students with disabilities in state-level virtual K-12 public school programs
• Access them all at: http://www.projectforum.org/index.cfm

IDEA Partnership launches its new website.
Sweet! (The IDEA Partnership is dedicated to improving outcomes for students and youth with disabilities by joining state agencies and stakeholders through shared work and learning.) http://www.ideapartnership.org/

New report maps state proficiency standards to the NAEP.
Academic standards became less rigorous from 2005 to 2007 in a majority of states, says a study by the National Center on Education Statistics. The report compares proficiency standards of states using the National Assessment of Educational Progress (the nation’s report card) as the common yardstick.
http://nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard/pubs/studies/2010456.asp 

Public school graduates and dropouts report.
This First Look from NCES presents the number of high school graduates, the Averaged Freshman Graduation Rate, and dropout data for grades 9 through 12 for public schools during the 2006-07 school year.
http://nces.ed.gov/pubsearch/pubsinfo.asp?pubid=2010313

The high cost of high school dropouts.
If the high school students who dropped out of the class of 2009 had
graduated, the nation’s economy would have benefited from nearly $335
billion in additional income over the course of their lifetimes, according
to a new issue brief from the Alliance for Excellent Education.
http://www.all4ed.org/files/HighCost.pdf

Listening to Latinas: Barriers to high school graduation.
To help keep girls in school and on track for success, the National
Women’s Law Center and the Mexican American Legal Defense and Education Fund went straight to the source: Latina students and the adults who work with them every day. http://www.nwlc.org/pdf/ListeningtoLatinas.pdf

What post-school outcome data can do for you.
The National Dropout Prevention Center for Students with Disabilities, in
partnership with the National Post-School Outcomes Center, developed this online guide, which provides information on six states that have begun to display, analyze, and apply data across Part B Indicators 1, 2, 13, and 14.
http://www.ndpc-sd.org/knowledge/improve_postschool_outcomes/default.php

SPECIAL FOCUS: Resources on Disability Conditions

AD/HD: K-12.
Have you visited CHADD lately, especially their new education pages? CHADD stands for Children and Adults with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder. http://www.chadd.org/Content/CHADD/AboutCHADD/CHADDPublicPolicy/Education/default.htm

Autism: Lots going on.
Multiple resources have come out with respect to autism and its related disorders, including:

• How prevalent is autism?
  The American Academy of Pediatrics has released a Q&A for parents about autism and the results of a recent national survey of parents, which suggested that autism spectrum disorder affects approximately 1 in every 91 American children.
  http://www.medicalhomeinfo.org/health/Autism%20downloads/AutismOct5parenthandout.pdf
• A statement from CDC on the prevalence of autism.
  The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released an official statement about the recent autism findings and parent survey (see item above). http://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/autism/index.html
• Community of practice on autism.
  This new community is still in its infancy but moving quickly to organize.  With 14 states represented so far, members have set up 11 practice groups around shared issues of concern.
  http://sharedwork.org/
• Queries: Screening and early identification of ASD.
  New version from NECTAC.
  http://www.nectac.org/pubs/titlelist.asp#queries_asdscreening
• Autism spectrum disorder resources.
  Courtesy of the National Professional Development Center on Autism Spectrum Disorders, new resources for the public include: Evidence-Based Practices for Children and Youth with Autism Spectrum Disorders; Autism Internet Modules; and Foundations of Autism Spectrum Disorders Online Course. All are available at:
  http://www.fpg.unc.edu/~autismPDC/resources/resources_public_ebp.cfm

Chronic pain: How to cope.
Managing your chronic pain doesn’t just mean receiving treatment and taking medication–it’s also about paying attention to your mental and emotional well being, and becoming a proactive patient.
http://www.healthcentral.com/chronic-pain/coping.html

Conduct disorders.
A “soft place to land for the battle-weary parent.”
http://www.conductdisorders.com/

Diabetes: November is American Diabetes Month.
And one of the go-to places is the American Diabetes Association, both for information on diabetes and to learn more about the Stop Diabetes campaign.
http://main.diabetes.org/site/PageServer?pagename=SD_homepage/

Epilepsy: November also marks National Epilepsy Awareness Month.
Visit the Epilepsy Foundation, learn about epilepsy and connect with others, and join Talk About It!, this year’s awareness month theme.
http://www.epilepsyfoundation.org/epilepsyusa/news/National-Epilepsy-Awareness-Campaign.cfm

Fetal alcohol spectrum disorder: A resource collection.
Visit the Maternal and Child Health Library for key resources on FASD, including websites; fact sheets and brochures; screening, diagnosis, surveillance, intervention, and training tools; and prevention-education materials (in both English and non-English languages).
http://mchlibrary.info/guides/fasd.html  

Food allergies: Reducing the risk.
A Consumer Update from the FDA.
http://www.fda.gov/ForConsumers/ConsumerUpdates/ucm089307.htm

Hearing impairments: FDA offers a new online hearing aid guide.
From the Food and Drug Administration, this guide is intended for current and potential users of hearing aids.
http://www.fda.gov/ForConsumers/ConsumerUpdates/ucm185723.htm

Intellectual disabilities.
Just out in September from the American Association on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (AAIDD): The 11th edition of Intellectual Disability: Definition, Classification and Systems of Supports, known in the field as the “Definition Manual.” This edition establishes an advanced paradigm that professionals will use when evaluating and delivering the support services that a person with intellectual disability needs at school, at home, in the physician’s office, or (perish the thought) in court.
http://www.aaidd.org/news/news_item.cfm?OID=2819 

Learning disabilities|dyslexia.
Several items of note:

• Are vision problems the reason?
  The American Academy of Pediatrics (Section on Ophthalmology and Council on Children with Disabilities), American Academy of Ophthalmology, American Association for Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus, and the American Association of Certified Orthoptists published a Joint Policy Statement in August 2009. Find it on the International Dyslexia Association’s website, at:
  http://www.interdys.org/InsInt.htm
• Reading and language instruction: Matrix of multisensory structured language programs.
  http://www.interdys.org/ewebeditpro5/upload/MSL2007finalR1.pdf

Orthopedic impairments.
Project IDEAL (Informing and Designing Education for All Learnings) offers info on orthopedia impairments (such as cerebral palsy, spina bifida, degenerative diseases, and musculoskeletal disorders) to both teachers and parents.
http://www.projectidealonline.org/orthopedicImpairments.php

Speech and language disorders in the school setting: Frequently asked questions.
If you are wondering if a possible speech-language disorder is affecting your child’s school performance, you may find this FAQ helpful. 
http://www.asha.org/public/speech/development/schoolsFAQ.htm 

Visual impairments.
Connect with info and with others at NAPVI (National Association for Parents of Children with Visual Impairments). Find, for example:

• state and local chapters of NAPVI
  http://www.spedex.com/napvi/chapters.html
• an online multimedia community for parents and guardians of children with visual impairments (a combo effort of the American Foundation for the Blind and NAVPI) http://www.FamilyConnect.org
• speech-friendly text index to the site
  http://www.spedex.com/napvi/speech-links.html
• info in Spanish
  http://www.spedex.com/napvi/index_sp.htm

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Calls to Participate

Mental Health Youth Bill of Rights: The Time for Youth Voice is Now
http://www.rtc.pdx.edu/FeaturedDiscussions/pgFD00main.php
As part of the 2009 Portland National Youth Summit, a Mental Health Bill of Rights was created by young adult leaders from across the United States. They hope this Mental Health Youth Bill of Rights will be adopted by organizations such as Youth MOVE and SAMHSA and displayed in every doctor’s office, counseling center, and organization that serves youth, ages 14-25, with mental health needs. To strengthen this document, Youth Summit participants are asking for additional feedback and support from anyone involved in the mental health network – professionals, consumers, allies, etc.

Critical Education
http://www.criticaleducation.org
Critical Education is an international peer-reviewed journal, which seeks manuscripts that critically examine contemporary education contexts and practices and is interested in theoretical and empirical research as well as articles that advance educational practices that challenge the existing state of affairs in society, schools, and informal education. Critical Education is hosted by the Department of Curriculum and Pedagogy at the University of British Columbia and edited by Sandra Mathison (UBC), E. Wayne Ross (UBC) and Adam Renner (Bellarmine University). Critical Education is an open access journal, launching in early 2010.

Earn $50 for Sharing Your International Exchange Experience
http://www.miusa.org/newsitems/earnmoney
NCDE is offering $50 to people with disabilities to share stories about their international exchange programs. This can include people from other countries who have come to the United States but the person must currently be living in the U.S. There are two ways to share stories, either by a personal essay, (writing tips can be found on the Success Stories webpage) or by sharing a blog the person will write or has written about his or her overseas experience. If a blog or personal story is accepted the writer will receive $50 as a thank you. Submissions deadline: Tuesday, December 15, 2009.

GWU’s Transition Special Education Distance Education Certificate Program
http://gsehd.gwu.edu/Transition+Special+Education+Certificate
The George Washington University is recruiting students for is Graduate Transition Special Education Certificate Distance Education Program, beginning spring semester 2010. The courses are designed for: graduate students enrolled in special education and related programs; professionals and secondary special educators employed by school districts; professionals working in vocational rehabilitation settings and youth development and services; related service personnel; and advocates and parents. Under the Federal TEACH Program students may be eligible for financial support if they meet specific conditions.

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Special Education Resources

Building the Legacy / Construyendo el Legado: A Training Curriculum on IDEA 2004
Curriculum
http://www.nichcy.org/Laws/IDEA/Pages/BuildingTheLegacy.aspx
The Building the Legacy / Construyendo el Legado training curriculum was produced by National Dissemination Center for Children with Disabilities (NICHCY) at the request of the Office of Special Education Programs, U.S. Department of Education. The curriculum is intended to help all those involved with children with disabilities understand and implement IDEA 2004, the nation’s special education law. Many modules are available in both English and Spanish, and all handouts for participants are available in both languages.

From the Common Core of Data: School Year 2007-08  
Report
http://nces.ed.gov/pubs2010/2010309.pdf
Public Elementary and Secondary School Student Enrollment and Staff Counts Public elementary and secondary schools enrolled about 49 million students during the 2007-08 school year, according to the report “Public Elementary and Secondary School Student Enrollment and Staff Counts From the Common Core of Data: School Year 2007-08.” The report, released by the National Center for Education Statistics within the Institute of Education Sciences, also found that public elementary and secondary schools and local education agencies employed a total of 6.2 million full-time staff in the 2007-08 school year, of which 51 percent were teachers. (Available in pdf, 955 KB, 25 pp.)

Getting Ready for Postsecondary Education? (Spanish Version)  
Report
http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ocr/transition-sp.html?exp=3
The U.S. Department of Education offers a Spanish version of the report entitled Students With Disabilities Preparing For Postsecondary Education: Know Your Rights and Responsibilities (Preparacion Para La Educacion Postsecundaria Para Los Estudiantes Con Discapacidades: Conozca Sus Derechos Y Responsabilidades). The information within this report is provided by the Office of Civil Rights within the U.S. Department of Education. The report explains the rights and responsibilities of students with disabilities who are preparing for postsecondary education.

Helping Students Navigate the Path to College: What High Schools Can Do 
Practice Guide
http://ies.ed.gov/ncee/wwc/pdf/practiceguides/higher_ed_pg_091509.pdf
This new practice guide from the What Works Clearinghouse (WWC) discusses the challenges that many students face in regards to gaining access to higher education. It recommends five steps that educators, administrators, and policy makers can take, beginning in 9th grade, as well as the research evidence that supports these recommendations. It targets high schools and school districts, and focuses on effective practices that prepare students academically for college, assist them in completing the steps to college entry, and improve their likelihood of enrolling in college. A project of the U.S. Department of Education, the WWC is a source of scientific evidence for what works in education. (Available in pdf, 1.96MB, 86 pp.)

NCWD/Youth Releases Helping Youth with Mental Health Needs Avoid Transition Cliffs: Lessons from Pioneering Transition Programs 
Info Brief
http://www.ncwd-youth.info/information-brief-24
Youth with mental health needs often face unemployment, underemployment, and discrimination when they enter the workforce. Moreover, they often find it difficult to find or maintain services they need to successfully transition to adulthood, including mental health treatment, employment and vocational rehabilitation, and housing. NCWD for Youth recently released an info brief which discusses challenges faced by youth and young adults with mental health needs during their transition to adulthood and describes strategies used by youth service professionals to avoid age-related transition cliffs and prevent service interruptions during this critical stage of development. This InfoBrief is one in a series and is based on research about transition-age youth with mental health needs published in four separate reports in the last two years, including two produced by the National Collaborative on Workforce and Disability for Youth.

NCY Updates Education Policy Recommendations 
Policy Report
http://www.connectforkids.org/newsletters/cfk_weekly
The National Collaboration for Youth (NCY) provides updated policy recommendations in regard to the Elementary and Secondary Education Act reauthorization. The recommendations emphasize services that support successful completion of high school, including integrated student support services, family engagement, afterschool and supplemental education service programs, mentoring, service-learning, anti-bullying enhancement, increasing student attendance, physical education and dropout recovery and prevention & multiple pathways to graduation.

Numbers and Types of Public Elementary and Secondary Local Education Agencies From the Common Core of Data: School Year 2007-08 – First Look 
Report
http://nces.ed.gov/pubsearch/pubsinfo.asp?pubid=2010306
The National Center for Education Statistics has released “Numbers and Types of Public Elementary and Secondary Local Education Agencies From the Common Core of Data: School Year 2007-08.” This report presents selected findings on the numbers and types of public elementary and secondary local education agencies in the United States and the territories in the 2007-08 school year, using data from the Public Elementary/Secondary Local Education Agency Universe Survey of the Common Core of Data survey system. Findings include: There were 17,775 operating local education agencies in the 2007-08 school year, and among those agencies, 13,924 were regular school districts; twenty-seven of the 13,924 active regular school districts enrolled 100,000 or more students; and approximately 699,000 students enrolled in the 2,012 independent charter agencies, districts in which all schools were charter schools.

Organized Communities, Stronger Schools: A Case Study Series 
Case Studies
http://www.annenberginstitute.org/WeDo/Mott.php
The Annenberg Institute for School Reform (AISR) has released a series of case studies, which detail the positive effects of community organizing campaigns to improve public schools in seven urban communities. Each case documents the organizing efforts of a community group in a site and its effect on resource equity and district accountability for improved educational outcomes. The seven case studies are the result of a six-year, mixed methods study funded by the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation, which demonstrate that effective grassroots community organizing can establish strong school capacity and achieve long-term, systematic change in education. Researchers found that across all of the sites there was evidence that effective community organizing can stimulate changes in policy and practice, strengthen school-community relationships and contribute to improved student educational outcomes.

Response to Intervention: Select State Programs 
Policy Brief
http://www.projectforum.org/
The Project Forum Web site has released a brief policy analysis, giving background on RTI and describing the U. S. Department of Education’s role in RTI. Project Forum at the National Association of State Directors of Special Education (NASDSE) worked with two other OSEP-funded centers, the IDEA Partnership and the National Center on Response to Intervention (NCRTI), to select six states for review of their RTI frameworks. The data on states (Colorado, Florida, Iowa, Kansas, Pennsylvania and Rhode Island) were gathered based on a document search protocol. The areas described include the state RTI frameworks; RTI administration including rules, guidance, and funding mechanisms; implementation; data and outcomes; and challenges.

Success at Every Step: How 23 Programs Support Youth on the Way to College and Beyond 
http://www.aypf.org/premium-publications/SuccessAtEveryStep.htm
This report by the American Youth Policy Forum focuses on programs that have been proven to help young people successfully complete high school and be prepared for success in postsecondary education and careers. These programs represent a wide range of interventions, including school-wide reform initiatives, community-based afterschool services, work-based learning opportunities, and college access programs. From an analysis of the included programs, the report identifies common programmatic and structural elements that may contribute to their effectiveness and summarizes key outcomes.

TATRA Project Resources on Family Involvement and VR: Research to Practice   
Session Highlights
http://www.pacer.org/tatra/pdf/FamilyInvolvement-ResearchToPractice.pdf
Materials from “Family Involvement: Research to Practice,” a session presented by TATRA Staff at the National Council on Rehabilitation Education’s October 2009 conference, are now available online through the PACER Web site. This session highlighted strategies that promoted family involvement in the transition and vocational rehabilitation processes based on the findings of a number of recent studies. These studies linked family involvement with academic achievement and post-school success; documented outcomes from transition-focused parent-training projects funded by the Rehabilitation Services Administration; identified a general lack of family involvement in current practices of state vocational rehabilitation agencies serving transition-age youth; and described some promising practices. (Available in pdf, 1.27MB, 44 pp.)

The Elements of Effective Practice for Mentoring 
Research/Policy Report
www.mentoring.org/elements
The Third Edition of “Effective Practice for Mentoring” includes six evidence-based standards: addressing mentor and mentee recruitment, screening, training, matching, monitoring and support, and closure. The standards provide benchmarks for day-to-day operation and how they are applicable in stand-alone mentoring programs, as well as programs where mentoring is one element. Every standard offers enhancements which program staff can incorporate based on experience from mentoring practitioners. This resource also includes a section on practical advice for building a new mentoring program or improving upon an already existing program.

The Evaluation of Enhanced Academic Instruction in After-School Programs – MDRC 
Report
http://www.mdrc.org/premium-publications/528/overview.html
This report from MDRC presents two-year implementation and impact findings on two supplemental academic instruction approaches for math and reading developed for after-school settings. It addresses whether one-year impacts are different in the second year of program operations and if students benefit from being offered two years of enhanced after-school academic instruction. This is the second and final report from the Evaluation of Enhanced Academic Instruction in After-School Programs – a two-year demonstration and random assignment evaluation of structured approaches to teaching math and reading in after-school settings.

The NAEP Questions Tool 
Questions Tool
http://nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard/itmrlsx/landing.aspx
The NAEP Questions Tool is one of the most popular features of the National Assessment of Educational Progress website. It is now even easier for teachers, parents, students, researchers, media, and the general public to locate released NAEP assessment questions. The updated NAEP Questions Tool still provides a quick selection of questions from past NAEP assessments, but now features many new capabilities. A tutorial and a detailed Help menu are available to help users of all levels navigate the new features. In the updated NAEP Questions Tool, users can: select questions by choosing different criteria, see actual student responses to constructed questions and how the answers were scored, explore detailed data for each question, and bookmark results or individual questions.

The State of City Leadership for Children and Families 
Report
http://tinyurl.com/yfpdtlx
This report, released by the National League of Cities, identifies “the nation’s 32 most cutting-edge city innovations to help children and families thrive,” and features emerging and established trends in municipal leadership that promote child and family well-being. The report describes new directions in after-school programs, community wellness (measures to combat childhood obesity), early childhood care, public education, family anti-poverty efforts, agency effectiveness, and programs on youth civic engagement, violence prevention, and transitional services. The work of cities to respond to these needs makes up a national network of public policy “laboratories” – continually testing new hypotheses and experimenting with creative approaches to complex, evolving problems. (Available in pdf, 5.2 MB, 146 pp.)

Youth Empowerment and Participation in Mental Health Care 
Journal
http://www.rtc.pdx.edu/pgFPS09TOC.php
This issue of “Focal Point” highlights a number of successful and innovative efforts to promote youth voice and youth empowerment. Many of the articles are authored by or include contributions from youth who are directly involved in the featured programs.

Going to College
http://www.going-to-college.org/
This new Web site, designed for high school students, has information about living college life with a disability. The site contains video clips, activities, and resources that can help students get ahead and start planning for college. Video interviews with college students with disabilities provide firsthand information about how they have been successful in college. Modules include activities that will help students explore more about themselves, learn what to expect from college, and how to be better equipped with important considerations and tasks to complete when planning for college.

Launch of a SharedWork.org Site
www.sharedwork.org
A new SharedWork.org site was launched October 26th, 2009. Based on participants’ feedback on the previous SharedWork.org site, they added more functions (e.g. My Dashboard, User Tips, and Search Function) and improved the existing one (e.g., easier way to post documents, reconfiguration to be more user-friendly). For more information or to discuss training options, contact Mariola Rosser at mariola.rosser@nasdse.org, or see the website www.ideapartnership.org, or the SharedWork site.

NICHCY Updates the Transition Section of its Web site
http://www.nichcy.org/EducateChildren/transition_adulthood/Pages/Default.aspx
NICHCY recently updated the transition planning for youth with disabilities section of its Web site. They launched a new transition section for those who asked for it to be differently organized and expanded. The updated section contains more resources and in-depth information on transition planning.

KIN E-News
http://www.familysupportclearinghouse.org/Newsletters/Pages/Default.aspx
KIN E-News is a monthly newsletter presented by Family Support Center on Disabilities: Knowledge & Involvement Network (KIN). The Family Support Center on Disabilities: Knowledge & Involvement Network offers a centralized resource on the full range of options available to individuals with disabilities and their families.

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Funding Forecast and Award Opportunities

Forecast of Funding Opportunities under the Department of Education Discretionary Grant Programs for Fiscal Year 2009
http://www.ed.gov/fund/grant/find/edlite-forecast.html
This document lists 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 2009 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.

Forecast of Funding Opportunities under the Department of Education Discretionary Grant Programs for Fiscal Year 2009
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 2009 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 2009-2010 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.

FY 2009-2010 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.

Do Something Awards
http://www.dosomething.org/programs/awards
Since 1996, Do Something has honored the nation’s best young world-changers. Do Something Award Winners represent the pivotal “do-ers” in their field, cause, or issue and are rewarded with a project grant, participation in a special award ceremony, media coverage, and continued support from Do Something. The awards are given to young people (age 25 or under) in recognition of their leadership in community improvement and concern for the lives of others. Recipients of the award receive a grant of up to $100,000 toward the cause of their choice. Deadline for application: December 15, 2009.

Do Something Invites Teens to Organize Food Drives
http://www.dosomething.org/feedtheneed
Selected teens from middle and high schools, sports teams, Do Something Clubs, and church groups across the nation will win a $1,000 donation to their local food bank for their work in effectively organizing food drives to help fight hunger in their community. Do Something’s goal for the drives is 1 Million lbs of food collected by teens. Entrants could win a pizza party sponsored by DoSomething.org and a $1000 donation to their local food bank. Deadline for submission: December 15, 2009.

Emerging Leaders Summer Internship Program
http://www.emerging-leaders.com/
Emerging Leaders is a competitive program that places undergraduate and graduate students with disabilities in fulfilling summer internships and provides them with leadership development opportunities. Emerging Leaders partners with America’s leading businesses to help them find outstanding young talent while also considering diversity and inclusion in their hiring practices. To be considered for an internship, a student must be an enrolled undergraduate or graduate student who has completed at least 60 credits and is maintaining at least a 3.0 GPA. Application deadline: December 31, 2009.

Fund for Teachers Accepting Applications for 2010 Summer Education Grants
http://www.fundforteachers.org/
Fund for Teachers invites educators from across the United States to submit proposals for their own educational adventures next summer. The program is designed to provide educators with the opportunity to pursue areas of personal and professional interest and bring their experiences back to the classroom for the benefit of their students. Eligible projects include tours, conferences, and independent studies anywhere in the world. Individual grants of up to $5,000 and team grants of up to $10,000 will be awarded. Deadline: January 29, 2010.

Laura Bush Foundation for America’s Libraries Accepting Applications from School Libraries
http://www.laurabushfoundation.org/web2/index.html
The foundation makes grants of up to $6,000 each to update, extend, and diversify the book collections of school libraries. All LBF grants are made to individual schools rather than to school districts, county systems, private organizations, foundations, or other entities. LBF gives selection preference to schools in which 90% or more of the students receive free or reduced lunches and are likely to have the fewest books at home. Deadline for application: December 31, 2009.

National Endowment for the Humanities and American Library Association Announce We the People Bookshelf Grant Opportunity
http://publicprograms.ala.org/bookshelf/
Each year, NEH chooses a theme important to the nation’s heritage and selects books that embody that theme to build the We the People Bookshelf. The theme for the 2009-2010 Bookshelf is “A More Perfect Union.” Four thousand public and K-12 libraries will receive seventeen books that help young readers understand great literature and explore themes in American history. Deadline: January 29, 2010.

Post-Baccalaureate Certificate in Career Planning and Placement for Youth in Transition
http://tinyurl.com/ybxace4
The University of Maryland, in conjunction with TransCen, Inc., is offering scholarships for the Career Planning and Placement for Youth in Transition Graduate Certificate Program. The scholarships are intended for professionals with a bachelor’s degree who are employed in special education, rehabilitation or related programs; and offer a tuition and stipend award for 12 graduate credits in the University of Maryland’s Department of Counseling and Personnel Services. (Available in pdf, 392 KB, 1 p.) Deadline to apply: December 31, 2009.

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.

VSA arts and MetLife Foundation Invite Applications for Arts Connect All Grant Program
http://www.vsarts.org/x273.xml
For access to the arts, all people need opportunities to attend, participate in, and learn through arts experiences. VSA arts and MetLife Foundation’s Arts Connect All grants encourage arts organizations to create or enhance inclusive education programs by strengthening partnerships with local public schools. Ten grants of up to $15,000 will be awarded to arts organizations working to enable students with disabilities to experience social, cognitive, and cultural development alongside peers without disabilities through arts learning. Deadline: December 11, 2009.

American Association on Health and Disability (AAHD) Announces the Creation of the 2009 AAHD Scholarship Program
http://aahd.us/page.php?pname=Scholarship%20Program
The AAHD Scholarship will provide support for students with disabilities who are pursuing higher education. Those who are pursuing undergraduate/graduate studies in the field of public health, health promotion, or disability studies, to include disability policy and disability research will be given preference. Please, visit the above website to download the application.

Siemens We Can Change the World Challenge Invites Sudents and Teachers to Address Environmental Issues
http://wecanchange.com/
Students and teachers in grades K-8 will be awarded grants and publicity for their solutions to classroom environmental issues. Grades K to second will seek to create solutions to environmental issues in their classroom, grades third to fifth in their school and grades six to eight in their community. Student and teacher/mentor prizes, which vary according to grade level, include savings bonds, school grants, trips, TV appearances, and more. Deadline: Elementary-level entries is January 31, 2010; the deadline for middle-school entries is March 15, 2010.

Home Depot Accepting Applications for Building Healthy Communities Grant Program
http://tinyurl.com/mug82r
Grants of up to $2,500 will be awarded to nonprofits, public schools, and tax-exempt public service agencies in the U.S. working to improve their communities by using volunteers to build and refurbish affordable housing or transitional housing, increasing energy efficiency or sustainability, landscaping, planting of native trees, community facility improvements, and the development and/or improvement of green spaces. Grants are made in the form of the Home Depot gift cards for the purchase or tools or materials. Only registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations, tax-exempt public schools, and tax-exempt public agencies in the U.S. are eligible to apply. The two remaining grant cycles for 2009 run July 15-September 15, 2009, and October 15-December 15, 2009. All applicants are required to pass an eligibility quiz before being considered for a grant. Program information and eligibility quiz are included on the Home Depot Web site. Deadlines: December 15, 2009.

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.

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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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