February 2009 – Special Educator e-Journal

Table of Contents

Message from the Executive Directors

President Barack Obama’s Agenda on Education

This Just in….

Update From The National Dissemination Center for Children with Disabilities

• It All Starts in Families and Communities

• The Little Ones: Early Intervention/Early Childhood
  Schools, K-12

• State and System Tools

• Special Focus: Transition Planning for Youth with Disabilities

Calls to Participate

Special Education Resources

Upcoming Conferences, Workshops, and Events

Get Wired!—The Latest on Websites and Listservs

Funding Forecast and Award Opportunities

Acknowledgements

Download a PDF Version of This Issue

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Message from the Executive Directors

Dr. Roger Pierangelo & Dr. George Giuliani

Welcome to the February 2009 edition of the NASET Special Educator e-Journal.  To those of you who are new members, this is NASET’s publication that keeps its members up to date with all of the latest news in special education that we feel is important for special education teachers, professors, and those seeking a career as a special education teacher.

Let us first welcome all Nassau BOCES and NYC District 75 teachers as members of NASET.  As the latest School District Members, all special educators in New York City District 75 and Nassau BOCES  have the opportunity to become members of the NASET community. We look forward to their input and being a part of NASET. For information about NASET School District Membership, email us at:  schoolmember@naset.org

As our country enters into a new presidential era with President Barack Obama, NASET truly hopes that serious consideration is given by his administration to the appropriate education of children with disabilities.  If you visit www.whitehouse.gov  and click on “Education”, you can read about President Obama’s agenda for education.  Introductory remarks from this section begin with:

“President Obama and Vice President Biden believe that our kids and our country can’t afford four more years of neglect and indifference. At this defining moment in our history, America faces few more urgent challenges than preparing our children to compete in a global economy. The decisions our leaders make about education in the coming years will shape our future for generations to come. Obama and Biden are committed to meeting this challenge with the leadership and judgment that has been sorely lacking for the last eight years. Their vision for a 21st century education begins with demanding more reform and accountability, coupled with the resources needed to carry out that reform; asking parents to take responsibility for their children’s success; and recruiting, retaining, and rewarding an army of new teachers to fill new successful schools that prepare our children for success in college and the workforce. The Obama-Biden plan will restore the promise of America’s public education, and ensure that American children again lead the world in achievement, creativity and success……”

Focusing specifically on students with disabilities, President Obama states:

“Obama and Biden will work to ensure the academic success of students with disabilities by increasing funding and effectively enforcing the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, and by holding schools accountable for providing students with disabilities the services and supports they need to reach their potential. Obama and Biden will also support Early Intervention services for infants and toddlers, and will work to improve college opportunities for high school graduates with disabilities.”

NASET hopes that the agenda that is set forth can be reality both now and in the future. You can read the entire Presidential agenda on education in this edition of the February e-Journal.

On a different note, membership in NASET is growing at an astronomical rate. Every month, we exceed the previous month’s numbers of members who have joined our community of teaching professionals.  We thank all of you for referring your colleagues to us, as we have heard from many new members that their basis for joining was “through a friend with whom I teach.”

Remember that NASET is your organization, and anything we can do to enhance your professional development, we will take very seriously.  NASET is working very hard to meet all of your needs, and we hope to continue to furnish you with professional and practical resources.

We hope you enjoy the February 2009 edition of NASETSpecial Educator e-Journal. 

Sincerely,

Dr. Roger Pierangelo and Dr. George Giuliani
Executive Directors

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President Barack Obama’s Agenda onEducation

From www.whitehouse.gov

President Obama and Vice President Biden believe that our kids and our country can’t afford four more years of neglect and indifference. At this defining moment in our history, America faces few more urgent challenges than preparing our children to compete in a global economy. The decisions our leaders make about education in the coming years will shape our future for generations to come. Obama and Biden are committed to meeting this challenge with the leadership and judgment that has been sorely lacking for the last eight years. Their vision for a 21st century education begins with demanding more reform and accountability, coupled with the resources needed to carry out that reform; asking parents to take responsibility for their children’s success; and recruiting, retaining, and rewarding an army of new teachers to fill new successful schools that prepare our children for success in college and the workforce. The Obama-Biden plan will restore the promise of America’s public education, and ensure that American children again lead the world in achievement, creativity and success.

Early Childhood Education

• Zero to Five Plan: The Obama-Biden comprehensive “Zero to Five” plan will provide critical support to young children and their parents. Unlike other early childhood education plans, the Obama-Biden plan places key emphasis at early care and education for infants, which is essential for children to be ready to enter kindergarten. Obama and Biden will create Early Learning Challenge Grants to promote state Zero to Five efforts and help states move toward voluntary, universal pre-school.
• Expand Early Head Start and Head Start: Obama and Biden will quadruple Early Head Start, increase Head Start funding, and improve quality for both.
• Provide affordable, High-Quality Child Care: Obama and Biden will also increase access to affordable and high-quality child care to ease the burden on working families.

K-12

• Reform No Child Left Behind: Obama and Biden will reform NCLB, which starts by funding the law. Obama and Biden believe teachers should not be forced to spend the academic year preparing students to fill in bubbles on standardized tests. They will improve the assessments used to track student progress to measure readiness for college and the workplace and improve student learning in a timely, individualized manner. Obama and Biden will also improve NCLB’s accountability system so that we are supporting schools that need improvement, rather than punishing them.
• Support High-Quality Schools and Close Low-Performing Charter Schools: Barack Obama and Joe Biden will double funding for the Federal Charter School Program to support the creation of more successful charter schools. The Obama-Biden administration will provide this expanded charter school funding only to states that improve accountability for charter schools, allow for interventions in struggling charter schools and have a clear process for closing down chronically underperforming charter schools. Obama and Biden will also prioritize supporting states that help the most successful charter schools to expand to serve more students.
• Make Math and Science Education a National Priority: Obama and Biden will recruit math and science degree graduates to the teaching profession and will support efforts to help these teachers learn from professionals in the field. They will also work to ensure that all children have access to a strong science curriculum at all grade levels.
• Address the Dropout Crisis: Obama and Biden will address the dropout crisis by passing legislation to provide funding to school districts to invest in intervention strategies in middle school — strategies such as personal academic plans, teaching teams, parent involvement, mentoring, intensive reading and math instruction, and extended learning time.
• Expand High-Quality Afterschool Opportunities: Obama and Biden will double funding for the main federal support for afterschool programs, the 21st Century Learning Centers program, to serve one million more children.
• Support College Outreach Programs: Obama and Biden support outreach programs like GEAR UP, TRIO and Upward Bound to encourage more young people from low-income families to consider and prepare for college.
• Support College Credit Initiatives: Barack Obama and Joe Biden will create a national “Make College A Reality” initiative that has a bold goal to increase students taking AP or college-level classes nationwide 50 percent by 2016, and will build on Obama’s bipartisan proposal in the U.S. Senate to provide grants for students seeking college level credit at community colleges if their school does not provide those resources.
• Support English Language Learners: Obama and Biden support transitional bilingual education and will help Limited English Proficient students get ahead by holding schools accountable for making sure these students complete school.
• Recruit Teachers: Obama and Biden will create new Teacher Service Scholarships that will cover four years of undergraduate or two years of graduate teacher education, including high-quality alternative programs for mid-career recruits in exchange for teaching for at least four years in a high-need field or location.
• Prepare Teachers: Obama and Biden will require all schools of education to be accredited. Obama and Biden will also create a voluntary national performance assessment so we can be sure that every new educator is trained and ready to walk into the classroom and start teaching effectively. Obama and Biden will also create Teacher Residency Programs that will supply 30,000 exceptionally well-prepared recruits to high-need schools.
• Retain Teachers: To support our teachers, the Obama-Biden plan will expand mentoring programs that pair experienced teachers with new recruits. They will also provide incentives to give teachers paid common planning time so they can collaborate to share best practices.
• Reward Teachers: Obama and Biden will promote new and innovative ways to increase teacher pay that are developed with teachers, not imposed on them. Districts will be able to design programs that reward with a salary increase accomplished educators who serve as a mentors to new teachers. Districts can reward teachers who work in underserved places like rural areas and inner cities. And if teachers consistently excel in the classroom, that work can be valued and rewarded as well.

Higher Education

• Create the American Opportunity Tax Credit: Obama and Biden will make college affordable for all Americans by creating a new American Opportunity Tax Credit. This universal and fully refundable credit will ensure that the first $4,000 of a college education is completely free for most Americans, and will cover two-thirds the cost of tuition at the average public college or university and make community college tuition completely free for most students. Recipients of the credit will be required to conduct 100 hours of community service.
• Simplify the Application Process for Financial Aid: Obama and Biden will streamline the financial aid process by eliminating the current federal financial aid application and enabling families to apply simply by checking a box on their tax form, authorizing their tax information to be used, and eliminating the need for a separate application.

Students with Disabilities

Obama and Biden will work to ensure the academic success of students with disabilities by increasing funding and effectively enforcing the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, and by holding schools accountable for providing students with disabilities the services and supports they need to reach their potential. Obama and Biden will also support Early Intervention services for infants and toddlers, and will work to improve college opportunities for high school graduates with disabilities.

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This Just In…

NIDCD Panel Proposes New Benchmarks for Gauging Language Development in Children with Autism

A more standardized approach is needed to evaluate the language skills of young children with autism spectrum disorders, says a soon-to-be published article in the Journal of Speech-Language-Hearing Research. The authors, a panel of experts assembled by the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD), are advocating the new method so that researchers, clinicians, and other professionals are better able to compare the effectiveness of intervention strategies used for treating children with autism spectrum disorders. Current approaches are inconsistent, and the most widely used benchmark for these children has been the development of “functional speech,” an ambiguous term with no defined criteria. The term autism spectrum disorders refers to a range of related disorders that cause delays in many areas of childhood development, including skills for communicating and interacting socially. Current estimates are that one in 150 children in the United States will be diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder.

In designing the new approach, panel members focused on the window of time during which a child develops spoken language, which can be broken down into three phases: the use of a single “first word” to describe an object or event, the combination of two or three words to communicate something, and the progression to complete sentences. The panel recommends the use of several tools to evaluate the child’s language skills, including a sample of the child’s natural conversational patterns, a parent’s description of the child’s language skills, and a standardized test of a child’s language skills. The panel then developed a set of measurable benchmarks for each of the three phases and evaluation tools. For example, a child with an autism spectrum disorder would be considered in the “first words” phase if he or she uses words with various combinations of consonants and vowels and has a vocabulary of a typical 15-month-old child, among other criteria.

The panel suggests that these benchmarks be expanded in the future to help in the evaluation of preverbal communication skills, language comprehension, and language development in children with autism who use augmentative and alternative devices.

Teaching Ambassador Fellowship Applications

The U.S. Department of Education has announced the opening of applications for the Teaching Ambassador Fellowship at the U.S. Department of Education for the 2009-2010 school year. Currently practicing, state certified Pre-Kindergarten to 12th grade public school teachers and instructional specialists/coaches with at least three years of teaching experience are eligible to apply by March 16, 2009. For the 2008-2009 pilot year of the Fellowship program, 20 part-time Classroom Fellows and 5 full-time Washington Fellows are serving as Teaching Ambassador Fellows, learning about and contributing to the national dialogue on education policy. For more information about the 2009-2010 Fellowship application and other opportunities to learn about federal education policy and public resources supporting classroom teaching and learning, visit http://www.ed.gov/programs/teacherfellowship.

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Update From The National Dissemination Center for Children with Disabilities

It All Starts In Families and Communities

Searching for info on a rare disorder?
The Office of Rare Diseases website has been completely redesigned and recently was launched as the new public site.
http://rarediseases.info.nih.gov

Assistive technology: A parent’s guide.
This guide provides an overview of current technologies to help parents select tools for their children with learning problems.
http://www.greatschools.net/cgi-bin/showarticle/2488

Response to Intervention (RTI): A primer for parents.
A major concern for parents is how to help their children who experience difficulty in school. This Primer for Parents, developed by the National Association of School Psychologists, helps parents understand the RTI approach to providing services and interventions to struggling learners, including early intervening services through academic and behavioral supports rather than waiting for a child to fail before offering help. It also suggests ways parents can become involved in the process and provides links to additional RTI resources.
http://www.nasponline.org/resources/handouts/rtiprimer.pdf

Find alternate formats for those with print disabilities.
Does someone you know need printed materials in another format? This page from NIMAS at CAST highlights where to obtain both digital electronic text and digital audio for those with print disabilities.
http://nimas.cast.org/about/resources/alternate_formats

Heard of the National Center of Medical Home Initiatives for Children with Special Needs?
Its goal is to ensure that children and youth with special needs have a medical home where health care services are accessible, family-centered, continuous, comprehensive, coordinated, compassionate, and culturally competent. Through the National Center, physicians, parents, administrators, and other health care professionals have access to educational, resource, and advocacy materials, guidelines for care, evaluation tools, and technical assistance.
http://www.medicalhomeinfo.org/about/index.html

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The Little Ones: Early Intervention/Early Childhood

Early childhood inclusion: NECTAC’s 2009 schedule of conference calls.
Based on needs identified by the state Section 619 coordinators, NECTAC is offering four conference calls to enhance communication and coordination among state and local administrators of Head Start, Child Care, state pre-K and other early childhood programs to support inclusive practices. The calls scheduled are:

• February 17, Partnerships to Enhance Inclusive Practices
• March 3, Building the Capacity for Cross-Sector Professional Development
• March 17, Effective Strategies for Supporting Local/Regional Partnerships to Promote Inclusive Practices
• April (date not yet set), Lessons Learned from Community Teams: The SpecialQuest Experience – Read all about it at: http://www.nectac.org/~calls/2009/sec619/sec619.asp 

Looking for training on inclusion?
The SpecialQuest Multimedia Training Library supports the inclusion of young children with disabilities birth-five and their families, in early care and education settings. The SpecialQuest materials and approach have been used with over 5,000 participants nationwide, refined over the past ten years, and have been shown to create and sustain change. SpecialQuest Birth-Five provides these materials at no cost with funding from the Office of Head Start.
http://www.specialquest.org/

Developing preschool language and literacy.
The Doing What Works website offers preschool teachers this practice guide and multimedia overview to developing language and literacy in preschoolers. The guide reviews the research base on, connects teachers with recommended practices, and offers planning templates.
http://dww.ed.gov/priority_area/priority_landing.cfm?PA_ID=7

The effects of early education interventions on cognitive and social development.
This meta-analysis from the National Institute for Early Education Research shows that there are substantial positive cognitive and social benefits for children who attend preschool education programs before entering kindergarten.
http://nieer.org/docs/?DocID=245

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Schools, K-12

Interactive white boards in the classroom.
http://www.cited.org
Interactive white boards like SMARTBoard, ActivBoard, and eBeam have revolutionized teaching and learning. Explore their use of interactive white boards at CITEd, the Center for Implementing Technology in Education. For example:

• Top 10 Tips for Boards
  http://pdtogo.com/smart/?paged=4
  Learn about the top 10 ways to use interactive white boards to differentiate instruction and engage all learners. Listen to this podcast on your lunch break, during recess, while grading papers, or on the way to school.
• Differentiation at the Board
  http://www.cited.org/index.aspx?page_id=63
  See this listed under “Featured Resources?” Watch this video to learn how interactive white boards can transform teaching.
• Using SMARTBoards: Two Minute Tutorials
  http://pdtogo.com/smart/?paged=3
  Research shows that teachers need adequate training and support to successfully use interactive white boards to meet students’ needs. Try these free, two minute tutorials on everything SMARTBoard.

The Doing What Works Web site.
Doing What Works is designed to help teachers (K-5) implement effective educational practices. The site offers practice guides and multimedia overviews that review the research base, connect teachers with recommended practices, and offer planning templates. Here’s a sampling of the subject areas on which practice guides focus:

• Critical foundation skills for preparing students for algebra
  http://dww.ed.gov/topic/topic_landing.cfm?PA_ID=8&T_ID=20
• Encouraging girls in math and science
  http://dww.ed.gov/topic/topic_landing.cfm?PA_ID=8&T_ID=18
• Teaching literacy in English to K-5 English learners
  http://dww.ed.gov/topic/topic_landing.cfm?PA_ID=6&T_ID=13

Teaching reading to English language learners, Grades 6-12.
This resource from Colorín Colorado provides a comprehensive framework for developing literacy skills and accelerating language development, not just for ELLs, but for all students. Cost: $30+ (sold through the Learning Store of WETA, where each purchase helps to support four national educational projects at WETA, including Colorín Colorado).
http://www.learningstore.org/we1169.html 

For math teachers working with students with LD.
This guide for teachers, from the Center on Instruction, identifies and describes seven effective instructional practices for teaching mathematics to K-12 students with learning disabilities and those who are experiencing diffiiculties in learning mathematics but are not identified as having a math learning disability. The guide also incorporates recommendations from The Final Report of The National Mathematics Advisory Panel.
http://www.centeroninstruction.org/files/Teaching%20Math%20to%20SLD%20LD%20Guide.pdf 

Supporting students’ writing with technology.
Technology can be an effective element of the writing curriculum for students with disabilities. Read about the research backing the use of technology in a writing curriculum in CITEd’s Research Center.
http://www.cited.org/index.aspx?page_id=108 

Differentiated instruction.
The Fall 2008 issue of the Teacher Professional Development Sourcebook focuses on the fast-growing practice of differentiated instruction-in which teachers work to accommodate and build on students’ diverse learning needs.
http://www.teachermagazine.org/tsb/articles/2008/09/10/01tomlinson.h02.html 

Teaching your students social interactions. 
Learn ways to teach social skills so that your students can remember them when they need to use them – both in and out of your classroom. This article includes the latest multimedia resources.
http://www.ldonline.org/article/21025

Assessments to guide adolescent literacy instruction (Grades 4-12).
Hot off the press in 2009, this guide provides information about the key elements of a comprehensive assessment plan to improve literacy instruction for adolescents. It’s a companion volume to two others from the Center on Instruction: Academic Literacy Instruction for Adolescents and Improving Literacy Instruction in Middle and High Schools: A Guide for Principals.
http://centeroninstruction.org/files/Assessments%20to%20Guide%20Ad%20Lit%20Instruction.pdf 

Are you working on a transition-focused lesson plan?
Visit the Research to Practice Lesson Plan Starter Library of the National Secondary Transition Technical Assistance Center. You’ll be glad you did.
http://www.nsttac.org/LessonPlanLibrary/Main.aspx 

Culturally responsive pedagogy and practice: A professional development module.
The National Center for Culturally Responsive Educational systems (NCCRESt) has released a new professional learning module, “Culturally Responsive Pedagogy and Practice,” designed to help educators understand and create a classroom atmosphere and curriculum that integrate and respond to the vast diversity of cultures present today in our schools.
http://nccrest.org/professional/culturally_responsive_pedagogy-and.html 

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State and System Tools

FERPA Final Rule!
Final regulations have been published for the Family Educational Rights and Privacy (FERPA).
http://edocket.access.gpo.gov/2008/pdf/E8-28864.pdf 

Turning around chronically low-performing schools.
Low-performing schools can quickly increase student achievement using multiple turnaround actions that need to be jointly implemented. These actions target leadership and instructional practices, staff commitment, and visible improvements early in the process. Visit the Doing What Works website to delve into this important subject.
http://dww.ed.gov/priority_area/priority_landing.cfm?PA_ID=11

Resolution meetings: State supports and practices.
This In-Brief Policy Analysis from Project Forum is based on a survey sent to all special education units of SEAs and interviews with eight states. Findings are synthesized for types of supports provided, frequency of resolution meetings, factors that impact the use of resolution meetings, and states’ needs to support the implementation of resolution meetings.
http://www.projectforum.org/

Supporting services for children with disabilities who are homeless.
This policy forum proceedings document discusses the unique challenges administrators face as they support implementation of services for children with disabilities who are homeless.
http://www.projectforum.org/ 

And, believe it or not, summer’s coming…
No pressure, of course! But consider this resource in the months ahead:  The Learning Season: The Untapped Power of Summer to Advance Student Achievement. This comprehensive report synthesizes evidence on the effectiveness of summer learning programs, including how multiple resources are leveraged and reviews different types of summer programs that serve to close the learning gap.
http://www.nmefdn.org/uploads/Learning_Season_FR.pdf

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Special Focus: Transition Planning for Youth with Disabilities

OSEP-funded projects exclusively focused on transition.
Our special focus on transition resources begins by pointing the way to projects that OSEP funds to support preparing youth with disabilities for the adult world. The ones we’ve listed focus exclusively on transition.

• National Secondary Transition Technical Assistance Center
  http://www.nsttac.org
• National Center on Secondary Education and Transition
  http://www.ncset.org/
• TAcommunities: Exiting Part B.
  Join this community of practice, where OSEP’s TA&D network come together to discuss and share resources on increased graduation rates, reduced dropout rates, and transition to postsecondary education, employment, civic engagement, and adult community living.
  http://www.tacommunities.org/community/view/id/1004
• TATRA (Technical Assistance on Transition and the Rehabilitation Act)
  http://www.pacer.org/tatra/
• National Longitudinal Transition Study-2 (NLTS2)
  The NLTS2 has been documenting the experiences of a national sample of students who were 13 to 16 years of age in 2000 as they move from secondary school into adult roles. Find out what they’ve found out about youth in transition.
  http://www.nlts2.org/index.html 

Plus a sampling of other OSEP-funded projects.
There are many OSEP-funded projects (including us!) that address a range of topics-one of which is transition. We can’t list them all, but here’s a quick resource list:

• The National Dissemination Center (NICHCY)
  Visit our transition suite at:
  http://www.nichcy.org/EducateChildren/transition_adulthood/Pages/Default.aspx
• Technical Assistance Alliance for Parent Centers (the Alliance)
  Look down the list of the Alliance publications, and you’ll find many on transition planning, including materials in other languages such as Spanish, Hmong, and Somali).
  http://www.taalliance.org/premium-publications/handouts.asp
• National Consortium on Deaf-Blindness (NCDB)
  Find materials on transition for youth who are deaf-blind at:
  http://www.nationaldb.org/ISSelectedTopics.php?topicCatID=22
• National Post School Outcomes Center (NPSO)
  NPSO helps SEAs establish practical and rigorous data collection systems to measure and profile the post-school experiences of youth with disabilities.
  http://www.psocenter.org/index.html
• The IRIS Center on Faculy Enhancement
  Find modules, activities, and info briefs to help high school students with disabilities in the transition from the school environment to a post-school setting. The link above takes you to the IRIS’s resource locator. On the left, you’ll see a list of topics. Select “Transition.” In the center column, select what interests you-all materials, modules, case studies, activities, or info briefs. And poof! Get your list of connections on the right.
  http://iris.peabody.vanderbilt.edu/resources.html

Here are a few last transition resources we just had to mention:

What works in transition?
That’s what the What Works Transition Research Synthesis Project was funded to tell us. See what they have to say.
http://www.nsttac.org/ebp/what_works.aspx

Preparing girls with disabilities for work.
This feature issue on employment and women with disabilities focuses on enhancing employment options for girls and women with disabilities. A publication of the Institute on Community Integration, University of Minnesota.
http://ici.umn.edu/products/impact/211

What’s “age-appropriate transition assessment?”
IDEA 2004 added this term (and service) to its requirements for transition planning. But what’s involved? Answers are given in this fact sheet for school systems.
http://www.nsttac.org/pdf/trans_fact_sheet.pdf

Ready by 21: Taking aim on the big picture.
The READY BY 21 Big Picture Approach helps leaders (from young people to parents, and from program directors to policy makers) to bring precision to their passion for preparing youth for adulthood. The goal? To ensure that all young people are ready by 21-ready for college, work and life.
http://www.forumfyi.org/readyby21

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Calls to Participate

NYLN Seeks New Leaders For 2009-2010 Governing Board
http://www.nyln.org/
The National Youth Leadership Network (NYLN), a non-profit organization run by young people with disabilities with the goal of empowering all young people to reach their maximum potential, is looking for new leaders. Applicants to the Governing Board must: be between the ages of 16 and 28, have a disability, and have leadership and advocacy skills. The Governing Board application can be found at the Web site. Applications are due February 8, 2009.

Online Discussion – Parent Advocacy and Family-School Partnership
http://www.fctd.info/webboard/index.php
The Family Center on Technology and Disability is hosting a discussion of effective family-school partnerships that result in successful use of technology throughout the month of December. Assistive and instructional technology (AT/IT) can help both IEP (Individualized Education Program) students and General Education classes addressing a range of learning needs. The discussion will be moderated by AT/IT technologist Lon Thornburg and parent advocate Charles DiPietro.

RWJF Commission to Build a Healthier America: Promising Programs and Policies
http://ideas.commissiononhealth.org
The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Commission to Build a Healthier America is a national group seeking ways to improve the health of all Americans. The Commission expects to issue a set of recommendations in April 2009, and to inform these recommendations, is soliciting ideas and examples of promising policies, innovations, and interventions that can help Americans live healthier lives.

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Special EducationResources

A National Profile of the Health Care Experiences and Family Impact of Autism Spectrum Disorder Among Children in the United States, 2005-2006  (2008)
Summary
http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/cgi/content/abstract/122/6/e1149
In this article from PEDIATRICS the authors use data from the 2005-2006 National Survey of Children with Special Health Care Needs (NS-CSHCN) to examine impacts on families of children and adolescents with ASD and to investigate whether having access to a medical home is associated with less impact on the family.

Education Week: Quality Counts 2009  (January 2009)
Publication
http://www.edweek.org/ew/toc/2009/01/08/index.html
Quality Counts 2009 is an annual nationwide “report card” on the continual push for K-12 school improvement. The focus of the 2009 report is how English-language learners are putting schools to the test. Topics include how immigration transforms communities challenged by changing demographic patterns, straining the capacity of school districts; how English-learners pose a policy puzzle for states and school districts in trying to boost student achievement overall; the rights of English-language learners as the case law and statutes to provide them quality education evolve; and more.

Groups Call for Education Overhaul Based on International Benchmarks  (December 2008) 
Summary
http://www.nga.org/Files/pdf/0812BENCHMARKING.PDF
Three organizations representing governors and state educators have issued a report on ways states can help rebuild the U.S. education system, reports U.S. News & World Report. The National Governors Association, Council of Chief State School Officers , and Achieve Inc. have released “Benchmarking for Success: Ensuring U.S. Students Receive a World-Class Education,” recommending that states adopt common practices linked to the best international teaching practices from high-performing countries, and use them to improve textbooks, recruit better teachers, and increase school accountability. Available in pdf (52 pages, 2.8 MB).

Homeless and Special Education Administrative Collaboration:Recommendations  (October 2008) 
http://projectforum.org/docs/HomelessandSpecialEducationAdministrativeCollaboration.pdf
This policy forum proceedings document from the National Association of State Director’s of Special Education’s Project Forum discusses the unique challenges that administrators face in supporting implementation of services for children with disabilities who are homeless. It includes findings from a virtual forum in the areas of policy and practice issues and recommendations for change, with Forum participants’ recommendations on developing policies and practices for expediting enrollment and provision of services and coordinating programs and services, as well as contact, process and policy information and sample forms. Available in pdf (44 pages, 380 KB).

National Consortium on Leadership and Disability/Youth New Publications  (2009)
Self-Assessments
http://www.ncld-youth.info/Resources_final.htm#youth_assessments
“Learning to Lead?: A Self-Assessment for Youth” and “Are They Learning to Lead?: A Self-Assessment for Staff” are resources for those working to improve youth development and leadership experiences for youth with disabilities in both generic, and disability specific programming.

PACER Project PRIDE New Handouts  (2009)
Article
http://www.pacer.org/premium-publications/transition.asp#handouts
“Start Now to Chart Your Youth’s Career Path After Graduation” looks at a variety of options available to young adults after high school, such as employment, postsecondary training or education and self-employment. “Help Your Young Adult Learn About Accessing Accommodations After High School” discusses methods to advocate for accommodations in postsecondary education and training, employment and for independent living. Both are produced by Project PRIDE, a parent information and training project funded by the Rehabilitation Services Administration.

Report of the Commission on the Use of Standardized Tests in Undergraduate Admission  (September 2008)
Report
http://tinyurl.com/8r5ha5
The role of the ACT and SAT in college admissions is hotly debated. To address public concern about standardized admission tests, the National Association for College Admissions Counseling (NACAC) convened a Commission on the Use of Standardized Tests in Undergraduate Admission, and it has released a report on its findings which found that although many colleges find benefit in using admission tests in undergraduate admission decisions, a “one-size-fits-all” use of standardized tests is not appropriate for all colleges and universities. The report is available in pdf (56 pages, 488 KB).

Can High Schools Prepare Students for Careers and College?
Study
http://www.mdrc.org/area_issue_29.html
Yes high schools can prepare students for careers and college, according to this MDRC long-term study of Career Academies, which connect students with personalized supports and work experience. The study finds that the choice between academics and careers is “a false dichotomy” and that these Academies produce sustained employment and earnings gains without sacrificing academic preparation.

Changing Circumstances: Experiences of Pre- and Post-SSI Youth
Study Summary
http://digitalcommons.ilr.cornell.edu/edicollect/1253/
The results of a new study, summarized in the paper “Changing Circumstances: Experiences of Child Supplemental Security Income (SSI) Recipients Before and After Their Age-18 Redetermination for Adult Benefits,” analyze the dynamics of the transition of child recipients of SSI into adulthood. Findings suggest that youth with mental and behavioral disorders are much less likely to receive SSI benefits after turning 19. A major concern is that these youth are not sufficiently prepared for life without SSI.

Co-Teaching in Inclusive Classrooms 
Report
http://www.accessmylibrary.com/coms2/summary_0286-32297231_ITM
Co-teaching is the pairing of two teachers together to take responsibility for meeting the educational needs of children in the classroom. Shared instruction allows special educators to teach beside the general education teacher, enhancing instruction. Students benefit from this type of teaching because it creates inclusive classrooms where children with disabilities are learning the same material as those without disabilities, albeit with extra support.

Creating a Path to Employment: Tips for Parents with Children with Disabilities  
Fact Sheet
http://www.dol.gov/odep/documents/creating_path_to_Employment.pdf
“Creating a Path to Employment: Tips for Parents with Children with Disabilities” is one of three new, easy-to-read fact sheets from the Office of Disability Employment Policy with disability employment information for parents, youth, and employers. Available in pdf (2 pages, 1.58 MB).

Essential Skills to Getting a Job: What Young People with Disabilities Need to Know  
Fact Sheet
http://www.dol.gov/odep/documents/essential_job_skills.pdf
“Essential Skills to Getting a Job: What Young People with Disabilities Need to Know” is one of three new, easy-to-read fact sheets from the Office of Disability Employment Policy with disability employment information for parents, youth and, employers. Available in pdf (4 pages, 1.85 MB).

Hopes, Fears, & Reality: A Balanced Look at American Charter Schools in 2008 
Report
http://www.crpe.org/cs/crpe/view/csr_pubs/255
“Hopes, Fears, & Reality: A Balanced Look at American Charter Schools in 2008,” is a new report from the Center on Reinventing Public Education, the fourth annual analysis from the National Charter School Research Project. It looks at what’s going on in charter schools, how well they’re doing, where they need to improve, and what can be learned from the research on these types of public schools. The report concludes that a more sophisticated understanding of its diverse constituent demand is needed to effectively grow the charter sector.

Jumpstart on College and Careers: Dual Enrollment Research, Policies, and Effective Practice 
Report
http://www.aypf.org/forumbriefs/2008/fb092608.htm
Dual enrollment, in which high school students take college courses, has become a popular strategy to help students transition to, and be successful in, college. The American Youth Policy Forum developed this status report on dual enrollment: what the newest data show, how policy is stimulating participation and shaping practice, and ways in which dual enrollment is being incorporated into career and technical programs to prepare students for both college and careers.

New NCCRESt Professional Learning Module, Culturally Responsive Pedagogy and Practice 
Learning Module
http://nccrest.org/professional/culturally_responsive_pedagogy-and.html
The National Center for Culturally Responsive Educational systems (NCCRESt) has released a new professional learning module, “Culturally Responsive Pedagogy and Practice,” designed to help educators understand and create a classroom atmosphere and curriculum that integrate and respond to the vast diversity of cultures present today in our schools.

School Improvement and School Turnaround: Local Accomplishments of MetLife Foundation/NASSP Breakthrough Schools 
Forum
http://www.aypf.org/forumbriefs/2008/fb102408.htm
The first of a recent series of American Youth Policy Forum (AYPF) forums examining efforts to improve academic outcomes for students focused on a project by the MetLife Foundation and the National Association of Secondary School Principals which identified, showcased, and recognized middle level and high schools that are high achieving or dramatically improving student achievement and serve large numbers of students living in poverty.

Shaping Tomorrow’s Workforce: Including Talents of Young People with Disabilities  
Fact Sheet
http://www.dol.gov/odep/documents/shaping_tomorrows_workforce.pdf
“Shaping Tomorrow’s Workforce: Including Talents of Young People with Disabilities” is one of three new, easy-to-read fact sheets from the Office of Disability Employment Policy with disability employment information for parents, youth and employers. Available in pdf (4 pages, 3.45 MB).

Strengthening Out-Of-School Time Nonprofits: The Role of Foundations in Building Organizational Capacity  
Report
http://www.wallacefoundation.org/wallace/whitepaper_weiss.pdf
Commissioned by the Wallace Foundation, this paper looks at the role that foundations can play in building out-of-school time (OST) nonprofits’ organizational capacity. It suggests seven approaches to strengthening OST organizations, including methods to ensure that providers become stronger partners with other groups and more adept advocates for their field. Available in pdf (27 pages, 414 KB).

NASDSE Professional Development Telecasts 
Telecasts
http://www.nasdse.org
The National Association of State Directors of Special Education (NASDSE) is offering conferences for purchase by the state directors of special education. Subscribing states receive unlimited rights to rebroadcast and reproduce these telecasts for in-state use in local and statewide professional development. Conferences on “Resources and Supports for Students with Autism and their Families” (October 10, 2008) and “Partners in Progress: Youth/Young Adult Leaders for Systems Change” (December 05, 2008) have been held. Upcoming are “From Computers to Classrooms: Tackling Bullying in Today’s Schools: (March 20, 2009) and “Understanding the Big Picture: Federal Policy and its Impact on the Classroom” (May 1, 2009). People interested in seeing the conferences can find out from their state department if their state subscribes to the series, or visit NASDSE online.

NCEO State Report on 2007 Survey of States: Activities, Changes, and Challenges for Special Education  
Report
http://cehd.umn.edu/nceo/OnlinePubs/2007StateSurvey/2007StateSurveyReport.pdf
This report summarizes the eleventh survey of states from the National Center on Educational Outcomes (NCEO). Results are presented for all 50 states and three of the 11 federally funded entities (unique states). The report provides a snapshot of the new initiatives, trends, accomplishments, and emerging issues during this important period of standards-based education reform as states document the academic achievement of students with disabilities. Available in pdf (54 pages, 1.15 MB).

NCWD/Youth Releases “Making the Right Turn: A Guide About Improving Transition Outcomes for Youth Involved in the Juvenile Corrections System”   
http://www.ncwd-youth.info/assets/juvenile_justice/10301_yj.pdf
Youth with emotional disturbances comprise over 47.4% of students with disabilities in secure care, while within public schools they account for only about 8% of students with disabilities. Students with Learning Disabilities are also overrepresented in the juvenile justice system and account for 38.6% of students with disabilities in these settings. This Guide on transition for youth involved (or at risk of becoming involved) in the juvenile corrections system provides professionals with evidence-based research, highlights promising practices, and provides the “Guideposts for Success for Youth Involved in the Juvenile Corrections System,” in addition to pointing out areas requiring further attention by policymakers and identifying promising practices. Available in pdf (71 pages, 757 KB).

New Resource Helps Prepare Girls with Disabilities for Work
Brief
http://ici.umn.edu/products/impact/211
The Institute on Community Integration, University of Minnesota, has published “Impact: Feature Issue on Employment and Women with Disabilities,” a publication offering personal stories, strategies, research, and resources to enhance employment options for girls and women with disabilities.

A Guide to Assessing and Increasing School Engagement
Brief
http://www.childtrends.org/Files//Child_Trends-2008_10_29_RB_SchoolEngage.pdf
Students who are disengaged from school are at risk for many poor outcomes beyond poor academic achievement. They are at risk of skipping classes, sexual activity, substance use, and ultimately dropping out of school. A new Child Trends brief, Assessing School Engagement: A Guide for Out-Of-School Time Programs, provides information on why school engagement matters, how out-of-school time programs can affect school engagement, and how to measure engagement. The brief includes specific measures of school engagement from three surveys and a list of additional resources. Available in pdf (5 pages, 185 KB).

Closing the Graduation Gap: A Superintendent’s Guide for Planning Multiple Pathways to Graduation  
Guide
http://www.ytfg.org/documents/ClosingtheGraduationGapFinal13October2008.pdf
District leaders in cities such as New York City, Boston, Philadelphia, Portland (Oregon), and Chicago are creating strategies to re-engage students who are slipping off-track to graduation and get them on their way to a diploma. The approach is referred to collectively as Multiple Pathways to Graduation. This framework represents a new way of envisioning the path towards graduation. Instead of prescribing a linear process proceeding step by step towards graduation, Multiple Pathways to Graduation assumes that districts must focus on early indicators, offering increased responsiveness, flexibility and differentiated levels of support to help all students graduate. This guide, prepared for Youth Transition Funders Group by MetisNet, is built upon the emerging lessons from successful districts and designed to help districts plan a comprehensive reform process to increase graduation rates for all students. Available in pdf (44 pages, 444 KB).

Counting On Graduation: Ed Trust Report Examines State Policies on Graduation Rates 
Report
http://tinyurl.com/59xnpf
A new report from The Education Trust, “Counting on Graduation,” by Anna Habash, argues that most state accountability systems still exhibit a “surprising indifference” toward improving high school graduation rates. Graduation rate goals states set under the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) range from a low of 50% (Nevada) to a high of 95% (Indiana). To help states graduate more of their students, the report lists specific actions that a state’s elected and education leaders can take to increase graduation rates and recommends that state leaders set more rigorous graduation rate goals and improvement targets and establish as a priority the goal of improving high school graduation rates. Available in pdf (10 pages, 353 KB).

Creating Postsecondary Pathways to Good Jobs for Young High School Dropouts  
article
http://www.clasp.org/premium-publications/postsecpathyouth.pdf
This Center for Law and Social Policy paper advocates expansion and better integration of efforts to connect high school dropouts ages 16-24 to postsecondary credentials that truly matter in the labor market. It includes examples of innovation and federal and state policy recommendations. Available in pdf (36 pages, 1.55 MB).

Digital Directions 
new issue
www.digitaldirections.org
The Fall 2008 issue of Education Week’s Digital Directions is now available online. Viewers have access to the entire issue and can subscribe to the print edition for free. The issue’s main feature is “Dollars & Sense: Ed-tech Leaders Employ Creative Tactics to Cut IT Costs and Save Programs,” on how some ed-tech leaders are getting creative and saving thousands of dollars.

Expanding Options: State Financing of Education Pathways for Struggling Students and Out-of-School Youth 
Report
http://www.nyec.org/page.cfm?pageID=141
The National Youth Employment Coalition’s (NYEC) newest publication explores how Indiana, Massachusetts, and North Carolina have created polices and funding streams to support a variety of secondary education options for young people.

Health Resources for Transitioning Youth, The 2008 Fact Sheet On Health Care Access and Utilization: Adolescents and Youth Adult
Fact Sheet
http://nahic.ucsf.edu//downloads/HCAU2008.pdf
This fact sheet contains the most recent available data on health insurance coverage, preventive and other health services, and unmet need among adolescents and young adults ages 12-24, including those with special health care needs. The fact sheet, produced by the National Adolescent Health Information Center at the University of California, San Francisco, with support from the Maternal and Child Health Bureau, highlights trends and presents data by age, gender, income level, and race and ethnicity. The fact sheet is available in pdf (6 pages, 640 KB).

Juvenile Justice, Fall 2008: The Future of Children 
Journal
http://www.futureofchildren.org/pubs-info2825/pubs-info_show.htm?doc_id=708717
This volume examines juvenile justice policies and practices with the goal of promoting reforms that are based on solid evidence and acknowledge that adolescents differ from adults in ways that policy ought to take into account. Young people who come into contact with the juvenile justice system often have other problems, many of which the juvenile justice system is ill-equipped to address alone. More information, and pdf links to the complete issue, an Executive Summary, and Policy Brief, are on the Web site.

New Child Trends Brief Examines How Schools Affect All Aspects of Adolescent Development  
http://www.childtrends.org/Files//Child_Trends-2008_11_14_RB_SchoolEnviron.pdf
Schools affect more than their students’ academic development, affecting physical and mental health, safety, civic engagement, and social development, as well. A new Child Trends research brief, “The School Environment and Adolescent Well-Being: Beyond Academics,” presents national estimates on the effects of school environments on adolescents in health, safety, social support, academics, and civic engagement. The brief is a product of a partnership between Child Trends and the National Adolescent Health Information Center at the University of California, San Francisco, to create resources and provide assistance to improve the health of young people and their families. Available in pdf (11 pages, 475 KB).

New NCCRESt Professional Learning Module: Culturally Responsive Response to Intervention (RTI)  
learning module
http://www.nccrest.org/professional/culturally_responsive_response_to_intervention.html
Culturally responsive educational systems facilitate learning by culturally and linguistically diverse students by valuing their cultures, languages, and experiences and using them in the educational program. NCCRESt’s newest professional learning module presents Response to Intervention (RTI) as a culturally responsive framework for ensuring inclusive settings for all students, including those who are culturally and linguistically diverse. The module presents research-grounded practices for effectively implementing RTI.

The 1st Report to the Nation on Youth Courts and Teen Courts: 1993 to 2008 
Report
http://www.creducation.org/cre/section/single_entry/youth_courts/
This national report by Scott Bernard Peterson, documents significant highlights and events over a 15-year period of unprecedented growth of this groundbreaking American Juvenile Justice program that uses volunteer youth to help sentence their peers. A PDF copy of the 42-page report can be obtained by e-mail from Scott Peterson at dryouthcourt@aol.com or at the website.

The Rehabilitation Act’s Impact on Transition Outcomes for Youth with Disabilities 
Report
http://www.ncd.gov/newsroom/news/2008/r08-574.htm
The National Council on Disability has released the report, “The Rehabilitation Act: Outcomes for Transition-Age Youth,” calling on Congress and the U.S. Department of Education to make changes to current service delivery practices that will improve transition outcomes for youth with disabilities. This report is a comprehensive assessment of the impact of the Rehabilitation Act on the employment and postsecondary education outcomes of eligible transition-age youth.

The Teacher’s Role in Home/School Communication: Everybody Wins!  
article
http://www.ldonline.org/article/28021
Successful, responsive, and productive schools solicit, encourage, facilitate, and promote parental communication. Special educators have long been aware that a child’s success and progress depend on the quality and frequency of parent/teacher communication. This article by Rick Lavoie for LD OnLine discusses how to avoid the pitfalls and keep the promise of a true partnership with parents.

This Is Health Care Transition
Video
http://video.ichp.ufl.edu/tihct.php
Developed by the Institute for Child Health Policy at the University of Florida, this video is intended to help better prepare youth and young adults with chronic health conditions and their families for adulthood, especially the move from pediatric to adult-oriented health care.

Universal Design in Higher Education: From Principles to Practice
Book
http://www.washington.edu/doit/Brochures/Order/video.order.html
This book showcases the perspectives and expertise of 41 students with disabilities, practitioners, and researchers who represent 26 postsecondary institutions and other organizations who illustrate how universal design can create inclusive instruction, student services, physical spaces, and information technology. The broad scope of experience shared by the authors makes this book appropriate as a guide to anyone interested in applying universal design to education and as a textbook for courses that explore current disability, diversity, design, special education, and related topics.

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Get Wired! – The Latest onWebsites

Disability Scoop
www.disabilityscoop.com
Disability Scoop is a news web site for the developmental disability community.

The HEATH Resource Center
http://www.heath.gwu.edu/
The HEATH Resource Center provides online, web based resources on postsecondary education for individuals with disabilities

National Center for Urban School Transformation (NCUST)
http://ncust.org/dnn/Default.aspx?base
NCUST is an organization housed at San Diego State University that is dedicated to improving achievement in urban schools. This site contains information on research, principal coaching, and strategies for improving instruction and academic achievement in urban schools.

NCES Expansion of State Education Reforms (SER) Web site
http://nces.ed.gov/programs/statereform/
The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) State Education Reforms (SER) Web site is based on the report “Overview and Inventory of State Education Reforms: 1990 to 2000,” and is updated periodically to incorporate new data on state education reform activities. It draws primarily on data collected by organizations other than NCES and compiles and disseminates data on state-level education reform efforts in four areas: (1) standards, assessment, and accountability, (2) school finance reforms, (3) resources for learning, and (4) state support for school choice options. Specific reform areas include student and teacher assessments, adequate yearly progress, statewide exit exams, highly qualified teachers, open enrollment laws, and charter schools.

Niusi-Leadscape Conversation: Another Inclusion Effort
http://www.niusileadscape.org/bl
Another Inclusion Effort: Education for Social Justice for Students with Disabilities by Dr. Carole Edelsky is the newest blog in a guest writers’ blog series hosted by Niusi-Leadscape. Dr. Edelsky talks about the roles of educators and administrators in creating a new curriculum which supports the sharing of ideas surrounding equity and social justice. This semi-weekly blog series offers opportunities to engage in substantive conversations with experts on issues around inclusive education practices.

PALMS Project
http://www.palmsproject.net/
The Postsecondary Access for Latino Middle-Grades Students Project seeks to improve the lives of Latino youth by opening doors to postsecondary education, providing information about how to equip and support students and families in pursuing education beyond high school.

BrainLine – The New Web site Is Here
http://www.brainline.org/
Individuals with traumatic brain injury (TBI), their families, friends, and teachers will find useful timely information and resources at this new site, a comprehensive Web site for anyone whose life has been affected by TBI. It includes links to specific sections for people with TBI, their families and friends, and professionals.

National Center for RTI
http://www.rti4success.org/index.php?%0D%0Aoption=com_frontpage&Itemid=1
The National Center for Response to Intervention (RTI) Web site contains information on the practice and research of RTI models of instruction. The “Library” section of the website includes briefs, fact sheets, articles, and numerous other types of sources all related to research on RTI composed by a variety of authors and organizations. Resources are catalogued by topic area such as “What is RTI?” and “Early Intervention Services” for ease of use.

National Charter School Research Project
http://www.crpe.org/cs/crpe/view/projects/1
The National Charter School Research Project aims to bring rigor, evidence, and balance to the national charter school debate. Their goals are to facilitate the fair assessment of the value-added effects of U.S. charter schools, and to provide the charter school and broader public education communities with research and information for ongoing improvement. The Project is an initiative of the University of Washington’s Center on Reinventing Public Education.

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Funding Forecast, Grants, and Award Opportunities

Forecast of Funding Opportunities under the Department of Education Discretionary Grant Programs for Fiscal Year 2008-09
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 2008-09 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 2008-2009 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.

Igniting Creative Energy Prize Trips to Washington DC for Students
http://www.ignitingcreativeenergy.org/
Four grand prize trips to Washington, DC, to share ideas with government and energy leaders, will be awarded to three K-12 students and one teacher who have worked to encourage students to learn more about energy and the environment. Student entries should demonstrate an understanding of what an individual, family, or group can do in their home, school, or community to conserve energy and help the environment. Students may choose to express their ideas in any creative format such as science projects, essays, stories, artwork, photographs, music, videos, Web based applications, multimedia projects, etc. They may also submit recent service projects. Deadline: March 13, 2009.

PeaceJam, Penguin, and Pearson Foundation Announce Global Call to Action Challenge
http://globalcalltoaction.org/news/c1031119298.html
The new initiative encourages young activists to launch social justice and environmental service projects in their communities and will provide assistance in publishing their projects online and in print. The Global Call to Action Challenge encourages young people to document these projects in digital film and in writing. To enter, young people can create a short video (3-5 minutes) or write a magazine-style story (500-1500 words) about their project. The profiled project does not have to be completed, but has to have made real progress toward its goals. The project must be registered with the Global Call to Action and must address one of the ten GCA issues. Project leaders must be at least 13 years old in order to register the project. The challenge winners will be announced in April 2009. Deadline: March 1, 2009

Horace Mann Companies College Course Scholarship for K-12 Educators
https://www.horacemann.com/resources/scholarships/default.aspx
K-12 educators with at least two years’ experience in U.S. public or private schools will receive scholarships of up to $5,000, paid to the college or university where they take classes. Applicants must be K-12 educators currently employed by a U.S. public or private school and planning to enter a two- or four-year accredited college or university. The college must be a public or private, not-for-profit institute. Applicants must have at least two or more years of teaching experience. Scholarship applicants will be judged on a written essay and school and community activities. (Applicants who have all educational expenses paid through other scholarships and/or grants are ineligible. The program is not open to residents of Hawaii, New Jersey, and New York.) Deadline: March 12, 2009.

Through the Looking Glass 2009 College Scholarships for Students with Parents with Disabilities
http://lookingglass.org/ncpd/index.php
Through the Looking Glass and its National Center for Parents with Disabilities and their Families are pleased to announce new scholarships specifically for high school seniors and college students who have parents with disabilities. These scholarships have different application procedures than in the past. There are two separate scholarship awards, with separate eligibility requirements. High School Seniors: to be eligible, a student must be a high school graduate (or graduating senior) by Summer 2009, be planning to attend college in Fall 2009 and have at least one parent with a disability. College Students: to be eligible, must be currently enrolled in a college or university, be 21 years of age or younger as of March 16, 2009, and have at least one parent with a disability. Five $1000 awards will be given in each category in Fall 2009; individuals may submit only one application per award period. Selection criteria include academic performance, community activities and service, letters of recommendation, and an essay describing the experience of growing up with a parent with a disability. Deadline: March 16, 2009.

Heinz Ketchup Creativity Contest
http://www.ketchupcreativity.com/
The H.J. Heinz Co. is sponsoring a contest for young artists: winners’ designs will be on single-serving Heinz Ketchup packets for 2009. Maximum award of $1,000 award for art supplies, $1,000 worth of Heinz Ketchup, and the winner’s art framed for display. Eligibility: students grades 1-12. Deadline: February 28, 2009.

Music Matters Announces Music Education Grant Guidelines
http://heart.muzak.com/what/grants.aspx
Music Matters grants for 2009 focus on educational reform in school music programs and independent music programs throughout the United States. Grant amounts for this cycle are between $1,000-$12,000 each and are made on an annual one-time basis. Music education, vocal or instrumental, must be the key component of any music program requesting funds. Public school programs (qualifying for Title I federal funding and serving a minimum of 70 percent low-income students) or nonprofit 501(c)(3) programs directly funding music education (serving students regardless of ability to pay) are eligible to apply. Priority will be given to programs serving students in grades K-12, programs involving innovative educational reform, programs serving economically disadvantaged children, programs having established collaborative partnerships with parent-teacher-student associations and other community groups, and programs focused on the basic need of music instruments and educational materials. Deadline: February 4, 2009

NEA Foundation Accepting Applications for Student Achievement and Learning & Leadership Grants Programs
http://foundationcenter.org/pnd/rfp/rfp_item.jhtml?id=237100008
Grants will be awarded to K-12 public school teachers, education support professionals, and higher education faculty working to improve their own professional development and the academic achievement of students. The Student Achievement Grants ($5,000 each) should improve students’ critical thinking and problem solving and habits of inquiry, self-directed learning, and critical reflection. Proposals for work resulting in low-income and minority student success with challenging curricula are particularly encouraged. The Learning & Leadership Grants are to individuals ($2,000 each) fund participation in professional development experiences such as summer institutes and action research or to groups ($5,000 each) to fund collegial study, including study groups, action research, lesson study, and mentoring experiences for faculty or staff new to an assignment. Deadline: February 1, 2009; June 1, 2009; and October 15, 2009.

UnitedHealth Heroes Service Learning Grants
http://foundationcenter.org/pnd/rfp/rfp_item.jhtml?id=233300022
Applications are invited for UnitedHealth Heroes Service Learning Grants of up to $1,000, awarded to teachers, service-learning coordinators, and students in the health professions working on projects that address childhood obesity and engage youth volunteers between the ages of five and 25. The program encourages semester-long projects that launch in February, and celebrate Global Youth Service Day, April 24-26, 2009. Deadline: January 15, 2009

Directory of Foundation Workforce and Economic Development Grants 
http://www.dol.gov/cfbci/DFWGO.pdf
The Directory of Foundation Workforce Development Grant Opportunities booklet is a resource for faith-based and community organizations (FBCOs) that focus on workforce/economic development and job training and are looking for funding opportunities for their programs. It provides a detailed list of private and corporate foundations that provide grant opportunities to FBCOs, with explanations of grants and contact information to more easily determine eligibility. Available in pdf (54 pages, 720 KB).

Entries Invited for Intel Schools of Distinction Awards in Math and Science
http://www.intel.com/education/schoolsofdistinction/index.htm
The annual Intel Schools of Distinction Awards recognize U.S. schools that implement innovative, replicable programs that inspire their students and lead to positive educational outcomes in the areas of math and science, developing an environment and curricula that meet or exceed benchmarks, including national mathematics and science content standards. The awards are open to K-12 public, private, charter, and parochial schools in the United States, Department of Defense Dependents Schools, and Bureau of Indian Affairs schools. Home schools are not eligible. The applicant school’s program must have at least three years of results data, whether NCES or other comparable data. Six winners will each receive $10,000 from the Intel Foundation ( http://www.intel.com/intel/corpresponsibility/) and more than $100,000 worth of products and services from program sponsors. One of the six will be identified as the Star Innovator for 2009. This school will receive an additional $15,000 cash grant from the Intel Foundation and additional services and products from sponsors. Deadline: February 17, 2009

Entries Invited for Intel Schools of Distinction Awards in Math and Science
http://www.intel.com/education/schoolsofdistinction/index.htm
Grants of up to $15,000 will be awarded to eighteen elementary and secondary education schools working to improve educational outcomes in the areas of math and science. The awards program is open to K-12 public, private, charter, and parochial schools in the United States, Department of Defense Dependents Schools, and Bureau of Indian Affairs schools. Home schools are not eligible. The applicant school’s program must have at least three years of results data, whether NCES or other comparable data. Deadline: February 17, 2009.

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.

Broad Residency in Urban Education
http://foundationcenter.org/pnd/rfp/cat_education.jhtml
The Broad Residency in Urban Education is a two-year leadership development program that places participants into full-time high-level managerial positions in school districts and Charter Management Organizations. The residency is designed for individuals with an advanced degree (master’s or higher), at least four years of work experience, and a successful record of leadership and/or management. Residents earn starting annual salaries of $85,000 to $95,000 and participate in professional development sessions over the course of two years. At the end of the program, the Broad Residency expects that school districts and CMOs will hire residents permanently in their current positions or promote them into more senior leadership posts. The initial steps of the admissions process occur in two cycles. Candidates may enter the process in either the early or regular cycle. Candidates who apply to the early cycle will be notified sooner whether they will be advancing to a final interview with the hiring organization. The Early Cycle Deadline is December 1, 2008; the Regular Cycle Deadline is February 2, 2009.

Students Invited to Create “Green Solutions” in National Middle School Sustainability Challenge
http://www.wecanchange.com/
Middle school students across the United States are invited to submit solutions to environmental problems for the Siemens We Can Change the World Challenge, a national sustainability education initiative (sponsored by the Siemens Foundation, Discovery Education, and National Science Teachers Association). Student teams of 2-3 students, grades 6-8, under the mentorship of a teacher or adult supervisor, can register for the challenge. Teams will identify an environmental issue in their community, research the issue, and create a replicable green solution using Web-based curriculum tools. The mentors of the first hundred teams to register and complete a project for challenge will receive a Planet Earth series DVD set. All student teams entering the challenge will receive prizes; top-performing teams will earn cash, teacher education materials, and “Discovery Experience” trips. The grand prize winning team will receive a comprehensive prize package, which includes an appearance on Planet Green, Discovery’s eco-lifestyle network, and a Discovery Adventure Trip. Deadline: March 15, 2009

National Education Association Foundation Accepting Grant Applications
http://fconline.foundationcenter.org/pnd/15014895/neafdn
Learning & Leadership grants of up to $5,000 will be awarded to teachers, education support professionals, and higher education faculty and staff working to improve student learning in public schools, colleges, and universities. The grant amount is $2,000 for individuals and $5,000 for groups engaged in collegial study. Student Achievement Grants provide grants of $5,000 to improve the academic achievement of students by engaging in critical thinking and problem solving that deepen knowledge of standards-based subject matter. The work should also improve students’ habits of inquiry, self-directed learning, and critical reflection. (These grants replace the foundation’s Innovation Grants program, which has been discontinued.) Application deadlines are October 15, 2008, February 1, 2009, June 1, 2009.

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.

Reader’s Digest Foundation: Make It Matter
http://www.rd.com/makeitmatter.do
This program honors individuals who are taking action and giving back to their communities in a significant way. Each month, Reader’s Digest magazine will profile an individual who has made a significant contribution to his or her community. Deadline: n/a.

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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 ServicesT

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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