January 2014 – Special Educator e-Journal

Table of Contents

• Update from the U.S. Department of Education

• Calls to Participate and New Projects

• Special Education Resources

• Latest Employment Opportunities Posted on NASET

• Upcoming Conferences and Events

• Funding Forecast and Award Opportunities

• Acknowledgements

• Download a PDF or XPS Version of This Issue

Update from the U.S. Department of Education

U.S. Department of Education Names Five Winners of $120 Million from Race to the Top-District Grant Competition

The U.S. Department of Education announced today that five applicants have won a total of approximately $120 million in the second round of the Race to the Top-District (RTT-D) competition.

The grants will go to support locally developed plans to personalize and improve student learning, directly increase student achievement and educator effectiveness, close achievement gaps, and prepare every student for success in college and careers. Through these grants, school districts will be able to better support teachers and students by increasing educational opportunities. The grants will also help teachers tailor their approach to meet their students’ needs, allow them to collaborate in new ways, and provide students with resources that enable them to access a world-class education no matter where they are.

The winners are:

• Clarendon County School District Two (consortium of four rural districts), South Carolina
• Clarksdale Municipal School District, Mississippi
• Houston Independent School District, Texas
• Kentucky Valley Educational Cooperative (consortium of 18 rural districts)
• Springdale School District, Arkansas

These winners particularly shine a light on the innovative work going on in rural school districts across the country to tailor education for all students and provide school leaders and teachers with key tools that support them in meeting students’ needs.

The grantees were selected from 31 finalists, representing 80 school districts across 21 states. The Department received more than 200 applications for the competition.

“These winners serve as an example to the rest of the country for how to develop innovative plans to drive education reform and improve student achievement,” U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan said. “These diverse, trailblazing districts have a clear vision and track record of success for models of personalized learning that aim for every child to graduate from high school ready for college and careers.”

Consistent with the Department’s plan to select high-quality proposals from applications across a variety of districts, the winners represent a range of districts, both rural and non-rural, from both Race to the Top states and non-Race to the Top states. These grantees complement the Department’s efforts to increase support for schools across the country and provide educators and students with access to resources that equip them to deepen student learning through locally developed strategies.

Grantees were selected based on their vision and capacity for reform as well as a strong plan that provides educators with resources to accelerate student achievement and prepare students for college and their careers. Plans focused on transforming the learning environment so that it meets all students’ learning abilities, making equity and access to high-quality education a priority. The program also offers competitive preference to applicants that form partnerships with public and private organizations to offer services that help meet students’ academic, social, and emotional needs, outside of the classroom.

The list of 2013 Race to the Top-District (RTT-D) winners is attached and posted on the Department’s website.

The Department has posted the list of districts that submitted an application on its website:http://www2.ed.gov/programs/racetothetop-district/index.html. The list of 31finalists is also online:http://www2.ed.gov/programs/racetothetop-district/2013-finalists.pdf.

Enabling the Future of Learning  By Arne Duncan

I can’t predict the future, but as I wrote back in July, I can say that learning in the future ought to be more personalized. Teachers should have up-to-the minute information that will help them tailor instruction for each student. They should be able to connect and collaborate with other teachers to tackle common challenges and develop solutions. No matter where they are located, students should have access to world-class resources and experts that can enrich a learning experience that is largely designed just for them. And parents should be able to follow their child’s activities and progress almost in real-time, helping them stay more engaged in their child’s education.This is an exciting future, and for some districts and schools across the country, that future is now.

The Department of Education announced the second round of grantees in the Race to the Top-District (RTT-D) competition. (Five winners, representing 25 districts, won a total of $120 million in grant funds.) These grants will support locally developed plans to personalize and improve student learning, directly increase student achievement and educator effectiveness, close achievement gaps, and prepare every student for success in college and careers. Through these grants, innovative school districts will be able to better support teachers and students by increasing educational opportunities through more personalized learning.

President Obama described the promise of personalized learning when he launched the ConnectED initiative last June. Technology is a powerful tool that helps create robust personalized learning environments, but unfortunately, too many of our schools cannot support such environments. ConnectED is about establishing the building blocks for nearly every school to achieve this vision—by boosting broadband speeds through a modernized E-rate program, working to make learning devices and quality content available to all students, and ensuring that teachers have the support and professional development resources they need as they transition to a digital world.

This year’s RTT-D grantees exemplify the types of opportunities created by personalizing learning environments supported by technology. Indeed, most of the districts that won funding represent rural, remote, or small town communities, and their plans show that technology can be a powerful equalizer for schools in such communities. For example:

• Technology as a tool for teachers and students. Clarendon County School District Two in South Carolina (leading a consortium of four districts) will make personal learning devices like laptops and tablets available to all students in the Carolina Consortium for Enterprise Learning. Teachers will have digital tools to help them differentiate instruction and share standards-aligned materials and assessments.
• Professional learning communities. Clarksdale Municipal School District in Mississippi will train teachers to become facilitators of instruction and to learn from and support one another through professional learning communities.
• Continuous improvement. Houston Independent School District in Texas will implement a continuous improvement cycle to measure and support teacher effectiveness and will partner with an external evaluator to provide ongoing feedback to the district on program implementation.
• Accessible data systems that support instruction. The Kentucky Valley Educational Cooperative (a consortium of eighteen rural districts) will create and implement data systems that measure student growth and success and that help teachers improve instruction.
• Helping close the digital divide through community access to technology.Springdale School District in Arkansas will expand parent access to technology through school-based and community “hot spots” along with community liaisons with computer access.

It’s clear that much of the innovative work by the districts in this year’s and last year’s RTT-D grantees requires a robust technology infrastructure. And in order for more districts to embrace a future of personalized learning, we must work urgently to meet our ConnectED goals. That future is waiting, but it’s up to us to make it a reality.

Education Department Announces that All Legal Same-Sex Marriages Will Be Recognized for Federal Financial Aid Purposes

As part of the U.S. Department of Education’s ongoing efforts to implement inclusive policies that reflect the diversity of American families, and consistent with the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling on Section 3 of the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) in United States v. Windsor, the Department announced today new guidance on the use of “marriage” and “spouse” in the federal student aid programs, including on the completion of the FAFSA, the federal student aid form.

The new guidance is based on the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in Windsor, which struck down a key part of DOMA. Under today’s guidance, the Department will recognize a student or a parent as legally married if the couple was legally married in any jurisdiction that recognizes the marriage, regardless of whether the marriage is between a couple of the same sex or opposite sex, and regardless of where the student or couple lives or the student is attending school. This guidance impacts all questions concerning marriage and marital status on the FAFSA.

Before the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling in Windsor, the Department had interpreted all provisions of Title IV of the Higher Education Act—which authorizes the federal student aid programs—consistent with Section 3 of DOMA, which prohibited all federal agencies from recognizing same-sex marriages. Specifically, Section 3 provides that “the word ‘marriage’ means only a legal union between one man and one woman as husband and wife, and the word ‘spouse’ refers only to a person of the opposite sex who is a husband or a wife.” This meant that while a student under 24 who was married to an opposite sex spouse was considered independent for financial aid purposes, that same student would have been considered dependent if he or she was married to a same sex spouse because the marriage was not previously recognized. In Windsor, the Supreme Court held that Section 3 of DOMA is unconstitutional because it violates the principles of due process and equal protection.

“We must continue to ensure that every single American is treated equally in the eyes of the law, and this important guidance for students is another step forward in that effort,” said U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan. “As students fill out their FAFSA this coming year, I’m thrilled they’ll be able to do so in a way that is more fair and just.”

In April 2013, the Department began efforts to make the FAFSA more inclusive of all students, regardless of their parents’ marital status. In order to more accurately and fairly assess a student’s need for aid, the Department announced that beginning with the 2014-2015 FAFSA, it will collect income and other information from both of a dependent student’s legal parents regardless of the parents’ marital status or gender, if those parents live together. To do so, the 2014-2015 FAFSA will provide a new option for dependent applicants to describe their parents’ marital status as “unmarried and both parents living together.” Additionally, where appropriate, the new FAFSA form will also use terms like “Parent 1 (father/mother/stepparent)” and “Parent 2 (father/mother/stepparent)” instead of gender-specific terms like “mother” and “father.” A copy of the new FAFSA form, which will be released on Jan. 1, is attached. The vast majority of FAFSA forms are filed electronically using FAFSA on the Web.

The information provided by students and parents on the FAFSA is used to calculate the student’s expected family contribution (EFC), which determines the student’s eligibility for federal need-based student aid as well as for many state, institutional and private aid programs. It is critical that both of a dependent student’s parents help pay, to the extent they are able, for the educational expenses of their child. Collecting parental information from both of a dependent student’s legal parents will result in fair treatment of all families by eliminating longstanding inequities based on parents’ relationship with each other rather than on their relationship with their child.

Today’s guidance furthers those efforts by providing guidance on how students should apply for federal student aid, since now legally married same-sex couples will be treated as married for all FAFSA and EFC calculation purposes. For the 2014-2015 FAFSA and subsequent years, responses to questions about marital status must be in accordance with the guidance the Department laid out today in a Dear Colleague Letter that was posted to the Department’s Information for Financial Aid Professionals website (ifap.ed.gov).

The impact on the 2013-2014 FAFSA—which students used and can continue to use to apply for aid for this school year—depends on whether the student has already submitted a 2013-2014 FAFSA. Students who have not yet submitted a 2013-2014 FAFSA are expected to respond to all questions related to marital status in accordance with the updated guidance. A student who previously submitted a 2013-2014 FAFSA, but who was unable to respond to marital status questions as “married” due to Section 3 of DOMA, may choose to submit a correction. These optional corrections will be permitted since they do not represent a change in marital status, but rather an acknowledgment of the marital status at the time of the initial 2013-2014 FAFSA submission. This choice only applies if the impacted student and/or parent were legally married at the time the FAFSA was initially completed.

For more information about federal student aid, visit the Department’s website: studentaid.ed.gov

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Calls to Participate

To Whom it May Concern,

Your organization has been identified as having members that may potentially be interested in providing feedback on a research review related to Disruptive Behavior Disorder. This research review will be conducted by The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality’s (AHRQ) Effective Health Care (EHC) Program. AHRQ is a government agency tasked with producing evidence to improve the quality of healthcare while working with partners to ensure that the evidence is understood and used.

If you or others from your organization would be interested in providing feedback during our public comment period, I would be happy to notify you of when you can do this. Receiving feedback from a variety of stakeholders allows us to inform clinical decision making in a meaningful way. Included below are links that will provide more information on the EHC Program.

I can send this information to you or others you identify, if you provide their names and emails. Additionally, I can include you in all communications with these individuals to keep you informed of the progress, if this would be helpful.

As an important stakeholder in the healthcare arena, your organization may already have helped AHRQ focus EHC Program research topics and disseminate research findings. We appreciate such efforts, and we would value your input on the new project listed above. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me at Tahleah.Chappel@AHRQ.hhs.gov.

For more information on The Effective Healthcare Program, please visit:

http://effectivehealthcare.ahrq.gov/index.cfm/what-is-the-effective-health-care-program1/

To see the current topics posted for comment, please visit:

http://effectivehealthcare.ahrq.gov/index.cfm/research-available-for-comment/

Join our Email List to stay up to date with the latest information from the Effective Healthcare Program:

http://effectivehealthcare.ahrq.gov/index.cfm/join-the-email-list1/

Online Survey for Special Education Teachers
https://byu.qualtrics.com/SE/?SID=SV_3BElz4DEMALlPvf
A researcher in the Special Education Department at Brigham Young University seeks participants in a short survey of special education teachers/practitioners for a research study about their preferences for professional development and the professional development they have received.

Online Survey of Parents/Guardians of Children Ages 12 or Older
https://msucoe.qualtrics.com/SE/?SID=SV_9XED9l2U9uwXZ2d
A researcher in the Special Education Department at Michigan State University seeks participants in a short survey of parents/guardians of children ages 12 or older for a research study about the social behavior of adolescents and adults with and without intellectual or developmental disabilities. The purpose of the study is to better understand the social behavior of people with and without disabilities, as perceived and reported by their parents/guardians.

Rim International Conference on Disability and Diversity Call for Proposals
http://www.pacrim.hawaii.edu/about
The Center on Disability Studies at the University of Hawai‘i seeks proposals for presentations for the 30th Annual Pacific Rim International Conference on Disability and Diversity, “Learn from Yesterday, Live for Today, Envision Tomorrow” which will be held May 19-20, 2014, in Waikiki, Hawai’i. Deadline for proposals: January 31, 2014.

I Care By Campaign Seeks Participants
http://tinyurl.com/kja27bv
Over two million young people in the United States have an emotional or behavioral disability. Stakeholders in the educational process (families, educators, administrators, and policymakers) struggle to find effective methods to help these students succeed. The new I Care By Campaign, inspired by the film “Who Cares About Kelsey?,” provides specific, regularly updated actions that anyone can take to make a difference in the lives of youth who are struggling with emotional or behavioral challenges.

Special Education Resources

Career Readiness Assessments Across States: A Summary of Survey Findings Center on Education Policy (October 2013) 
Report
http://www.cep-dc.org/displayDocument.cfm?DocumentID=427
The Center on Education Policy (CEP) has published “Career Readiness Assessments Across States: A Summary of Survey Findings Center on Education Policy,” on how states are defining career readiness and which assessments states and districts are using to measure this attribute. The report is based on a survey administered in the summer of 2013 to state directors of career and technical education or their designees about career readiness assessments. A total of 46 states completed the survey, counting the District of Columbia. Also available on this site are four related papers containing additional details on the main topics covered in the summary report, including the responses of specific states and profiles of major career and technical assessments.

Closing the Expectations Gap (November 2013) 
Report
http://www.achieve.org/ClosingtheExpectationsGap2013
The eighth annual “Closing the Expectations Gap” report by Achieve shows how all states are aligning those standards with policies and practice to better ensure that all students are academically prepared for life after high school. The report details states’ policy progress on the CCR agenda, and efforts to implement those policies. All 50 states and the District of Columbia have adopted standards aligned to the expectations of college and careers.

Discussion Guide for the Campaign for Disability Employment’s Public Service Announcement “Because” (2013) 
Guide
http://promotions.usa.gov/odep.html
The Campaign for Disability Employment (CDE) has issued a free discussion guide to accompany its “Because” public service announcement (PSA). The “Because” PSA’s message is that youth with disabilities, like all youth, should grow up expecting to work and succeed, and parents, educators and other adults of influence in their lives should reinforce this expectation at every turn. The discussion guide (which comes with a DVD containing the PSA) can be used to facilitate a conversation about this topic among adults or youth in many settings. It is available in both English and Spanish. The CDE is funded by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP).

Federal Partners in Transition National Online Dialogue: Participation Metrics (September 2013) 
Report
http://tinyurl.com/mgpoakv
The Federal Partners in Transition National Online Dialogue, held May 13-27, 2013 and hosted by the U.S. Departments of Labor, Education, Health and Human Services and the Social Security Administration, invited people to share their ideas and comments about federal legislative and regulatory barriers and other opportunities to improve transition outcomes for youth with disabilities. A report, “Federal Partners in Transition National Online Dialogue: Participation Metrics” has been released summarizing the dialogue’s results. The input received will be used by the Federal Partners in Transition to better align policies, programs and practices to promote successful transition outcomes. Available in pdf (600 KB, 22 pp).

Healthy Transitions: A Pathway to Employment for Youth with Chronic Health Conditions and Other Disabilities (2013)  
Policy Brief
http://www.dol.gov/odep/pdf/2013ODEPHealthyReport.pdf
In 2012, the Department of Labor’s Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP) commissioned a study on health care transition and the study’s key findings are now available in a policy brief, “Healthy Transitions: A Pathway to Employment for Youth with Chronic Health Conditions and Other Disabilities.”The purpose of the study was to better understand the relationship between disability (including chronic health conditions); health and wellness; and transition and employment outcomes for youth with disabilities; as well as the role health care providers play in establishing employment expectations. Available in pdf (582 KB, 13 pp).

National Center on Universal Design for Learning: New Resources Released (October 2013) 
Resources
http://www.udlcenter.org/implementation/udl_ccss
The National Center on Universal Design for Learning has added new resources on the intersection of UDL and the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) to its website. These tools and links show how the CCSS identify what educators need to address in their instruction and how UDL guides design of their instruction. Key resources include a crosswalk on UDL and the Literacy by Design Collaborative (LDC) framework and video examples showing lessons illustrating classroom instruction addressing both the UDL guidelines and CCSS.

NCWD/Youth InfoBrief on Use of Social Security Work Incentives to Promote Work-Based Learning in Youth Employment and Training Programs (September 2013)
InfoBrief
http://www.ncwd-youth.info/social-security-and-work-based-learning
The National Collaborative on Work and Disability/Youth’s (NCWD/Youth) report, “Use of Social Security Work Incentives to Promote Work-Based Learning in Youth Employment and Training Programs,” examines AmeriCorps as a model that includes an income exemption that allows youth with disabilities who are Social Security beneficiaries to participate in work-based learning experiences and receive a living allowance or stipend without it impacting their benefits. It provides an overview of the importance of work-based learning experiences, including service learning, particularly for youth with disabilities, and the current state of policy and practice regarding the use of the AmeriCorps income exclusion and includes recommendations for increasing the scope and use of the existing AmeriCorps exemption and for expanding similar incentives to other youth employment and training programs serving transition-age youth with disabilities, such as those funded under the Workforce Investment Act.

NCWD/Youth Practice Brief on Youth Development and Leadership: Opportunities to Develop Connecting Competencies (September 2013) 
Practice Brief
http://tinyurl.com/mdhyvvy
The National Collaborative on Work and Disability/Youth’s (NCWD/Youth’s) Innovative Strategies Practice Brief, “Youth Development and Leadership: Opportunities to Develop Connecting Competencies,” provides practical examples from promising and exemplary youth programs for implementing youth development and leadership opportunities that help youth develop connecting competencies. Some of the youth programs featured in this brief have been recognized by NCWD/Youth as Innovative Strategies. NCWD/Youth Innovative Strategies feature programs and organizations that serve youth with disabilities either as a target population or as part of other youth populations.

New Financial Aid Toolkit Part of Department’s Efforts to Improve College Access and Affordability (December) 
Toolkit
http://tinyurl.com/m9djjld
The U.S. Department of Education’s “Ed.gov” has launched an online “one-stop shop” Financial Aid Toolkit aimed at guidance counselors and other advisers, such as staff or volunteers at community-based organizations, who assist students through the process of selecting and financing their higher education.

OJJDP’s Functional Impairment in Delinquent Youth (December 2013) 
Bulletin
http://www.ojjdp.gov/?width=80&height=80
The Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) has released “Functional Impairment in Delinquent Youth,” part of OJJDP’s “Beyond Detention” series, which examines the results of the Northwestern Juvenile Project – a large-scale longitudinal study of youth detained at the Cook County Juvenile Temporary Detention Center in Chicago, IL. This bulletin presents findings on juvenile functional impairment in the school, work, home, and community settings; and in terms of behavior toward others, mood and psychiatric concerns, self-harm, substance use, and rational thought assessed three years after release from detention. The authors also assess youth functioning by gender, race/ethnicity, and age and discuss future implications.

Peer Advocacy Guide (2012) 
Guide
http://www.pacer.org/bullying/resources/students-with-disabilities/peer-advocacy.asp
The “Peer Advocacy Guide” developed by PACER Center offers a variety of intervention strategies that can be tailored for specific bullying situations. It explores how to address bullying of students with disabilities by engaging, educating, and empowering their peers with advocacy skills. Peer advocacy is an effective approach that enables students to speak out on behalf of others, and protect those targeted by bullying.

Performance of U.S. 15-Year-Old Students in Mathematics, Science, and Reading Literacy in an International Context-First Look at PISA 2012 (December 2013) 
Report
http://nces.ed.gov/surveys/pisa/?newsflash=true
The U.S. Department of Education’s Institute of Education Sciences’ National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) has released “Performance of U.S. 15-Year-Old Students in Mathematics, Science, and Reading Literacy in an International Context-First Look at PISA 2012.” The goal of PISA is to assess students’ preparation for the challenges of life as young adults. The assessment measures mathematics, science, and reading literacy of 15-year-old students around the world. In 2012, 65 education systems, including the 34 member countries of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), participated in PISA. In addition, three U.S. states, Connecticut, Florida, and Massachusetts, participated in PISA 2012.

Think College Learn Module on Universal Design for Learning and Conference Archive (November 2013) 
Module & Archive
http://www.thinkcollege.net/
Think College has released a new LEARN module, on “Universal Design for Learning” (UDL). The module includes videos, information about UDL strategies, and downloadable tools to help implement UDL in classrooms. Think College has also archived materials from its conference on “Inclusive Higher Education: Moving from Good Ideas to Great Outcomes,” held November 16-17, 2013. Copies of presentations, session handouts and transcripts from the morning and afternoon plenary sessions are archived on their website.

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Latest Employment Opportunities Posted on NASET

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Funding Forecast and Award Opportunities

Forecast of Funding Opportunities under the Department of Education Discretionary Grant Programs for Fiscal Year 2013
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 2014 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 2013-2014
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 2014 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 2013 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 2013-2014 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.

American Association of University Women Accepting Applications for 2014-2015 Community Action Grants
http://www.aauw.org/what-we-do/educational-funding-and-awards/community-action-grants/
The American Association of University Women (AAUW) Community Action grants provide funds to individuals, AAUW branches, and AAUW state organizations as well as local community-based nonprofit organizations conducting programs or non-degree research projects that promote education and equality for women and girls. Special consideration is given to projects focused on K–12 and community college girls’ and women’s achievements in science, technology, engineering, and math. Topic areas are unrestricted but should include a clearly defined activity that promotes education and equality for women and girls. One-year grants of up to $7,000 will be awarded to provide funding for community-based projects. Two-year grants of up to $10,000 will be awarded as startup funding for new projects that address the particular needs of the community and develop girls’ sense of efficacy through leadership or advocacy opportunities. Deadline January 15, 2014.

New Leaders for New Schools: Aspiring Principals Program
http://www.newleaders.org/what-we-do/aspiring-principals-program/
New Leaders for New Schools is accepting applications for candidates who meet its selection criteria (see website) and want to lead change for children in low-income communities by becoming urban public school principals. Candidates should have a record of success in leading adults, expertise in K-12 teaching and learning, drive to lead an excellent urban school, and an unyielding belief in the potential of every child to achieve academically at high levels. Eligibility: a minimum of 2-4 years of successful K-12 instruction experience (depends on location); and teaching certificate and/or advanced degree, depending on location. Deadline: January 30, 2014.

Captain Planet Foundation Seeks Applications for K-12 Environment-Based Projects
http://captainplanetfoundation.org/apply-for-grants/
The Captain Planet Foundation is accepting applications from K-12 schools for environment-based education projects to be implemented in the spring and summer of 2014.Seed grants of up to $500 will be awarded for high-quality educational programs that enable children and youth to understand and appreciate the world through learning experiences that engage them in active, hands-on projects to improve the environment in their schools and communities. Grants are intended to serve as a catalyst to getting environment-based education into schools and to help youth and communities participate in environmental stewardship activities. Grants are generally awarded to U.S.-based schools with an annual operating budget of less than $3 million. To be eligible, schools or sponsoring agencies must be recognized as tax exempt under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. Deadline: January 31, 2014.

Earthwatch Institute: Fellowships
http://earthwatch.org/education/teacher-fellowships/edfelfund/
The Earthwatch Institute offers educators fully funded fellowships for hands-on learning with leading scientists doing field research and conservation on projects around the world. Maximum award: fully funded fellowship. Eligibility: elementary, middle, and high school educators and administrators of any discipline. Deadline: two weeks after educator-interest application is submitted; ultimate deadline May 1, 2014.

ING Unsung Heroes Program Invites K-12 Educators to Apply for 2014 Class Project Awards
https://unsungheroes.scholarshipamerica.org/
Each year, the ING Unsung Heroes program selects 100 educators to receive $2,000 to help fund their innovative class projects. Three of them are chosen to receive the top awards of an additional $5,000, $10,000 and $25,000. ING Unsung Heroes Awards Program is administered by Scholarship Management Services, a division of Scholarship America. Scholarship Management Services designs and manages scholarship and tuition reimbursement programs for corporations, foundations, associations and individuals. Deadline: April 30, 2014.

Lowe’s Charitable and Education Foundation Announces 2014 Toolbox for Education Grant Program
http://www.toolboxforeducation.com/
Lowe’s Charitable and Education Foundation has announced the opening of its Spring 2014 Toolbox for Education grant cycle. The program supports projects that encourage parental involvement in local schools and build stronger community spirit. Toolbox for Education grants of up to $5,000 will be awarded in support of projects that have a permanent impact on a school community. Lowe’s will consider only grants for projects that can be completed within a year of receipt of the grant. A Toolbox grant can be used as part of a large-scale project like a playground as long as the grant is used to complete a phase of the project that can be completed within twelve months of the award. To be eligible for a grant, applicants must be a public K-12 school or nonprofit parent group associated with such a school. Parent groups that are applying (PTO, PTA, etc.) must have an independent EIN and official 501(c)(3) tax-exempt status. The application process will be closed after fifteen hundred applications have been received. Deadline: February 14, 2014.

Youth Service America and Sodexo Foundation Grants for Youth-Led Hunger Service Projects
http://www.ysa.org/grants/sodexoyouth
Youth Service America and the Sodexo Foundation offer grants of up to $500 to be awarded for youth-led projects that bring together young people, families, and other community members to address childhood hunger. The grants will provide $500 for youth-led service projects that bring together young people, families, Sodexo employees, and other community members to address childhood hunger. Young people between the ages of 5 and 25 in the United States are eligible to apply. Projects will take place on or around Global Youth Service Day, April 11 to 13, 2014. Deadline for proposals: January 31, 2014.

American Association of School Librarians Invites Applications for Innovative Reading Projects
http://www.ala.org/aasl/awards/innovative
The American Association of School Librarians (AASL), a division of the American Library Association, is accepting applications from school librarians for the AASL Innovative Reading Grant program. A $2,500 grant will be awarded to support the planning and implementation of a unique and innovative program for children that motivates and encourages reading, especially among struggling readers. Projects should promote the importance of reading and facilitate literacy development by supporting current reading research, practice, and policy, and must: be specifically designed for children (grades K-9) in the school library setting, encourage innovative ways to motivate and involve children in reading, and demonstrate potential to impact student learning. Grant recipients may be invited to write an article that delineates their reading incentive project and demonstrate their successes, trials, and recommendations for improving so others may replicate the project. Deadline for submissions: February 1, 2014.

American Electric Power Applications for 2014-2015 PreK-12 Classroom Projects
http://www.aep.com/community/TeachersAndStudents/TeacherVisionGrants.aspx
American Electric Power (AEP) is accepting applications from preK-12 teachers for minigrants to support funding for classroom projects during the 2014-15 school year. Through the Teacher Vision grant program, AEP supports projects with an academic focus and a goal of improving student achievement. Priority will be given to projects that promote science, mathematics, technology, electrical safety, the balanced study of energy and the environment, and energy efficiency. Special consideration will be given to projects that incorporate matching funds, community resources, and interdisciplinary or team-teaching projects. Funds may not be used for stipends or meals. Grant awards range from $100-$500. Applicants must be pre-K-12 teachers in communities in the AEP service area or in communities with major AEP facilities. Deadline for submissions: February 28, 2014.

Arthur Vining Davis Foundations Seeks Proposals to Strengthen Secondary Education
http://www.avdf.org/FoundationsPrograms/SecondaryEducation.aspx
The Arthur Vining Davis Foundations offers $100,000-$200,000 grants to support a wide range of innovative professional development programs that strengthen teachers in grades 9-12 and their teaching. For example, projects might be designed to improve professional development for in-service and pre-service teachers, strengthen teaching skills, support practical research in teacher and high school education, or encourage innovative use of technology and new techniques for presentation of classroom materials in high schools. Projects should aim to develop solutions with potential for wide application or replication by others. Requests to support well-established programs should be for initiatives with the potential to improve the program significantly. Special consideration will be given to projects in their early stages that address the concerns and problems of secondary education on a national level. In considering proposals to support high school teaching, sustained partnerships between the faculties of colleges (e.g., arts and sciences and education) and school districts, or collaborative efforts involving reform organizations, colleges/universities, and high schools are encouraged. Eligible institutions include but are not limited to public and private colleges and universities, graduate schools of education, and freestanding educational institutes. Ongoing deadlines.

Scholastic Art & Writing Awards Invites Entries from Creative Teens
http://www.artandwriting.org/the-awards/
The Scholastic Art & Writing Awards is open for entries for 2014. The Awards are sponsored by the Alliance for Young Artists & Writers, a nonprofit organization dedicated to recognizing the most talented teen artists and writers in the United States and Canada. Teens in grades 7-12 are invited to submit work in one of 28 categories, including film and animation, video game design, sculpture, photography, fashion design, poetry, journalism, humor, dramatic script, and science fiction. Submissions are judged regionally by the Alliance’s affiliates, and the top winning works are presented to national panels of creative leaders to determine which will receive the highest honors. Fifteen graduating high school seniors will be awarded with Portfolio Gold Medals, which include a $10,000 scholarship. Additional scholarships are made available to Portfolio Silver Medalists and through sponsored awards and stipends to summer arts programs. Students must be in grades 7-12 in a public, private, parochial, home-school, or out-of-school program in the U.S. or Canada, or in an American school abroad. Deadlines for submitting work vary by region, ranging from December 15, 2013-January 15, 2014.

William T. Grant Foundation Invites Applications for Youth Social Setting Research Projects
http://www.wtgrantfoundation.org/funding_opportunities/how_to_apply/social-settings
The William T. Grant Foundation invites applications for Youth Social Setting Research Projects. Grants ranging from $100,000 to $600,000 will be awarded to support research designed to understand and improve the everyday settings of youth between the ages of 8 and 25 in the United States. Social settings are defined as the social environments in which youth experience daily life. These include environments with clear boundaries such as classrooms, schools, and youth-serving organizations, and those with less prescribed boundaries such as neighborhoods or other settings in which youth interact with peers, family members, and other adults. Deadline for Letters of Inquiry: January 8, 2014.

Discover: Pathway to Financial Success Grant
http://www.pathwaytofinancialsuccess.org/get-a-grant
Discover is investing up to $10 million in financial education, and any high school can apply for a grant toward a financial education curriculum. Applying schools must have implemented or be looking to implement a financial education curriculum; have a measurement tool planned or in place to assess participation in and comprehension of the financial education curriculum; and agree to share overall results of the measurement tool’s pre- and post-curriculum testing with Discover upon the program’s completion to assess what worked and what didn’t. Maximum award: varies. Eligibility: high schools in the United States. Deadline: none.

Dollar General: Beyond Words Library Disaster Relief
http://www.ala.org/awardsgrants/awards/166/apply
Dollar General, in collaboration with the American Library Association (ALA), the American Association of School Librarians (AASL) and the National Education Association (NEA), is sponsoring a school library disaster relief fund for public school libraries in the states served by Dollar General. The fund will provide grants to public schools whose school library program has been affected by a disaster. Grants are to replace or supplement books, media and/or library equipment in the school library setting. Maximum award: up to $15,000 to replace or supplement books, media and/or library equipment. Eligibility: public school libraries Pre K-12 located within 20 miles of a Dollar General store, distribution center or corporate office that have lost their building or incurred substantial damage or hardship due to a natural disaster (tornado, earthquake, hurricane, flood, avalanche, mudslide), fire or an act recognized by the federal government as terrorism; or have absorbed a significant number (more than 10% enrollment) of displaced/evacuee students. Deadline: none.

Fender Music Foundation: Grants
http://www.fendermusicfoundation.org/grants/?sec=info
Fender Music Foundation grants of instruments and equipment are awarded to music academies, schools, local music programs and national music programs across America, particularly in-school music classes, in which the students make music; after-school music programs that are not run by the school; and music therapy programs, in which the participants make the music. Maximum award: up to 8 instruments. Eligibility: established, ongoing and sustainable music programs in the United States, which provide music instruction for people of any age who would not otherwise have the opportunity to make music. Deadline: rolling.

AASA: National Superintendent of the Year
http://www.aasa.org/content.aspx?id=3404
The American Association of School Administrators (AASA) National Superintendent of the Year Program pays tribute to the talent and vision of the men and women who lead the nation’s public schools. Maximum award: recognition; a $10,000 scholarship to a student in the high school from which the National Superintendent of the Year graduated. Eligibility: Any superintendent, chancellor, or top leader of a school system in the United States, Canada, or international school who plans to continue in the profession. Deadline: varies by state.

Lexus and Scholastic Launch Seventh Annual Environmental Contest for Middle and High School Students
http://lexus.scholastic.com/
The Lexus Eco Challenge will award a total of $500,000 in grants and scholarships to inspire and empower middle and high school students in the United States to learn about the environment and take action to improve it. The program is designed to inspire and empower middle and high school students to learn about the environment and take action to improve it. Eligibility: middle and high school teams comprised of 5-10 students and one teacher advisor. Deadline: Challenge One (Land/Water) – October 7, 2013; Challenge Two (Air/Climate) – November 11, 2013. The 32 finalist teams will be eligible to submit entries for Challenge Three (Final Challenge), with a deadline of January 17, 2014.

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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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