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Update from the U.S. Department of Education

How Teacher Shadowing Benefits ED Employees

I recently had the privilege to visit H. D. Cooke Elementary School in Washington, D.C. The school has a population of 398 students with 44% English Language Learners (ELLs). I was shadowing Flora Lerenman, a 3rd grade English as Second Language (ESL) teacher.

Our morning started off with meeting with the instructional coach for literacy. The teachers shared their schedules to make sure the coach has the opportunity to watch and support all the teachers during the coming weeks. It was incredible to see the support and the resources available to the teachers that help them ensure the academic success of their students.

Furthermore, the success of any teacher comes from ongoing professional development, as well as the support and mentoring from the administrators. In the National Professional Development program within Office of English Language Acquisition, one of our goals is to improve instruction to ELLs and assist educational personnel working with these students to reach high professional standards. The team collaboration, support, and mentoring at H. D. Cooke Elementary was an example of supportive implementation as a team.

Without skipping a beat, Flora moved on to co-teaching writing with another 3rd grade teacher. They were focusing on synthesizing students’ biography research into original pieces. I was able to work with students in a small group. The teacher, Ms. Rytter, was very welcoming and it was very encouraging to see that Flora is considered part of the class when it came to working with the students.

Next, Flora took some 3^rd grader ESL students to the ESL classroom to provide guided reading instruction in small groups. She had three different reading level groups, comprised of students from different 3rd grade classrooms. This coordination was done on Flora’s own time, without any breaks.

The most memorable experience of the day was with one of the groups, which was reading the book I Hate English by Ellen Levine. This book was perfect in a class where English is the majority of the students’ second language, and the students could connect and relate to the story.

Having been through the acculturation process myself as a 6th grader, I found that I really related to the character in the story, as well as the students reading the book. I saw myself in those students and hoped my presence provided an encouragement. Not only was I able to share my own stories with the students as an ELL, I was able to share and show students the Chinese language. It was wonderful to see the excitement in the students’ faces. Even during lunch duty with Flora students were still asking how to say things in Chinese.

As a federal employee at the U.S. Department of Education, I often think about how we can support our teachers and allow them to maintain their passion and commitment to inspiring future generations. Teachers delight in the success of their students and I know that for so many their internal motivation is to help and grow each student that enters into the classroom. We need to have more open dialogue and opportunities, such as this experience, in order for us to better support and provide resources to the educators to do the job that they are passionate about and committed to.

Diana Schneider is an education program specialist at the U.S. Department of Education.

Working with Community Leaders to Improve Educational Outcomes for AANHPI Students

May is Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, a time for us to celebrate the accomplishments of Asian Americans, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islanders (AANHPIs) and their contributions to this great nation. This year’s theme for the month is “I am Beyond,” which captures the aspirations of the American spirit and how Americans of Asian and Pacific Islander descent have always sought to excel beyond the challenges that have limited equal opportunity in America.

As chair of the White House Initiative on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders, it is important that I hear directly from AANHPI leaders who work with our students and their families every day. Earlier this month, I had the opportunity to meet with community leaders who came from as far as Guam and Hawaii to discuss important issues that face AANHPI students around the country and in the Insular Areas. I was honored to have many key leaders at the Department of Education who have made working with AAPI populations a critical part of their work.

I heard important updates and requests on data disaggregation, Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institutions (AANAPISIs), bullying and harassment, English Language Learners, boys and young men of color through the My Brother’s Keeper initiative, and native languages and culture-based education. Leaders emphasized that aggregated AANHPI data mask critical issues such as the alarmingly low college graduation rates for Southeast Asian Americans (12 percent of Laotian, 14 percent of Cambodian, and 26 percent of Vietnamese American populations) and Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders at 14.8 percent. I also heard about the high rates of bullying and harassment in these communities and that the Department could be helpful by helping raise awareness of AANAPISIs as Minority-Serving Institutions.

Knowing how important these issues are, I committed to continuing the conversations beyond this roundtable discussion, to explain our position on many issues, and to learn from the community on how the Department can improve our efforts to ensure equity for all. Members of the Education team will continue to meet with the AAPI community in the upcoming weeks and months to work on these issues, and I look forward to an update at the end of the year.

With the support of the Initiative, we have made progress on many of these issues, but we have more work ahead as we strive to improve educational experiences for AANHPI students.

Arne Duncan is Secretary of Education and Chair of the White House Initiative on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders.

U.S. Department of Education Issues Guidance on Obligations of Charter Schools to Comply with Federal Civil Rights Laws

The U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights (OCR) today released new guidance confirming that the same federal civil rights laws that apply to other public schools apply equally to public charter schools.

“Charter schools play an important role in the educational landscape and are serving more and more students all over the country,” said Catherine E. Lhamon, assistant secretary for civil rights. “Since our last guidance on the topic in 2000, thousands of new charter schools have opened. This guidance underscores that charter schools must satisfy the requirements of the federal civil rights laws.”

The new guidance highlights critical subjects that have arisen in charter schools, including the schools’ obligations to avoid discrimination in admissions practices and the administration of discipline; to provide a free appropriate public education for students with disabilities; and to take affirmative steps to assist English learners. The guidance also points to other OCR publications regarding additional civil rights principles that are equally applicable to charter schools.

OCR’s mission is to ensure equal access to education and to promote educational excellence throughout the nation through vigorous enforcement of civil rights. The office enforces a number of federal civil rights laws that apply to charter schools, including laws that prohibit discrimination based on disability; race, color, or national origin; and sex. In addition to issuing general guidance documents like the one released today, OCR investigates complaints of civil rights violations and provides technical assistance to help educational institutions achieve voluntary compliance with their civil rights obligations. Additional information about OCR is available at http://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ocr/index.html.

Secretary Duncan and Attorney General Holder Issue Guidance for School Districts to Ensure Equal Access for All Children to Public Schools, Regardless of Immigration Status

Secretary Arne Duncan and Attorney General Eric Holder today announced updated guidance to assist public elementary and secondary schools to ensure enrollment processes are consistent with the law and fulfill their obligation to provide all children—no matter their background—equal access to an education.

In 2011, the Departments of Justice and Education issued guidance to help schools understand their responsibilities under the Supreme Court’s decision in Plyler v. Doe and federal civil rights laws to provide all children with equal access to an education regardless of their or their parents’ immigration status. Today, the departments are issuing important updates to that guidance, including examples of permissible enrollment practices, as well as examples of the types of information that may not be used as a basis for denying a student entrance to school.

The updated guidance documents—including a guidance letter to states and school districts and a fact sheet and Q and A document—emphasize the need for flexibility in accepting documents from parents to prove a child’s age and to show that a child resides within a school’s attendance area. They also provide specific examples of the types of documents that many schools have accepted. And the guidance documents remind schools that they may not require certain documents—such as a parent’s state-issued driver’s license—where such a requirement would prevent a student from enrolling because of his or her parent’s immigration status.

“Public school districts have an obligation to enroll students regardless of immigration status and without discrimination on the basis of race, color, or national origin,” said Attorney General Eric Holder. “The Justice Department will do everything it can to make sure schools meet this obligation. We will vigilantly enforce the law to ensure the schoolhouse door remains open to all.”

“We want to be sure every school leader understands the legal requirements under the Constitution and federal laws, and it is our hope that this update will address some of the misperceptions out there,” said Secretary Arne Duncan. “The message here is clear: let all children who live in your district enroll in your public schools.”

In the three years since the guidance was initially issued in 2011, the departments have worked collaboratively with states and school districts across the country to meet their obligations under Plyler and federal civil rights laws that prohibit discrimination on the basis of race, color and national origin.

The important changes announced today will provide districts with the additional tools and practical guidance needed to make sure the schoolhouse door is open to all students and that undocumented children and children from immigrant families no longer face barriers to enrollment in school and starting down the path to a better future.

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Legislative Announcements, Calls to Participate

and New Projects

Bureau of Labor Statistics Releases Youth Employment Rate Numbers for March 2014
http://www.dol.gov/odep/categories/youth/youthemployment.htm
Employment data for youth with and without disabilities is obtained from the Current Population Survey (CPS), a monthly survey of households conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau for the Bureau of Labor Statistics, and reported in the March 1914 “Youth Employment” statistics.

Disability.gov PSAs Challenge Assumptions about People with Disabilities
https://www.disability.gov/newsroom/psa-download-center/
Disability.gov recently released public service announcements (PSAs) in support of the message that people are not defined by their disabilities. Each of the eight PSAs features one of Disability.gov’s “No Boundaries” participants. Each PSAs participant chose several words to describe him or herself to paint a broader picture of who they are. The PSAs are downloadable from the Disability.gov site.

2014 Southwest Conference on Disability Call for Proposals
http://cdd.unm.edu/swconf/
The 2014 Southwest Conference on Disability will be held in Albuquerque, New Mexico, October 7-10, 2014, and the conference is soliciting proposals on the following themes of: “Disability, Diversity and Social Justice: Looking to the Future Through a Common Lens,” “Life After a Brain Injury: Pathways to Increasing Quality of Life,” and “Increasing the Quality of Life of Youth in Transition: Breaking Down Barriers.” The deadline for proposals is June 15th, 2014.

PACER Legislative Alert – Supporting Youth With Disabilities
http://house.gov/representatives/find/
Congress is considering changes to the Workforce Investment Act and the federal Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) Program that assists youth and adults with disabilities to get the education and training they need to obtain and retain a job. While Congress is trying to strengthen the VR services that students with disabilities would receive as they transition out of high school, some possible changes would hurt families of youth with disabilities. PACER is asking families and others to call their representatives to make the following points critical to families and youth: (1) Oppose moving the Vocational Rehabilitation and Assistive Technology programs out of the Department of Education (the Senate version of this legislation seeks to move Vocational Rehabilitation to the Department of Labor and the Assistive Technology program to the Department of Health and Human Services, but separating these programs and moving them out of the Department of Education would disconnect them from a culture valuing parental involvement and the other programs that support students with disabilities, and such a move would damage the strong family connections and important services provided to youth and adults with disabilities by providing such services together in Department of Education); (2) Strengthen competitive employment awareness provisions (ensuring that young adults with disabilities transitioning from high school to employment are aware that jobs which pay the minimum wage and higher are available is an important aspect of providing individuals the opportunity to reach their potential, and the bill could be strengthened by ensuring that there are no exceptions to making sure young adults are made aware of the possibility of working in a competitive workplace, in addition to the non-competitive, often less than minimum wage, work possibilities). The phone numbers of Congressional Representatives can be found at the website.

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Special Education Resources Review for 2014

Career Readiness Assessments Across States: A Summary of Survey Findings Center on Education Policy
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
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”
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 (
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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.

Alliance for Excellent Education Archived Webinar: Assessing Deeper Learning: The Ohio Performance Assessment Pilot Project
Archived Webinar
http://all4ed.org/webinar/jan-16-2014/
The Alliance for Excellent Education, after hosting “Assessing Deeper Learning: The Ohio Performance Assessment Pilot Project,” a January 16 webinar on using curriculum-embedded performance measures to learn and demonstrate deeper learning competencies students need for college and a career, archives the event. The webinar focused on the Ohio Performance Assessment Pilot Project (OPAPP), which includes a system of learning and assessment tasks aligned with the Common Core State Standards. OPAPP includes sustained, collaborative professional learning through all components of the program, including formative assessment to support student learning, technical training, and writing and scoring of assessment tasks. It explores the use of performance tasks to elicit and assess complex thinking and communication skills and what this means for designing curricula and varied structures for professional learning to provide teachers with the knowledge and skills to help all students attain high-level cognitive and intrapersonal skills.

Community Works Institute’s Educators’ Network Web Site
http://cwinstitute.ning.com/
Community Works Institute (CWI) has launched an online Educators’ Network, a way for educators and administrators to connect with one another and share and collaborate in making place-based education, service learning, and sustainability a core part of their students’ learning experience. The site includes collegial support and dialogue, teaching and administrative resources, innovative curriculum ideas, and information on collaborations and partnerships.

Lessons of Reciprocity and Relationships
Essay
http://tinyurl.com/n8jtnpd
“Community Works Journal,” an on-line magazine for educators, has posted “Lessons of Reciprocity and Relationships” as a featured essay on service learning and making sure that both the volunteers and the population they are working with feel the real benefits of their relationship, and that the activity is purposeful and empowers all those involved.

The Soul of a Teacher
Essay
http://tinyurl.com/kdwt455
“Community Works Journal,” an on-line magazine for educators, has posted “The Soul of a Teacher” as a featured essay on the importance of keeping in touch with the unique experience of each teacher’s interactions with the students and with other educators. Each learning opportunity, each conversation, each perception, is worth taking the time to listen for it, and to allow and encourage it to be expressed, and not letting it be lost under the weight of standards, testing, scales, and standardized curricula.

Vera Institute Launches Status Offense Reform Center Web Site
Toolkit & Resources
http://www.vera.org/project/status-offense-reform-center
The Center on Youth Justice at the Vera Institute of Justice has launched the online Status Offense Reform Center. This Website, supported by funding from the MacArthur Foundation’s Models for Change Resource Center partnership, is a one-stop shop of resources for policymakers and practitioners interested in diverting youth engaged in noncriminal offenses – such as truancy or running away – from entering the juvenile justice system. This interactive site provides a toolkit for planning, implementing, and sustaining status offense system reforms; profiles of reform efforts nationwide; research briefs; Webinars; podcasts; a blog; and a help desk.

Career Readiness Assessments Across States: A Summary of Survey Findings Center on Education Policy )
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
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”
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
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
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 )
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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.

IES Releases Synthesis of Research on Improving Reading Outcomes
Report
http://ies.ed.gov/ncser/pubs/20143000/
The Institute of Education Sciences (IES) has released “Improving Reading Outcomes for Students with or at Risk for Reading Disabilities: A Synthesis of the Contributions from the Institute of Education Sciences Research Centers,” a report on improving reading outcomes for students with or at risk for reading disabilities. The synthesis describes what has been learned from research grants on improving reading funded by the Institute of Education Sciences (IES) National Center for Special Education Research and National Center for Education Research and published in peer-reviewed outlets through December 2011.

Supportive School Discipline Initiative
Report
http://www2.ed.gov/policy/gen/guid/school-discipline/index.html
The Supportive School Discipline Initiative (SSDI) has released an “Overview of the Supportive School Discipline Initiative” report. SSDI is a collaboration begun in 2011 between the U.S. Departments of Education and Justice to target harsh and exclusionary school disciplinary policies and in-school arrests that push youth out of school and into the justice system, a process also known as the school-to-prison pipeline. The Overview summarizes and provides links to recent findings on the impact of school disciplinary practices on students’ academic success and juvenile justice involvement.

Universal Design in the News at the Center for Universal Design in Education
Resource List
http://www.washington.edu/doit/CUDE/
The Center for Universal Design in Education (CUDE) at the University of Washington has added a new item to its resource collection, “Universal Design in the News.” which shares recent articles and posts relevant to the application of universal design in education: to instruction, to student services, to physical spaces, and to information technology.

Friends: Connecting People with Disabilities and Community Members
Manual
http://ici.umn.edu/index.php?products/view_part/579/
“Friends: Connecting People with Disabilities and Community Members” is a manual from the Institute on Community Integration’s Research and Training Center on Community Living that provides concrete “how-to” strategies for supporting relationships between people with disabilities and other community members. It describes why such friendships are important to people with disabilities and why it is important to promote community belonging and membership. The manual includes specific activities to guide users in creating a plan for connecting people. This manual is designed for agency staff, but can also be used by parents, support coordinators, teachers, staff, and people with disabilities to support community relationships. Additional Activity Worksheets are available.

eTrac Online Job-Seeking Information
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Tr-wugIZOU
eTrac provides job seeking/retention information in a YouTube video to help promote independence and confidence. Midwest Special Services (MSS), a non-profit serving adults with disabilities, developed eTrac based on their own experience and best practices to help job seekers achieve employment success. The program walks the job seeker through every step, from the initial job search, to the interview process, and the skills necessary to retain and advance at work. Assistance accessing the on-line video (for information on pricing or to pre-view a demo copy of the program) is available from MSS by emailing or calling Josh Franzen (jfranzen@mwsservices.org or 651-777-7220).

Alliance for Excellent Education Archived Webinar: Assessing Deeper Learning: The Ohio Performance Assessment Pilot Project (January)
Archived Webinar
http://all4ed.org/webinar/jan-16-2014/
The Alliance for Excellent Education, after hosting “Assessing Deeper Learning: The Ohio Performance Assessment Pilot Project,” a January 16 webinar on using curriculum-embedded performance measures to learn and demonstrate deeper learning competencies students need for college and a career, archives the event. The webinar focused on the Ohio Performance Assessment Pilot Project (OPAPP), which includes a system of learning and assessment tasks aligned with the Common Core State Standards. OPAPP includes sustained, collaborative professional learning through all components of the program, including formative assessment to support student learning, technical training, and writing and scoring of assessment tasks. It explores the use of performance tasks to elicit and assess complex thinking and communication skills and what this means for designing curricula and varied structures for professional learning to provide teachers with the knowledge and skills to help all students attain high-level cognitive and intrapersonal skills.

Lessons of Reciprocity and Relationships
Essay
http://tinyurl.com/n8jtnpd
“Community Works Journal,” an on-line magazine for educators, has posted “Lessons of Reciprocity and Relationships” as a featured essay on service learning and making sure that both the volunteers and the population they are working with feel the real benefits of their relationship, and that the activity is purposeful and empowers all those involved.

The Soul of a Teacher
Essay
http://tinyurl.com/kdwt455
“Community Works Journal,” an on-line magazine for educators, has posted “The Soul of a Teacher” as a featured essay on the importance of keeping in touch with the unique experience of each teacher’s interactions with the students and with other educators. Each learning opportunity, each conversation, each perception, is worth taking the time to listen for it, and to allow and encourage it to be expressed, and not letting it be lost under the weight of standards, testing, scales, and standardized curricula.

Vera Institute Launches Status Offense Reform Center Web Site
Toolkit & Resources
http://www.vera.org/project/status-offense-reform-center
The Center on Youth Justice at the Vera Institute of Justice has launched the online Status Offense Reform Center. This Website, supported by funding from the MacArthur Foundation’s Models for Change Resource Center partnership, is a one-stop shop of resources for policymakers and practitioners interested in diverting youth engaged in noncriminal offenses – such as truancy or running away – from entering the juvenile justice system. This interactive site provides a toolkit for planning, implementing, and sustaining status offense system reforms; profiles of reform efforts nationwide; research briefs; Webinars; podcasts; a blog; and a help desk.

Institute for Community Integration Releases Policy Research Brief on Community Living
Policy Research Brief
http://rtc.umn.edu/prb/214/
Employment First policies are spreading across the country as a mechanism to improve employment support systems and outcomes for people with disabilities. The Policy Research Brief, “RTC on Community Living,” published by the Research and Training Center on Community Living at the University of Minnesota, uses an online, interactive design to show how states are adopting Employment First policies and connects readers with the actual policies and additional resources to advance employment.

7 Steps for Success
Guide
http://www.cec.sped.org/Tools-and-Resources/CECommunity/Transition-Publications
The Council for Exceptional Children has released “7 Steps for Success,” a book on the transition from high school to college. This transition is challenging for any student, but for young adults with disabilities, it can be even more difficult. In addition to increased academic demands and less structure and support, students have to navigate a disability services system very different from the one they knew in high school. This practical guide describes how the system for accommodations works and students’ rights and responsibilities within that system, uses the voices of actual professionals and college students to explain the skills and strategies students should develop while they are in high school to ensure success in college, and answers questions students with disabilities frequently ask about disclosing their disability in the admissions process.

Simply Said: Introducing Vocational Rehabilitation Services
On-Line Video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vT9pKlcTQMg
Planning for employment and post-secondary education is an important step in preparing young adults with disabilities for life after high school, and it’s never too early to begin the planning process. In this short “Simply Said” video, youth with disabilities will learn how their local Vocational Rehabilitation Services (VRS) counselor can help them be successful at school, at work, and in the community.

Supportive School Discipline Series
Archived Webinars
http://safesupportivelearning.ed.gov/supportive-school-discipline-webinar-series
Continuing the efforts of the Federal Supportive School Discipline Initiative, the U.S. Departments of Justice and Education hosted a Supportive School Discipline (SSD) Webinar Series in 2013-2014. The Series is designed to increase awareness and understanding of school disciplinary practices that push youth out of school and many times into the justice system, and provide practical examples of alternative approaches that maintain school safety while ensuring academic engagement and success for all students.