April 2015 – Special Educator e-Journal

Table of Contents

• Update from the U.S. Department of Education

• Literature Review — Experiences of Parents of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) when Dealing with Schools Regarding their Children’s Education. By Sheila Bravo, Florida International University

• Buzz from the Hub

• National Collaborative on Workforce and Disability

• Legislative Announcements, Calls to Participate and New Projects

• 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

Achievement Gap Narrows as High School Graduation Rates for Minority Students Improve Faster than Rest of Nation

Graduation rates for black and Hispanic students increased by nearly 4 percentage points from 2011 to 2013, outpacing the growth for all students in the nation, according to new data from the U.S. Department of Education’s National Center for Education Statistics.

What’s more, the gap between white students and black and Hispanic students receiving high school diplomas narrowed over that time, the data show.

“The hard work of America’s educators, families, communities and students is paying off. This is a vital step toward readiness for success in college and careers for every student in this country,” U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan said. “While these gains are promising, we know that we have a long way to go in improving educational opportunities for every student – no matter their zip code – for the sake of our young people and our nation’s economic strength.”

Data released earlier this year show that U.S. students are graduating from high school at a higher rate than ever before. The nation’s high school graduation rate hit 81 percent in 2012-13, the highest level in the nation’s history. Since 2010, states, districts and schools have been using a new, common metric—the adjusted cohort graduation rate—to promote greater accountability and develop strategies that will help reduce dropout rates and increase graduation rates in schools nationwide. The new data reflect that more accurate measure.

Today’s economy calls for critical skills that go beyond the basics. To ensure the economic strength of our country, students must graduate high school ready for college, careers and life. The Department has invested more than $1 billion in early education; implemented strategies that improve achievement and close opportunity gaps, and awarded billions of dollars through such grant programs as Race to the Top, Investing in Innovation, and School Improvement Grants; and expanded college access and affordability for families.

To maintain and accelerate the progress students are making, the Obama Administration is calling for an overhaul of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) —also known as No Child Left Behind—with a law that not only ensures students are prepared for college, careers and life, but also delivers on the promise of equity and real opportunity for every child.

Secretary Duncan has called on Congress to create a bipartisan law that supports state and local efforts to reduce unnecessary testing; gives teachers and principals the resources they need, while also supporting schools and districts in creating innovative new solutions to problems;makes real investments in high-poverty schools and districts and in expanding high-quality preschool, and addresses funding inequities for schools that serve high proportions of low-income students; ensures high expectations for all students; and asks that where schools or groups of students are not making progress, steps will be taken to improve outcomes for those students, including more significant action in and resources for the lowest achieving 5 percent of schools.

Video-on-Demand Children’s TV Programming Now Accessible for Thousands of Students with Visual or Hearing Disabilities

The U.S. Department of Education today announced the availability of free, video-on-demand children’s television programming for thousands of students who are blind, visually impaired, deaf or hard of hearing.

Dozens of children’s and family TV episodes may now be viewed online featuring closed captioning and descriptions through the Education Department’s Accessible Television Portal project. Among the shows: “Ocean Mysteries,” “Magic School Bus,” “Bill Nye the Science Guy,” “Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood,” “Expedition Wild” and “Peg + Cat.”

The portal is part of the Department-funded Described and Captioned Media Program (DCMP). It includes video-on-demand content provided at no cost by the major television networks, as well as producers and distributors like PBS Kids, Sesame Workshop, Cartoon Network, Sprout (NBC), the Fred Rogers Company, Scholastic Media, Litton Entertainment, Out of the Blue and Fremantle Television.

“In the digital age, the capability exists to deliver a higher level of personalized programming for students who were underserved in the past,” said U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan. “This type of large-scale collaboration between the Education Department and so many major television networks, producers and program distributors will allow greater access to television programming for all students.”

To view the content, teachers and school personnel, parents, and other professionals working with qualified students can visitwww.dcmp.org and apply for access to the portal.

Once approved, accessible content can be used with, and by, students in the classroom and at home via the Web, mobile phones and tablets, mobile apps, and set-top boxes. The portal itself is fully accessible to those with sensory impairments. Children with disabilities can locate any featured program without difficulty.

Initially, the site will include 73 episodes of 19 different children’s television programs. Additional content from other producers will be added over the next two years.

Melody Musgrove, director of the Education Department’s Office of Special Education Programs, which manages the portal, said teachers and parents routinely use television to introduce, reinforce and expand upon school lessons.

“The Accessible Television Portal was created to open up these learning opportunities for the population of children with unique learning needs,” Musgrove said. “The general population takes for granted the entertainment and education provided by quality television. Children with disabilities deserve access to that same programming. With the technology we have available to us, there is no reason for them to be left out.”

“I’m very excited about the prospect of our diverse mix of programming on CBS and ABC being made available to children who, otherwise, wouldn’t have the opportunity to fully experience it,” said Meg LaVigne, president of Litton Television.

DCMP provides services to benefit thousands of students – early learning through grade 12 – who are blind, visually impaired, deaf, hard of hearing or deaf-blind. These services include a library of free-loan described and captioned educational media, a learning center of information related to educational media access, a gateway to Internet resources related to accessibility, and guidelines for adding descriptions and captions to media.

The Department-funded DCMP is administered by the National Association of the Deaf.  More information is available at www.dcmp.org.

Guidance Issued on Protecting Student Privacy While Using Online Educational Services

The U.S. Department of Education today released model terms of service guidance and a training video aimed at helping schools and districts protect student privacy while using online educational services and applications.

The guidance offers examples of terms of service provisions to help school officials identify which online educational services and applications have strong privacy and data security policies and practices.

“Reading and understanding terms of service agreements is tough, even for lawyers. We hope this guidance will help school officials identify privacy-friendly apps and online services and avoid providers that might abuse student information,” said Kathleen Styles, the U.S. Department of Education’s chief privacy officer.

“This guidance will help schools and districts evaluate potential agreements and offer direction regarding terminology frequently used in these agreements,” Styles said. “By understanding commonly used provisions in these agreements, schools and districts will be better able to decide whether to consent to the terms for online educational services and applications.”

Additionally, school officials can check to see if the company in question has signed the Student Privacy Pledge from the Future of Privacy Forum and The Software & Information Industry Association.

Among the recommendations:

• Marketing and Advertising: Terms of service agreements should be clear that data may not be used to create user profiles for the purposes of targeting students or their parents for advertising and marketing, which could violate privacy laws.
• Data Collection: Agreements should include a provision that limits data to only what is necessary to fulfill the terms.
• Data Use: Schools and districts should restrict data use to only the purposes outlined in the agreement.
• Data Sharing: While providers can use subcontractors, schools and districts should be made aware of these arrangements, and subcontractors should be bound by the limitations in the terms of service.
• Access: Federal student records laws require schools and districts to make education records accessible to parents. A good contract will acknowledge the need to share student
• Security Controls. Failure to provide adequate security could lead to a violation of the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act, which protects student education records.

The document also provides links to the Privacy Technical Assistance Center and other resources that offer additional best-practice recommendations related to terms of service agreements.

In addition, a 9½-minute training video has been produced by the Education Department, intended to help K-12 school officials better protect student privacy while using online educational services and applications.

The video offers a summary of the issue and provides examples to help educators identify which online educational services and applications are privacy-friendly and protect student data from improper use and disclosure.

U.S. Department of Education Awards $4.1 Million in Charter School Program National Leadership Grants

The U.S. Department of Education announced six new grant awards today totaling $4.1 million through the Charter Schools Program (CSP) National Leadership Activities program. These grants will help strengthen charter schools and charter school authorizers, while also improving capacity to serve students with disabilities and English learners. Helping the charter school sector address these key issues is a priority for the Department.

“We want to help charter schools, like all public schools, prepare students for college, careers and life,” said Assistant Deputy Secretary for Innovation and Improvement Nadya Chinoy Dabby. “We know that quality authorizing practices are crucial to creating high-quality charter schools. These grants will help charter schools provide excellent educational opportunities to some of our highest-need students.”

The six grantees will provide technical assistance and training and share promising practices with charter schools across the country. The grantees are: (1) the Alameda County Office of Education; (2) the California Charter Schools Association; (3) the Illinois Network of Charter Schools; (4) the Massachusetts Charter Public School Association; (5) the National Association of Charter School Authorizers; and (6) New Schools for New Orleans.

Grantees will use the money to provide teachers with professional development or on-site coaching, to provide services to students with disabilities or English learners in charter schools, and to create shared systems across multiple charter schools for finding and accessing qualified teachers and experts. Others will help charter school authorizers conduct rigorous reviews of school applications to ensure quality, as well as conduct meaningful oversight of charter schools using multiple sources of data and identify and close underperforming charter schools.

To top

The present literature review will explore the importance of collaborative relationships between schools and parents. It will focus on specific reasons for parental dissatisfaction with school systems found in the existing literature in the United States and abroad. It will depict common difficulties in building productive relationships with parents. To add the voice and perspectives of the population being explored, interviews with two parents will also be included.

Parental Involvement

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurological condition characterized by impairments in communication, social interaction and repetitive and/or stereotyped behaviors. The growth of autism in the population has been steady and some consider it an epidemic, with the latest incidence in the United States being 1 in every 68 children identified as having an ASD by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC’s) Autism and Developmental Disabilities Monitoring Network (ADDM, 2014). Given the documented growth in diagnosed cases of ASD, it is recommended that school systems be prepared to provide quality services for students with autism by being able to meet their specific educational needs.

An important variable in students’ success is parental involvement. Parent-teacher collaboration should be ongoing to produce positive results. To guarantee parental participation in the development of educational plans for their children, legislation has being drawn such as Public Law (P.L.) 94-142 (Education for All handicapped Children Act, 1975) that mandates parental participation on Individual Educational Programs (IEP) meetings to help design educational services for students receiving special education services. It is important to note that legislation alone is not enough to ensure parental participation and it becomes pertinent to focus on the experiences that parents have when dealing with the school systems. Disability advocacy can be an overwhelming experience for parents and may prevent them from fully participating in their children’s education. Yet, parents of students with ASD tend to become very involved in their children’s education, becoming very knowledgeable and acting as advocates for their children’s rights.

According to Tucker and Schwartz (2013), who reviewed the results of an internet survey of 135 parents regarding their perceptions on collaboration and conflict between school personnel and parents, the parents participating in this survey considered they were highly involved in their children’s educational progress. As documented,   this was facilitated by their school districts and resulting from taking their input into consideration and communicating and planning regularly with them regarding their children’s education.

Zablotzky, Boswell, and Smith (2012), reviewed a national sample of parents from the 2007 Parent and Family Involvement in Education survey, conducted by the US Department of Education, National Center for Educational Statistics, 2006-2007, and found that parents of students with ASD tend to be more involved with their children’s education.

Specifically, parents of children with ASD were more likely to participate in conferences with the teachers, attend meetings with school counselors, and help their children with their homework, IEP goals, among others.

Consistent with these studies, both parents interviewed were very involved in their children’s education, participating in IEP meetings, helping with homework, communicating with teachers and other school staff, and any other opportunities to do so.

Reasons for Parental Dissatisfaction

Within the context of disability status, there are several reasons for parental dissatisfaction with school systems. One of the reasons cited by parents is a lack of understanding of the specificities of ASD that seems to be lacking among teachers and other school personnel. Montes, Halterman, and Magyar (2009) reviewed the results of the 2005-06 National Survey of Children with Special Health Care needs, which included 40256 parents of children with disabilities between 0-17 and compared access to, and satisfaction with school and community health resources between parents of children with ASD and other disabilities.  They found that one of the problems that parents complained about relates to lack of appropriate teacher training regarding the teaching of children with ASD. Additionally, Montes et al. also reported parents’ dissatisfaction in the area of providing additional services when requested and documented in the IEP.

A study by White (2013) focused on the complaints filed by parents of students with ASD in the Midwestern US. Specifically, 97 electronic summaries of complaints filed between 2004 and 2009 were reviewed. Similarly to what Montes et al. (2009) found, White also reported that a common complaint among parents was lack of staff qualifications. Along this vein, Tucker and Schwartz, et.al (2013), found that parents had mixed opinions regarding the level of knowledge of school staff regarding their child’s disability.

Sciutto, Richwine, Mentrikoski and Niedzwiecki (2012) conducted a study with 97 participants (students and parents) and found that most participants considered the understanding of Asperger syndrome (AS) that teachers and other school personnel have an area where further training is needed.

In contrast to what the studies discussed portrayed, in the two sample interviews conducted, it was found that the parents interviewed did not have concerns regarding staff qualifications or knowledge about ASD. One of the parents considers that, because autism is a spectrum and children with ASD are very different from one another, it is the parents’ job to inform school staff of their child’s interests, likes, and dislikes to make sure that his/her needs are being met.

Another reason for parental dissatisfaction found in several studies addresses parental input and participation in IEP meetings, as well as communication with school staff.

Tucker and Schwartz, et.al, indicated that parents participating in their survey pointed out that educators not always valued their participation as equal members of the IEP team. Input and communication between parents and school professionals were noted as sources of conflict by parents. Parents and professionals frequently disagreed about IEP content such as goals, services provided, instruction, discipline, and placement.

Zablosky, et.al., found that parents of students with ASD are most unsatisfied with the level of communication with their children’s schools regarding placement in a classroom and/or group. The authors also found a positive correlation between parental involvement with school activities and their satisfaction with the school. This positive correlation between involvement and satisfaction was also seen in the interviews conducted with both parents who are overall satisfied with their children’s education and are very involved in their children’s schools.

White, et.al, found that one third of the complaints filled by parents were related to their participation not being taken into consideration by the schools, citing lack of parental input and participation in the education process, as well as a break-down in communication between them and the schools.

Despite the legal nature of the documents addressing educational services for individuals with disabilities, some of the complaints purport schools failing to provide Procedural safeguards, written notifications, copies of IEPs, adequate notices about meetings, amongst others. Parents also complained about not having been provided with the appropriate consent forms addressing change of placement and evaluations.

Starr and Foy (2012) surveyed 144 parents of children with ASD and found that the parents surveyed in their studied noted the lack of collaboration and communication as a major source of dissatisfaction.

Once again at odds with the studies depicted, the parents interviewed for this literature review, feel that their input is taken into consideration most of the time. One of them said that sometimes he does not agree with the frequency of additional services, such as speech therapy, considering that it should be more frequent; but that the school does not have the resources to provide those services as frequently as he would like. The other parent considers that her input is taken into consideration because she has become an advocate for her child and is very knowledgeable; otherwise, the school system would provide her son with the minimum services.

Another documented area of dissatisfaction reported by parents of students with ASD, relates to transition between early intervention services and school services. According to Montes, et.al., parents complained that transition between early intervention services and school is very difficult because the first one is family centered and the second one is centered on education. Early intervention targets problems related to the disability that affect the family as a whole, such as sleep problems, feeding, among others. Whereas school systems tend to only focus on education, Montes et al. investigated access to community and school health care services and compared the levels of satisfaction with those services between parents of students with ASD and parents of children with other special health care needs. The study found that parents of children with ASD were 3 times more likely to encounter difficulties accessing community and health care services for their children than parents of children with other needs. Among the problems reported to access services were lack of qualified staff to attend their children’s needs and services, as well as communication and information difficulties that impeded them to access services. Both of which seem to confirm the findings discussed earlier by Montes, et.al., 2009;  Sciutto, et.al., 2012;  White, 2013;  and Tucker, et.al.,

The parents interviewed did not express any problems in their children’s transition to school.

Other areas of dissatisfaction for parents were behavior and discipline. White, et.al, found that 24 % of the complaints filed dealt with behavior management techniques applied by schools and the related disciplinary actions. Parents complained that Functional Behavior Assessments (FBA) or Behavior Intervention Plans (BIPs) had not been established or, that when BIPs were in place, the steps outlined in the plans had not being followed. It is pertinent to note that Sciutto, et.al, found that behaviors of students with ASD are sometimes misunderstood by school staff, thus suggesting the need for further teacher training. Starr, et.al, found that the parents whose children had been suspended thought that the main reason for the suspensions was the school staff’s inability to deal with the child’s behavior. The children of the parents interviewed have not experienced any behavioral difficulties.

An area of general dissatisfaction found throughout the literature targeted the students’ IEPs. The difficulties in this area may arise from differences in the composition of the IEP and also from difficulties with the implementation of the goals, services and accommodations. White, et.al, found that some of the issues regarding IEPs are related to goals not being measurable, IEPs not specifying service provision details, such as duration of services, frequency, among others. Also, parents complained about accommodations, services and support systems not being available and implemented in a timely manner and as documented in the IEP. One of the parents interviewed said that services and accommodations are provided as written because she makes sure that this happens and that teachers are aware of accommodations and services, frequency of services, among others. The other parent had no complaints in this area.

The dissatisfaction with school systems regarding the teaching of students with ASD seems to transcend frontiers among countries and is found in literature from different parts of the world. As evidence, Brown, Ouellette-Kuntz, Hunter, Kelley and Cobigo (2012) conducted a cross-sectional survey of 101 Canadian parents of school-aged children diagnosed with ASD and found that parents regularly reported that their children have unmet needs regarding social activities, information about services and continuous service provisions.

In line with the international trends documented, another study by Keenan, Dillerburger, Doherty, Byme, and Gallagher (2009) explored the issue of diagnosis and forward planning for children with ASD in Ireland. The study found that parents felt that their views were not taken into consideration when developing their children’s educational plans, especially if the views differed from the ones expressed by professionals. In agreement with this study, one of the parents interviewed had difficulties when his child was first placed in a classroom and expressed a similar view about the IEP team not listening to their opinions, but the situation was rectified in a later meeting. The other mother interviewed also had difficulties when her child started receiving educational services and had to insist to receive the services that she considered were necessary. She strongly believes that her son receives the services necessary because she is a strong advocate for his rights; otherwise, the school system would not provide the necessary services to meet his needs.

In a study by Tissot (2011) that examined the perceptions of parents and local authorities regarding obtaining appropriate educational placement for children with ASD, parents reported that they found the process of placement to be stressful, bureaucratic and lengthy.  The authors concluded that communication between parents and local authority personnel has to be improved. Contrary to this study, the parents interviewed did not express difficulties obtaining an appropriate placement for their children or having difficulties communicating with the school.

After reviewing the literature about experiences and perceptions of parents of students with ASD some commonalities have been found. One of them is the fact that parents of students with ASD tend to be very involved in their children’s education, which was also found in the interviews. Among the areas that create dissatisfaction in parents are the lack of staff qualifications and knowledge about ASD; insufficient importance given to parental input and participation on IEP meetings and inadequacy of the level of communication; difficulties with transitions between early intervention services and school services; and finally, problems with behavior management and discipline. At odds with these findings, the parents interviewed did not have complaints in relationship to any of these areas and, although they considered that some areas can be improved and more services should be provided, they were overall satisfied with their children’s education.

Nevertheless, it is important that schools review complaints that parents may have in order to establish more productive relationships and collaborations that will ideally benefit students with ASD.

References

Brown, H., Ouellette-Kuntz, H., Hunter, D., Kelley, E. & Cobigo, V. (2012). Unmet needs of families of school-aged children with an Autism Spectrum Disorder. Journal of Applied Research in Intellectual Disabilities, 25, 497-508

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2014). Prevalence of autism spectrum disorder among children aged 8 Years. Autism and Developmental Disabilities Monitoring Network. Vol. 63 No 2

Education for All Handicapped Children Act of 1975. U.S. Public Law 94-142. U.S. Code. Vol. 20, secs. 1401 et seq.

Keenan, M., Dillenburger, K., Doherty, A., Byme, T. & Gallagher, S. (2009). The experiences of parents during diagnosis and forward planning for children with autism spectrum disorder. Journal of Applied Research in Intellectual Disabilities, 23, 390–397

Montes, G., Halterman, J.S., & Magyar, C.I. (2009). Access to and satisfaction with school and community health services for US children with ASD, Pediatrics, 124; S407, DOI:  10.1542/peds.2009-1255L

Sciutto, M., Richwine, S., Mentrikoski, J. & Niedzwiecki, K. (2012). A qualitative analysis of school experiences of students with Asperger syndrome, Focus on Autism and Other developmental Disabilities, 27(3), 177– 188. DOI: 10.1177/1088357612450511

Starr, E.M. & Foy, J.B. (2012). In parents’ voices: The education of children with autism spectrum disorders. Remedial and Special Education, 33(4) 207-216, DOI:  10.1177/0741932510383161

Tissot, C. (2011) Working together? Parent and local authority views on the process of obtaining appropriate educational provision for children with autism spectrum disorders. Educational Research, 53(1), 1-15, DOI: 10.1080/00131881.2011.552228

Tucker, V. & Schwartz, I. (2013). Parents’ perspectives of collaboration with school professionals: Barriers and facilitators to successful partnerships in planning for students with ASD. School Mental Health, 5, 3-14. DOI: 0.1007/s12310-012-9102-0

Wade W. Fish (2008). The IEP meeting: Perceptions of parents of students who receive special education services.  Preventing School Failure: Alternative Education for Children and Youth, 53(1), 8-14, DOI: 10.3200/PSFL.53.1.8-14

White, S. (2013). Special education complaints filed by parents of students with autism spectrum disorders in the Midwestern United States. Focus on Autism and Developmental Disabilities, 29(2), 80– 87. DOI: 10.1177/1088357613478830

Zablotzky, B., Boswell, K. & Smith, C. (2012). An evaluation of school improvement and satisfaction of parents of children with autism spectrum disorders, American Journal of Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities, 117(4), 316–330   DOI: 10.1352/1944-7558-117.4.316

To access everything below in this section from Buzz from the Hub, visit:

http://www.parentcenterhub.org/repository/buzz-feb2015/

Welcome to the February 2015 edition of Buzz from the Hub, the newsletter of the Center for Parent Information and Resources—the CPIR. This issue premieres several resources of import to the Parent Center network, most especially the 2014-15 Parent Center Data Collection Form and the latest training module on Part C of IDEA, Introduction to Procedural Safeguards.

• Premiering the New Data Collection Form
• New Resources in the Hub
• Spotlight on…Resources to Support Involvement in Your State’s SSIP
• Resources You Can Share with Families
• Resources Just for Parent Centers

Premiering the New Data Collection Form

The rumor is finally reality! The data collection form that Parent Centers use to report on their fabulous work has been revised. The form now includes definitions of key terms, so PTIs and CPRCs will have a common understanding of the data they need to record and report for the 2014-2015 program year (October 1, 2014 to September 30, 2015).

Because we’re already midway through the reporting period,this year will be a pilot year for the new form. This gives Parent Centers the opportunity to learn how the terms are defined, what to report where and about whom, and how to revise their data collection systems.

We’ve posted the new data collection form and definitions key on a Webinar page we created to house the form, the key to definitions, and the 40-minute webinar we pre-recorded to introduce the form and the definitions key to the network. Come and get ‘em!

Find the form and the definitions key at:
http://www.parentcenterhub.org/repository/webinar-datacollectionform/

New Resources in the Hub

What’s new in the resource library? Here are several newbies.

Overview of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act.
WIOA is designed to help job seekers (including youth with disabilities) access employment, education, training, and support services to succeed in the labor market and to match employers with the skilled workers they need.

Bureau of Indian Education National Directory.
This resource gives Parent Centers a list of Bureau of Indian Education (BIE) funded schools in their state. The BIE is responsible for the 183 elementary and secondary schools located on 63 reservations in 23 states representing 238 different tribes. With this list, Parent Centers can identify which schools are publicly funded or funded by the BIE, in order to help Native American families access their due process rights through the appropriate agency (either the BIE or the state department of education, depending on how the school is funded).

New Part C training module: Introduction to Procedural Safeguards.
Hot off the press! You can use Module 10 of NICHCY’s training curriculum on Part C of IDEA to acquaint families and other stakeholders with the procedural safeguards in early intervention. The module comes with a slideshow, trainer’s guide, handouts, and an activity sheet for participants.

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Spotlight on … Resources to Support Involvement in Your State’s SSIP

Parent Centers are important stakeholders in the Systemic State Improvement Plan (SSIP) their state is writing. The resources listed below can help support Parent Center informed involvement in discussions of their state’s SSIP.

Distinguishing difference from disability: The common causes of racial/ethnic disproportionality in special education.
This Equity In Action is intended to provide educators and researchers with comprehensive information on identifying and reducing disproportionality in schools. The brief describes a data-driven process for identifying root causes as well as the driving forces (internal and external to district) of those root causes. From the Metropolitan Center for Research on Equity and the Transformation of Schools at New York University.

Impact of family involvement on the education of children ages 3 to 8.
This 2013 literature review includes 95 studies on the impact of parent engagement on young children’s literacy, math, and socio-emotional skills. The authors examine the effects of various aspects of parent engagement, including parent involvement at school and schools’ and teachers’ efforts to engage parents.

Family engagement tool.
The web-based Family Engagement Tool (FET) guides a school team (including parents) in assessing every aspect of its family engagement programs and practices and creating and monitoring an improvement plan based on indicators of effective practice. The needs assessment phase is completed in about 5 hours by the school team. FET’s two-year process helps the school determine needs, set priorities, develop a plan, monitor the plan, and strengthen the school community.

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Resources You Can Share with Families

This section of the newsletter identifies useful resources that you might share with families or mention in your own news bulletins.

Milestones | Videos in English and Spanish.
Milestones is a free online collection of videos aimed at helping parents understand grade-level expectations in grades K-5. Milestones show students demonstrating what success looks like in reading, writing and math, grade by grade.

Social Security benefits for children with disabilities.
A child with a disability who is younger than 18 years of age may be eligible for Supplemental Security Income (SSI). Have a look at SSA’s Child Disability Starter Kit, which includes a factsheet on the application process, a child disability interview preparation checklist, and a Medical and School Worksheet.  Also available in Spanish.

Info brief on autism spectrum disorder.
The IRIS Center has a new information brief comparing the diagnostic criteria of the DSM-5 to those of the DSM-IV-TR and to the definition of autism found in IDEA. The brief also summarizes research findings regarding changes in the number of individuals diagnosed with autism spectrum disorders when the DSM-5 criteria were used, compared to those same numbers under the DSM-IV-TR.

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Resources Just for Parent Centers

This section of the CPIR’s newsletter focuses on the many priority areas that Parent Centers have, with a special emphasis on the 14 topics that OSEP has identified as important for Parent Centers and the CPIR to address.

This month, we’re focusing on effective educational practices for improving student outcomes. These resources may also be relevant in your state’s work on the SSIP in 2015, so keep them in mind for the future.

Culturally responsive differentiated instruction strategies.
This brief addresses what differentiated instruction is and how it applies to teaching and learning for diverse learners. Differentiated instruction recognizes students’ varying background knowledge, readiness, language, preferences in learning, and interests, and assists teachers in knowing how to differentiate instruction given these various learning areas.

Evidence-based practice summaries.
From the IRIS Center, these summaries of research about the effectiveness of instructional strategies and interventions contain links to research reports and include information about an intervention’s level of effectiveness and the age groups for which it is designed. Pick your topic of interest—assessment, behavior and classroom management, content instruction, diversity, early intervention/early childhood, learning strategies, mathematics, reading and literacy, RTI, school improvement, and transition.

To access everything below in this section from NCWD, visit:

http://www.ncwd-youth.info/intersection/current-issue.html

USDOL Rolls Out Vision for Transforming Workforce System

In a recent guidance letter, the U.S. Department of Labor (USDOL) laid out its vision for revitalizing and transforming the nation’s workforce system as part of the implementation of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA). Congress passed this bill with an overwhelming bipartisan majority, and President Obama signed the bill into law in July of last year. USDOL’s vision lays out “three critical hallmarks of excellence” for WIOA implementation, which include the need for both business and workers to drive workforce solutions, for American Job Centers to provide excellent customer services to jobseekers and employers alike, and for the workforce system to support strong regional economies where businesses thrive and people want to live and work.

White House Provides Resource Guide for Hiring People with Disabilities

The White House recently released a resource guide available for employers to assist with Recruiting, Hiring, Retaining, & Promoting People w/ Disabilities. This guide is a product of the Curb Cuts to the Middle Class Initiative, which includes participation by agencies across the federal government. The guide is divided into four sections. The first section highlights best practices for recruiting people with disabilities, as well as a description of the ADA regulations during the interview process. The second section focuses on respecting, promoting, and retaining employees with disabilities. The third section offers guidance to providing reasonable accommodations. The final section is an overview of key information employers should know regarding the legal frameworks of the ADA and Section 503 of the Rehabilitation Act.

White House Publishes Fact Sheet on Opportunities for People with Disabilities in 2016 Budget

On February 2, 2015, the White House released a fact sheet entitled, Middle Class Economics: Expanding Opportunities for People with Disabilities. The fact sheet discusses the ways in which the 2016 budget can ensure that Americans with disabilities have opportunities for economic prosperity. The fact sheet focuses on encouraging innovation, strengthening job training, increasing support for the education of children with disabilities, and providing improved housing, healthcare, and independent living services.

CLASP Reviews President’s 2016 Budget with Regard to Disconnected Youth

CLASP released The President’s Budget: Select Investments in Education and Employment Pathways for Vulnerable Youth, which reflects on President Obama’s FY 2016 budget. The publication explores areas of the budget that focus on improving education and workforce outcomes for disconnected youth and young adults, especially those from low-income households. The resource emphasizes new developments in several areas, including the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act, the Apprenticeship Training Fund, investments in National Service, and the Performance Partnership Pilots.

ODEP Assistant Secretary Martinez Says Farewell

After nearly six years of service, Assistant Secretary of Labor for Disability Employment Policy Kathy Martinez is moving on from her position at the USDOL. Following a farewell event with federal staff and other community members, Martinez reflected on her time in this position with a final blog post entitled, Looking Forward, Looking Back. In this post, Martinez recalls significant milestones she and her collaborators helped implement in recent years, including Executive Order 13548 and the 2014 updates to Section 503 of the Rehabilitation Act, among others. She writes, “Secretary Perez often quips that he’d like the Department of Labor to be renamed the ‘Department of Opportunity.’ It certainly has lived up to this nickname for me. Going forward, I wish my dedicated colleagues here the best in ensuring it continues to do so for all workers, including those of us with disabilities.” Martinez plans to continue advocating for disability employment in her new role.

ODEP Archives National Online Dialogue for Family Input on Postsecondary Success for Young Adults with Disabilities

From January 26 to February 6, 2015, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP) hosted an online dialogue to hear the perspectives of family members of young adults with disabilities enrolled in postsecondary education, including certificate programs, apprenticeships, community colleges, and universities. Through this virtual town hall meeting, 431 participants shared a total of 94 ideas and nearly 1,000 comments on ways that postsecondary institutions and other organizations can better assist families of young adults with disabilities in supporting their educational and employment success. The dialogue is archived a report will be coming soon. ODEP is analyzing the results to inform its work moving forward.

WIOA Advisory Committee Launches and Archives Materials

The Advisory Committee on Increasing Competitive Integrated Employment for Individuals with Disabilities, a key part of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA), held its first meeting January 22-23, 2015 in Washington, D.C. Several panels of experts discussed various aspects of competitive integrated employment, and organizations and individuals gave public testimony. The panelists’ presentations and the public testimony are now available online. The next WIOA Advisory Committee meeting is tentatively scheduled for March 23-24, 2015 in Washington, D.C and is open to the public.

OJJDP and Mentor Launch National Mentoring Resource Center

The U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention partnered with MENTOR: The National Mentoring Partnership to launch the National Mentoring Resource Center, which provides mentoring tools and information, program and training materials, and technical assistance, particularly relating to delinquency prevention, victimization, and juvenile justice system involvement, to help local programs and practitioners improve the quality and effectiveness of their mentoring efforts.

America’s Promise Alliance Publishes Re-engagement Paper

Stemming from the Don’t Call Them Dropouts report, based on careful listening to young people who did not graduate in four years, America’s Promise Alliance’s Center for Promise released Back to School: Exploring Promising Practices for Re-Engaging Young People in Secondary Education. The paper explores ways to strengthen and expand re-engagement options for young people who need more time or different pathways to finish school. The paper is designed as a resource for educators, practitioners, community stakeholders, communications professionals and policymakers interested in supporting out-of-school youth who wish to obtain a high school credential.

New SWEAP Tools Help State Policymakers Align Workforce and Education Programs

The National Skills Coalition’s State Workforce and Education Alignment Project (SWEAP) is demonstrating how state policymakers can use information from three types of data tools to develop policies that align workforce and education programs with each other and with employer skill needs. These three tools, dashboards, pathway evaluators, and supply and demand reports, are discussed in a set of SWEAP papers. The papers discuss the steps states can take to create these data tools and provide real-world examples of states that have used these tools to inform workforce policy decisions.

NAD Sues Harvard and MIT for Discrimination in Public Online Content

On February 12, 2015, the National Association of the Deaf (NAD) and four deaf and hard of hearing individuals filed two federal class actions against Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology for not captioning online public information and educational materials, including online courses. The cases, filed in U.S. District Court in Massachusetts, assert that these universities violate the Americans with Disabilities Act and the Rehabilitation Act by denying deaf and hard of hearing people access to thousands of videos and audio tracks that each university makes publicly available, for free, on broad-ranging topics of general interest.

Call for Submissions: VSA’s Yo Soy…Je Suis…I Am…The Future

Students with disabilities are invited to share images of their artwork addressing the future. Students should reflect on what their hopes and dreams are for their individual futures when developing their submissions. Submitted artwork will be exhibited online. Selected works will be exhibited at the United States Department of Education in Washington, DC. Youth with disabilities, ages 3 to 22, are encouraged to submit artwork. All submissions are due by May 11, 2015.

Social Security Administration Announces Funding through WIPA Grants

The Social Security Administration (SSA) has announced a funding opportunity for cooperative agreements for Work Incentives Planning and Assistance (WIPA) projects. WIPA projects are community-based organizations that provide counseling and support to disabled beneficiaries of the Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) programs. These projects disseminate accurate information to beneficiaries with disabilities, including transition-age youth, about work incentives programs and issues related to such programs to enable individuals to make informed choices about working and whether or when to utilize their Ticket to Work. WIPA cooperative agreement awardees will provide services across the country through July 31, 2020, pending availability of funds over a five-year period of performance, Deadline forapplications is March 30, 2015.

Access Board Announces Comment Period for ICT Standards and Guidelines

The Access Board has released for public comment a proposed rule updating accessibility requirements for information and communication technology (ICT) in the federal sector covered by Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act. The rule also would jointly update guidelines for telecommunications equipment subject to Section 255 of the Communications Act. Public comments on the rule, as well as on a preliminary assessment of its estimated costs and benefits, are due on or before May 28, 2015. The Access Board also will hold public hearings on the rule in San Diego on March 5 and in Washington, DC on March 11. In addition, the Access Board will conduct a public webinarto review the proposal on March 31, 2015.

NCWD/Youth Blog Posts

NCWD/Youth’s blog features current and relevant information related to the Guideposts for Success, Youth Development and Leadership, Innovative Strategies, Professional Development, and more!

• What I Want for Black History Month– 2/26/2015
• The Interview that Changed My Life Forever(cross-post from the U.S. Department of Labor Blog) – 2/27/2015

February is Black History Month! Check out some of our most popular related blogs below!

• Black History Month and the Education, Employment, and Wage Gap for Young African American Males (Part 1 of 2)
• Solutions and Strategies for Closing the Education, Employment, and Wage Gap for Young African American Males (Part 2 of 2)
• Symmetrical Identities

Legislative Announcements, Calls to Participate

and New Projects

Autism Speaks Putting New Focus on Adults
http://www.disabilityscoop.com/2015/02/03/autism-speaks-focus-adults/20019/
After prioritizing the needs of children for years, Autism Speaks, the nation’s largest autism advocacy organization is turning its attention to expanding housing options and supports for adults. Starting as a pilot project in three states, Florida, New Jersey and Illinois, Autism Speaks is working with locally-based disability advocacy groups and policymakers to identify legislative goals and mobilize its own network to push for expanded home and community-based services.

Obama Calls for Boost to Disability Programs
http://www.disabilityscoop.com/2015/02/03/obama-budget-disability/20023/
President Barack Obama wants Congress to halt planned cuts under sequestration and increase funding for special education and other programs for people with disabilities. The proposals come in Obama’s $4 trillion budget plan which was released 02/16/15. The budget highlights the president’s priorities for the government’s 2016 fiscal year starting Oct. 1. Included in the plan is an added $175 million in funding for special education services for school-age children with disabilities and $115 million for programs for young kids served under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act.

Feedback to OSEP on Proposed Approach for Including Results Data in the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) Part C Determinations Process
http://tinyurl.com/m9e8hwx
The Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP), in the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services (OSERS) sought feedback on a proposed approach for including results data in the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) Part C determinations process. At the request of OSEP, the Early Childhood Technical Assistance Center (ECTA) developed a proposal for using results-driven data for an accountability framework to review states’ performance results for children who receive early intervention services. The feedback received has been posted on OSERS’ blog.

U.S. Education Department Reaches Agreement with Youngstown State University to Ensure Equal Access to its Websites for Individuals with Disabilities
http://tinyurl.com/meg6omu
The U.S. Department of Education announced in December that its Office for Civil Rights has entered into an agreement with Youngstown State University in Ohio to ensure that the school’s websites comply with federal civil rights laws prohibiting discrimination on the basis of disability, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act and Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act. Youngstown State’s websites were not readily accessible to persons with disabilities, and the university was not fully in compliance with the regulatory requirements regarding the publication of a notice of nondiscrimination in relevant documents. The agreement ends an OCR investigation and commits the 13,000-student public institution in northeast Ohio to providing equal access to educational opportunities for students with disabilities and to ensuring that the school’s websites are accessible to persons with disabilities, including students, prospective students, employees and visitors.

U.S. Department of Education Announces 2014 National Blue Ribbon Schools 337 Schools Honored–287 public and 50 private
http://tinyurl.com/mcawtsl
U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan has announced the recognition of 337 schools – 287 public and 50 private– as National Blue Ribbon Schools for 2014 for their overall academic excellence or their progress in closing achievement gaps among student subgroups. These schools demonstrate that all students can achieve to high levels. The award affirms the hard work of students, educators, families and communities in creating safe and welcoming schools where students master challenging content. The Department invites National Blue Ribbon School nominations from the top education official in every state, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, the Department of Defense Education Activity and the Bureau of Indian Education. The Council for American Private Education (CAPE) nominates private schools.

Disability Visibility Project
http://www.disabilityscoop.com/2014/06/16/storycorps-disability/19443/
“DisabilityScoop” reported June 16, 2014, in an article, “StoryCorps Looks To Record Disability Experience,” that a new project, the Disability Visibility Project, has been launched as a community partnership with StoryCorps, a national nonprofit that allows everyday people to record casual, one-on-one conversations in an effort to preserve history. As the 25th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act approaches next year, this project will encourage people within the disability community to share their stories. StoryCorps’ recording booth in San Francisco is making sessions available between July 10 and Dec. 13 specifically for members of the disability community to record their stories. Additional times are expected to be added leading up to the ADA’s 25th anniversary in July 2015.

Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act
http://www.disabilityscoop.com/2014/07/10/congress-sheltered-eligibility/19500/
“DisabilityScoop” reported July 10, 2014, in an article, “Congress Passes Bill Limiting Sheltered Workshop Eligibility,” that a bill that would significantly limit young people with disabilities from entering sheltered workshop programs is headed to President Barack Obama’s desk. The U.S. House of Representatives voted to approve the “Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act.” Included in the bill are changes to the path from school to work for those with disabilities. The measure would prohibit individuals age 24 and younger from working jobs that pay less than the federal minimum of $7.25 per hour unless they first try vocational rehabilitation services, among other requirements. It would also require state vocational rehabilitation agencies to work with schools to provide “pre-employment transition services” to all students with disabilities and require such agencies to allocate a minimum of 15% of their federal funding to help individuals with disabilities in transition under the measure.

U.S. Department of Education’s Guidance Letter on Charter Schools’ Legal Obligations to Individuals With Disabilities
http://www.disabilityscoop.com/2014/05/15/feds-warn-charters-special/19368/
The U.S. Department of Education issued a guidance letter in May 2014 outlining charter schools’ legal obligations to individuals with disabilities, regardless of whether the schools receive federal funding. Included in the letter are reminders that students with disabilities cannot be discriminated against in admissions and disciplinary actions; and that parents with disabilities must be accommodated, e.g., with sign-language interpreters or Braille materials, when communicating with the school.

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.

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 2015
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 2015 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 2015 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.

Mitsubishi Electric America Foundation: Grants for Youth with Disabilities
http://www.meaf.org/how_to_apply/
The Mitsubishi Electric America Foundation Grants program is dedicated to helping young Americans with disabilities maximize their potential and fully participate in society. The foundation supports organizations and projects within its mission that have broad scope and impact and demonstrate potential for replication at other sites. A major program emphasis is inclusion: enabling young people with disabilities to have full access to educational, vocational, and recreational opportunities, and to participate alongside their non-disabled peers. Maximum award: $90,000. Eligibility: 501(c)3 organizations. Deadline for Concept Papers: June 1, 2015.

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.

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.

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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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