June 2015 – Special Educator e-Journal

Table of Contents

• Update from the U.S. Department of Education

• Partnering with Families of Students with Disabilities, Understanding the Concerns and Enabling Parental Involvement.

• Buzz from the Hub

• 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

New Data Show a Decline in School-based Bullying

New data indicate the first significant decrease in school-based bullying since the federal government began collecting that data in 2005, suggesting that efforts at the federal, state and local levels to prevent bullying may be paying off. According to new data from the U.S. Department of Education’s National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), the reported prevalence of bullying among students ages 12 to 18 dropped to 22 percent after remaining stubbornly around 28 percent for the past decade.

“As schools become safer, students are better able to thrive academically and socially,” U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan said. “The Department, along with our federal partners and others, has been deeply involved in the fight against bullying in our nation’s schools. Even though we’ve come a long way over the past few years in educating the public about the health and educational impacts that bullying can have on students, we still have more work to do to ensure the safety of our nation’s children.”

“The report brings welcome news,” U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Sylvia M. Burwell said. “Parents, teachers, health providers, community members and young people are clearly making a difference by taking action and sending the message that bullying is not acceptable. We will continue to do our part at HHS to help ensure every child has the opportunity to live, learn and grow in a community free of bullying.”

In 2011, the President and First Lady hosted the first White House Conference on Bullying Prevention where they called for a united effort to address bullying. As the President declared then, “Bullying can have destructive consequences for our young people. And it’s not something we have to accept. As parents and students; teachers and communities, we can take steps that will help prevent bullying and create a climate in our schools in which all of our children can feel safe.” To address the scourge of bullying, the federal government has implemented a suite of executive and public-private partnerships that are helping move to move the needle and reduce incidences of bullying.

In 2013, about 22 percent of students ages 12 to 18 reported being bullied at school during the school year. According to NCES data, this percentage was lower than the percentage reported in every prior survey year since 2005 (when it ranged from 28 to 32 percent). Similarly, lower percentages of students reporting being bullied in 2013 were observed across some student characteristics. For example, in 2013 about 24 percent of female students reported being bullied at school, compared with 29 to 33 percent in prior survey years. While girls ages 12 to 18 tend to report being bullied more than males the same age, the data shows that the pattern of reduced rates over time for males was similar. In 2013, females also reported being cyberbullied more than males. Nine percent of females reported that they were cyberbullied compared with 5 percent of males. The data comes from the School Crime Supplement to the National Crime Victimization Survey, which asks a nationally representative sample of students ages 12—18 if they had been bullied at school.

There are three types of bullying: physical, relational (or social) and verbal. Bullying of any type can occur anywhere and to any student. Research shows that students who are bullied are more likely to struggle in school and skip class. They are more likely to abuse drugs and alcohol, be depressed, and are at higher risk of suicide.

Since 2010, the Education Department has taken actions to combat bullying and cyberbullying. The Department’s efforts include:

• Issuing four Dear Colleague Letters on harassment and bullying, gay-straight alliances, and bullying of students with disabilities
• Adding a requirement to the Civil Rights Data Collection that public elementary and secondary schools report incidents of harassment based on religion and sexual orientation, in addition to harassment based on sex, race, color, national origin, and disability
• Working collaboratively with the Federal Partners in Bullying Prevention, an interagency working group charged with coordinating federal efforts on bullying prevention
• Helping to develop a uniform definition of bullying
• Hosting four bullying prevention summits
• Creating training modules on bullying for school bus drivers and classroom teachers
• Producing the “Indicators of School Crime and Safety,” which includes an indicator on bullying and cyberbullying in schools
• Supporting the work of the Stopbullying.gov website, which is managed by HHS
• Hosting webinars on cyberbullying, sexting, sextortion, and more
• Spearheading the Asian American Pacific Islanders Bullying Prevention Taskforce to explore the unique circumstances faced by AAPI students, including linguistic, cultural and religious issues.

U.S. Department of Education Announces $3 Million in Grants Available to Help Native Youth

The U.S. Department of Education today announced the availability of an estimated $3 million in grants to help Native American youth become college- and career-ready. Funding for the new Native Youth Community Projects is a key step toward implementing President Obama’s commitment to improving the lives of American Indian and Alaskan Native children. The new grants will support the President’s Generation Indigenous “Gen I” Initiative launched last year to help Native American youth.

“We know that tribes are in the best position to determine the needs and barriers that Native youth face,” said U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan. “The Native Youth Community Projects will allow tribal communities to come together to improve outcomes for students.”

In a Federal Register notice, the Department said it would award five to seven demonstration grants ranging from $400,000 to $600,000 to tribal communities before Sept. 30. The new program is based on significant consultation with tribal communities and recognizes that these communities are best-positioned to:

• Identify key barriers to improving educational and life outcomes for Native youth, and
• Develop and implement locally produced strategies designed to address those barriers.

Each grant will support a coordinated, focused approach chosen by a community partnership that includes a tribe, local schools and other optional service providers or organizations. For example, the program allows tribes to identify ways to achieve college and career readiness specific to their own communities – whether it’s early learning, language immersion or mental health services. Communities can tailor actions to address one or more of those issues. The success of these first projects will guide the work of future practices that improve the educational opportunities and achievement of preschool, elementary and secondary Indian students.

The President’s FY 2016 budget proposal calls for increased investments across Indian Country, including a total request of $20.8 billion for a range of federal programs that serve tribes – a $1.5 billion increase over the 2015-enacted level. The budget proposal includes $53 million for fiscal year 2016 – a $50 million increase from this year – to significantly expand the Native Youth Community Projects program.

For more on the Administration’s investment in Native American issues, visit https://www.whitehouse.gov/nativeamericans.

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Meiky Morales Ramirez

Florida International University

This paper provides an overview of five articles by Brown, Ouellette-Kuntz, Hunter, Kelley, Cobigo and Lam (2010), Burke (2013), Chen and Gregory (2011), Starr and Foy (2012), and Valle (2011). It includes an introduction to the topic, perspectives on suggestions or findings, interview headlines, research and conclusions.

Introduction

The study of parental involvement, as well as the influences that parents have had in the development and implementation of laws for special education individuals, has led researchers to recognize the success that teachers, schools and communities can have when partnering together with parents in the education of exceptional children.  Since early 1970’s, with the creation of the Education for All Handicapped Children Act, known today as The Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act (IDEA), the U.S Department of Education has shown support for families and their involvement in their children’s learning environment. IDEA, P.L. 108-446 as cited in (Burke, 2013) notes that “To ensure that children with disabilities received appropriate services, Congressional leaders specifically wrote parents into IDEA. Thus, the legislation requires that parents provide consent for evaluations, receive notices to attend IEP (Individualized Educational Plans) meetings, and possess procedural safeguards” (p. 225)  Parental involvement is a concern of schools today since it is highly associated with students’ achievement. Research shows, “IDEA’s requisite of parental involvement reflects the relationship between parental involvement and children’s academic achievement” (Burke 2013, p.226).Considering the colossal increase of exceptional students, precisely students with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) in the classrooms, today, more than ever, schools need to work with parents and the society as a responsible knowledgeable team when educating special children and closing the achievement gap. As stated by Starr and Foy (2012), “between 2002 and 2006 the Autism and Developmental Disabilities Monitoring Network (2009) reported an average prevalence increase of ASD in 8-year-old children of 57% across 10 sites in the United States” (p.207). How effective can parental involvement be for students with disabilities and their academic improvement when dealing with unsolved current affecting factors in schools today? After revising the literature review current issues of distress overcome as factors affecting parental involvement. The main issues are lack of awareness and lack of knowledge from the parents and the community. Absence of highly qualify training teachers in the field of exceptional education and last but not least, lack of home-based involvement.

Raising Awareness and Educating Parents.

Many times when this topic is approached, the parents’ point of view is usually omitted. Should research focus on the parents that concentrate on what their children are doing or on the parents that concentrate on how well their children are doing? What is considered best practices for parental involvement and how to make it functional?

Schools play an important role in engaging parents. Students, regardless of their disability, class, race, or ethnicity spend almost 70% of their time outside of schools. The earlier parental involvement begins in the student’s education, the more prevailing the effects. Parents lack knowledge about their rights as well as the use of procedural safeguards. “Many parents feel that they not only need to participate but also need to advocate for their children by challenging authority and asking difficult questions” (Soodak & Erwin, 2000 as cited by Burke 2013. p.226). Parents feel limitations imposed by the schools which is an obstacle to facilitate collaboration.

After interviews with parents, when highly involved parents are asked what motivates them to be so involved, many responded that they fear their children would have not received adequate services otherwise. However, parents’ perspective on adequate services can sometimes diverge from reality. The educational system has failed to educate parents about their rights. As mentioned in Valle 2011, it is not until parents own genuine field understanding of the new laws that they can completely embrace their right to be educational associates.

Handing procedural safeguards to parents before and meeting simply because it is stipulated by the law, is not considered resourceful. Parents sometimes lack the education necessary to comprehend what those extensive pages mean. Requesting services only because they are available and attending IEP meetings is not getting involved. Parents are not assisting the students’ needs by just being present. On the contrary, it can create an obstacle between parent and teacher collaboration. Other studies report that a total of 70% of parents of children with disabilities believe that their children lose services because parents do not know their rights (Public Agenda, 2002 as cited by Burke 2013. P. 227). Parents are a great resource when it comes to acquiring information about their child’s strength, likes, dislikes and motivation. Effective parental involvement shows actively engage parents in IEP meetings asking questions. Another way is shown when parents contact state agencies to receive training on special education rights for families of individuals with disabilities Study shows “One way to support parents in navigating the IEP process involves special education advocates” (Burke, 2013. P. 228). The most current methods of parental involvement entail engaging parents in working openly on their child’s learning activities assigned for the home and encouraging them to become school volunteers. The social-emotional development and academic progress for children with disabilities depends on the support they receive both at home and at school. “The main burden of care for children with ASD falls on the family, and parents act as advocate and service coordinators” (Kohler 1999; Thomas et al.2007 as cited by Brown, Ouellette-Kuntz, Hunter, Kelley, Cobigo & Lam, 2010). As recommended in Valle 2011, some ways to enhance collaboration are; inviting parents to school-wide activities, offering professional development to parents so that they can receive professional training. Furthermore, letting them experience education by volunteering in the classroom, establishing ongoing contacts with the school and teaching their children at home. Engaging community members, local business and state organizations as allies in the education of special individuals can improve the students learning outcome.  State organizations and government agencies can offer the parents free workshops and resources to resolve concerns and issues. In addition, partnership of agencies with schools can build support for increasing school funding. Many times they have funding that can be allocated to the schools to provide after school programs and free tutoring.  Studies show that when parents are involved, less students get referred for special education services. The results from a study conducted by Chen and Gregory (2010), found that “parent attendance at meetings was associated with a decreased likelihood that the child would be referred for special education evaluation” (p.455).  Parents can perform a determinant role as an active participant of the youngster’s pre-referral intervention team.

Training Teachers, Administrators and Staff

Another important factor when studying the effects of lack of parental involvement, is assigned to the deficit of training teachers in the field of special education. The vast majority of parents want to see their children succeed, they expect highly qualified educators in the classrooms. To understand what parents feel, it is necessary to denote their views, thoughts and comments about teachers with poor training. After interviewing a few parents about their satisfaction with the educational program of their children, some of them expressed to be highly satisfied, while other alleged to be very unsatisfied. After asking them why where they satisfied or dissatisfied? Some parents communicated to be unsatisfied because their children were misplaced in general education classes with teachers that did not understand their exceptionality. Other parents said because accommodations were not been taking into consideration by the general education teacher. Many parents were upset that some teachers could not even identify the students with special needs. A mother said that when she requested the implementation of his child’s rights the teachers looked clueless and asked her what an IEP was? Satisfied parents who happened to be more involved parents said that they experienced a supportive and welcoming environment from the school administrators and teachers. Many parents were volunteer for the school band, basketball team and frequently chaperone field trips. Satisfied parents knew how to access the student’s grades from home and kept records of the teachers’ emails. Moreover, some were even grateful that their child’s exceptionality was being kept confidential and that the students’ needs were been met in the classroom. Due to the rapid growth of inclusive settings in the educational system, many parents feel that the teachers are not receiving appropriate training in special education. Consequently, the parents’ impression is that teachers are not capable of handling the unique needs of each student in their classroom. Parents argue that classes are been formed with large numbers of students and that many times the students only have regular teachers. Starr and Foy (2012), agreed that “the absence of teacher understanding about exceptionalities, more specific ASD, and the deficiency of effective interventions, has been found as a funder to the parents’ discontent with schools. As mentioned in their study, other researchers such as Batten 2006, found that only 3% of parents of individuals with ASD placed in inclusive environments were pleased with the amount of teacher understanding about the students’ exceptionality” (p.208). The increase of students with ASD in schools has intensified the need for providing high quality educational services and trained professionals in public schools. The Department of Education should require that all teachers, not only special educators, receive training in how to provide effective services and instruction to exceptional children and their families. Teachers need to get familiar with the students. Both general and special educators, need to be able to understand each student’s disability and study the student’s need. Educators need to become experts concerning the student’s weaknesses, strengths, likes and dislikes. Teacher that are not able to understand the uniqueness of their students will build a barrier for parental collaboration. Teacher should respect the fact that parents know their children best. Starr and Foy 2012, stated that, “It is clear from parent comments that teachers’ ability to manage children’s behavior, teacher knowledge and understanding of the disability, and the quality of collaboration and communication differentially affected the parents’ perception of their children’s education experience” (P. 213). Teachers and administrators need to give credit to parents when knowing what is needed of the child, learn to listen and show respect to them. Embracing multicultural and linguistically diverse families and getting familiar with their perceptions instead of stereotyping can help build a positive relationship with minority parents. Poor communication between parents and school can consequently affect collaboration with families. Parents not only expect teachers to provide instruction and classroom management but also to address the students’ emotional needs. Parents expectations go beyond instruction, they anticipate to find in schools a caring and supportive environment of professionals whose main focus is to foster academic attainment and help students become independent members of society Brown et al. (2010) found that, “Specifically, among families who experienced a high level of impact, those who had a child with high functional independence actually had an increased risk for unmet need compared to those with a child with moderate functional independence”. Administrators and staff need to bring support for parents and be able to create a positive experience. Attending workshops and staying up to date with changes and laws involving special education is a way of showing the willingness to get better and be more prepared and knowledgeable in the field. Creating high expectations for the students, having a caring attitude, staying open and understanding the parents’ concerns can intrinsically increase motivation and caregivers’ involvement. Parents have an important role in the decision making of their children’s educational path.

Home Based Involvement, the Beginning of the End

Along similar lines, there is home based involvement as another influential factor in students’ academic achievement. Researchers have found that active parents at school and home obtain greater benefits. For example, increased parental involvement decreases high school drop outs rates (Barnard, 2003 as cited by Burke, 2013) and leads to higher educational expectations (Fan & Chen, 2001; Jeynes, 2007 as cited by Burke, 2013). In addition, parental involvement improves students’ attendance (Epstein & Sheldon, 2002 as cited by Burke, 2013) and decreases at-risk behaviors (Vakalahi, 2001 as cited by Burke 2013, P. 226).  Parents who contact teachers via phone or e-mail, who read written communications from the educators or the school, who actively participate in IEP meetings and teacher-parent conferences and who spend time teaching and reviewing home works and assignments with their children obtain greater results in the students’ academic progress and participation. “Parental Involvement impacts students’ academic achievement both directly and indirectly. For example, factors that directly affect students’ achievement include the following: parents completing homework with their children, attending school events, and communicating with the school” (Jeynes, 2007 as cited in Burke 2013). During discussions with parents, many complain of not having time to help their children with school work. A few immigrant parents expressed frustration because they could not understand the child’s language. The parents thought that because they did not speak English they could not help their child. However, dedicating a few minutes to read to their child either in English or other languages, encouraging the child to read, knowing their child readiness progress, creating a library at home, exposing the child to public libraries, helping the child with school projects, explaining homework, and enabling a place for the child to study can increase the child’s motivation and develop academic success. Parents should actively support school activities, help in classrooms and on field trips to obtain great achievement benefits. On the other hand, schools should offer a variety of ways in which parents can participate. Parents differ in their enthusiasm, aptitude, capability, educational level and disposal of time for active association in school events and activities. Success happens when parents and school districts become affiliates in providing an effective education and necessary relative services for the students.

Conclusion, Factors and Solutions

In conclusion, numerous solutions exist to improve parental involvement in schools across districts. Prevailing factors significantly serve as obstacles that impede meaningful parental involvement in schools today. The lack of  awareness and knowledge from parents about their rights and students services in special education, the difficulties and negative experiences reported by parents about shortage of training from teachers and the absence of home-based involvement has contribute to negatively affect teacher-school-student-parent interactions. Common issues brought from both the staff and parent interviews related to the current factors illustrated above. Both parents and staff have expressed a desire and need for parental involvement. However, the barriers experienced by both parties have caused strained relationships. The importance of communicating effectively and creating positive effects for collaboration between parents and schools is evident. Mutually, parents and teachers face challenges when educating special children but share similar expectations for the support of the students’ development. Therefore, considerations and further studies need to be developed to increase positive experiences and parental involvement. Research is needed to create a long-term impact in the education of students with ASD and other disabilities. Studies need to be conducted to determine the degree of the effects, either negative or positive, concerning parent-school collaboration. Some positive guidelines are: communicating to parents the importance, benefits and necessity of their support, encouraging parent involvement since early stages in the student’s education path, educating parents and offering resources for acquiring knowledge of their rights and responsibilities, developing parental programs with a focus in instruction so that the parents can learn how to assist and monitor their children from home, providing training and orientation that is updated and evidence-based practice, becoming familiar with diverse and low income families to bring them the support they need, respectfully continue to emphasize the importance of parent’s input and decision making and providing continuous options and availability to enable participation of parents in school activities and events.

References

Brown, H. K., Ouellette-Kuntz, H., Hunter, D., Kelley, E., Cobigo, V., & Lam, M. (2011).

Beyond an Autism Diagnosis: Children’s Functional Independence and Parents’ Unmet

Needs. Journal of Autism & Developmental Disorders, 41(10), 1291-1302. doi:

10.1007/s10803-010-1148-y

Burke, M. M. (2013). Improving Parental involvement: Training Special Education Advocates.

Journal of Disability Policy Studies, 23(4), 225-234. doi: 10.1177/1044207311414910

Chen, W. B., & Gregory, A. (2010). Parental Involvement in the Prereferral Process:

Implications for Schools. Remedial and Special Education, 23(6), 447-457. doi:

10.1177/0741932510362490

Starr, E. M., & Foy, J. B. (2012). In Parent’s Voices: The Education of Children with Autism

Spectrum Disorders. Remedial and Special Education, 33(4), 207-216. doi:

10.1177/0741932510383161

Valle, J. W. (2011). Down the Rabbit Hole: A commentary About Research on Parents and

Special Education. Council on Learning Disabilities, 34(3), 183-190. doi:

10.1177/0731948711417555

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

http://www.parentcenterhub.org/repository/buzz-april2015/

Welcoming the Branch!

The Military PTAC, also known as the Branch, has officially launched its website, opened its doors for business, and joins the bustle of the Parent Center network. The Branch is available to help Parent Centers increase their visibility with, and support for, military families within their communities. Its website includes a map with links to military installations in the United States and territories.

The Branch has designated staff who will serve as primary contacts for Parent Centers seeking technical assistance and information on addressing the needs of military families of children with disabilities in the area. Resources in the Branch’s library include one-pagers organized by topic areas, such as military courtesies, the Exceptional Family Member Program, TRICARE (military insurance), and much more. The Branch plans a quarterly e-newsletter that will include information from Parent Centers, military subject matter experts, and resources.

Visit the Branch and find out which staff serves as your Center’s primary contact.
https://branchta.org/

https://branchta.org/______________________

New Resources in the Hub

What’s new in the resource library? Here are 3 resources we’ve recently added.

Free, on-demand accessible TV programs for 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 Department of Education’s Accessible Television Portal.

Quick guide to dispute resolution for parents in Spanish!
New from CADRE is this comparison chart in Spanish of the dispute resolution approaches that parents have available to them, such as mediation, state complaint, and due process. What are the benefits of each, when would a parent choose one approach versus another, who initiates a given process, who pays? All this info in a handy chart! Now available in Spanish as well as English.

State seclusion and restraint laws and policies.
How Safe Is The Schoolhouse? An Analysis of State Seclusion and Restraint Laws and Policies has been updated for 2015. You can use the guide to find out what your state’s current policies and practices are with respect to seclusion and restraint.

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Spotlight on … Spanish and Easy-to-Read Resources

Parent Centers serve many, many families who need materials and information inSpanish or at lower reading levels. Not always the easiest materials to find! But here are a few you and your families may find helpful.

Special education, Spanish, easy-to-read.
A collaborative endeavor from Wisconsin—including WI FACETS—-this comprehensive guide to special education is written in plain language and is easy to read online. It’s available in Englishand Spanish. Way to go, WI FACETS!

Mental health issues in Spanish.
The Child Mind Institute offers many resources in Spanish that address mental health issues in children. Take a look at the long list of what’s available, which includes topics such as: anxiety, divorce, parenting, eating disorders, autism, disruptive behavior, AD/HD, Tourette syndrome, and processing disorders.

Mental health disorders, Spanish, easy-to-read.
NIMH (the National Institute of Mental Health) offers three types of publications on mental health disorders and other conditions: booklets(which are detailed), brochures (easy-to-read), and fact sheets. Many are also available in Spanish. The link above will take you to the list of what’s available, which includes: anxiety disorders, autism, bipolar disorder, OCD, PSTD, and more.

Kidney and urologic diseases, Spanish, easy-to-read.
Courtesy of the National Kidney and Urologic Diseases Information Clearinghouse (NKUDIC), connect families with easy-to-read or Spanish publications on kidney and urologic diseases, including dictionaries of medical terms.

Diabetes, Spanish, easy-to-read.
Connect families with easy-to-read or Spanish publications on diabetes, including a dictionary, how to count carbs, and what you need to know about medications, eating, and physical activity.

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Resources You Can Share with Families

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

Eight 1-minute anxiety relief tools for kids big and small.
Here are eight research-based ideas parents can try with their kids when they’re feeling stressed or anxious.

For military families.
In honor of the Month of the Military Child (this month, April), we’re pleased to share two resources for military families:

Child Mind offers thisguide to information about the challenges of raising kids in a military family, including access to mental health care, advice on dealing with the strain of deployment and return, and the particular mental health risks for kids and parents in this community.

We’ve updated Resources Especially for Military Families (a NICHCY legacy resource) on the Hub. It now reflects the role that Parent Centers play in providing information and training to military families of children with disabilities.

ADHD by the numbers: Facts, statistics, and you.
This infographic on Healthline presents ADHD statistics and numbers in a visual guide, showcasing the high cost of ADHD and which states have the highest prevalence of children with ADHD.

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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 continue our focus on effective educational practices for improving student outcomes. This will undoubtedly be a large part of the work to be done in states as they write and implement their SSIPs.

Improving graduation rates of students with disabilities.
Students with disabilities have lower graduation rates than students without disabilities, and many states are taking steps to address this gap. The Southeast Comprehensive Center recently completed two Information Requests on different states’ approaches to improving high school graduation rates of students with disabilities. One publication examines approaches in California, Florida, North Carolina, and Texas. The other publication reviews strategies in Delaware, Kentucky, Maryland, and Tennessee.

Early literacy website.
Newly launched by the U.S. Department of Education, the Early Literacy website provides basic information about the importance of effective reading instruction in the early grades, and focuses on the steps schools might take to ensure that kindergarten and first-grade students receive the supports they need to read on grade level by third grade.

Video | Promoting successful transitions for youth with serious mental health conditions.
This 1-hour webinar from SRI International is now available on YouTube. Learn about new findings from the National Longitudinal Transition Study-2 (NLTS2) on factors that improve educational and employment outcomes of youth with emotional disturbance.

What about reauthorizing ESEA?
ESEA is the nation’s general education law, the Elementary and Secondary Education Act. It was last reauthorized under the Bush administration as the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) and is currently the subject of much discussion and debate. Parent Centers are naturally interested in what reauthorization will mean for students in general and for those with disabilities. Here are three resources on the subject.

The ESEA page at the Department of Education

27 civil rights groups and education advocates release principles for ESEA reauthorization

ESEA reauthorization: How we can build upon No Child Left Behind’s progress for students with disabilities in a reauthorized ESEA

States Moving Forward On ABLE Accounts
http://www.disabilityscoop.com/2015/03/13/states-moving-forward-able/20131/
The recent federal Achieving a Better Life Experience (ABLE) Act provides a way for people with disabilities to save without risking their government benefits, and now most states are working to make the new accounts available. The ABLE Act, signed late in 2014 by President Barack Obama, lets people with disabilities open special accounts where they can save up to $100,000 without jeopardizing eligibility for Social Security and other government programs. Before the accounts can become available, however, states must put regulations in place. To date, lawmakers in more than half of states have taken steps to create the new savings vehicles, advocates say.

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.

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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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