Yesterday, Secretary Duncan announced that the Department of Education has approved eight more states for waivers from certain requirements in No Child Left Behind, the Elementary and Secondary Education Act.
The eight states (Connecticut, Delaware, Louisiana, Maryland, New York, North Carolina, Ohio and Rhode Island), brings the total number of states to receive waivers to 19, with an additional 18 applications still under review. A total of 26 states applied for the second round of waivers, meaning many more are still waiting to hear if they will be approved. The Department has also indicated it will accept a third round of waiver applications, probably in the fall.
States who receive flexibility under NCLB agree to develop state-level plans to prepare all students for college and career, focus aid on the neediest students, and support effective teaching and leadership. CEC will be reviewing the approved applications to determine how states propose to include special educators and students with disabilities. CEC has issued recommendations for changes which would benefit these students under the law and they can be found here.
Last week, during the 2012 Labor Management Conference, U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan and several other national education leaders signed onto a shared vision for the next generation of teaching. In this shared vision, Duncan and the other signatories enumerated three main goals for the future of the teaching profession – to ensure all students are challenged to meet high standards which prepare them for college, career and citizenship; shrinking the access and opportunity gaps; and ensuring all students are globally competitive.
The necessary elements for achieving these goals can be described by seven core principles:
This shared vision was created following the 2012 International Summit on the Teaching Profession held in New York City in March, at which teachers, union leaders and education ministers from 23 countries and regions shared ideas to elevate teaching and improve student performance. The 2012 Labor management Conference, which brought together state and district groups to highlight local work in building the next generation of great teaching, provided a backdrop for the finalization of this new shared vision.
CEC is pleased the Department is working with Education Stakeholders to ensure that our nation moves forward in a comprehensive fashion to address the challenges facing education in our country. CEC will continue to monitor this situation to advocate for the inclusion of children and youth with disabilities and gifts and talents.
The U.S. Department of Education has issued a call for expert reviewers for the Fiscal Year 2012 Teacher Incentive Fund (TIF) competition. TIF is a $299 million grant program which provides financial support for teachers, principals and other personnel in high-need schools to increase effectiveness and achievement by implementing sustainable performance-based compensation systems.
Reviewers selected for this process will be trained on-site on Friday, August 3rd in Washington D.C. and will independently read, score, and comment on the applications for the grant program over the weekend, with a discussion of preliminary scores with panel members over the weekend. The on-site review will ensure that all reviewers understand the applications and selection criteria and are able to discuss differences in scoring and finalization of scores in a group setting.
Reviewers will receive an honorarium of $1,500 for participating in this process and the U.S. Department of Education will cover travel expenses. To qualify as a reviewer, individuals much have internet access and strong computer skills, and possess experience in high-quality evaluation systems. This experience can include graduate courses in evaluation, conducting teacher/principal evaluations, participation in a school committee or experience as a coach or mentor teacher.
To apply, email a resume no longer than 5 pages to TIFresumes@seiservices.com along with the peer reviewer checklist by June 8, 2012. For more information on application requirements and to access the peer reviewer checklist necessary for a complete application, please click here.
The U.S. Department of Education has entered the debate around the use of restraint and seclusion in its most substantive way yet. In a 40 page document released last week, the Department identified 15 principles that it suggests states, local school districts, preschool, elementary, and secondary schools, parents, and other stakeholders consider as the framework for policies and procedures related to restraint and seclusion.
“As education leaders, our first responsibility must be to make sure that schools foster learning in a safe environment for all of our children and teachers,” U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan said. “I believe this document is an important step toward this goal. I also want to salute leaders in Congress for their vigilance on this issue.”
The 15 principles that frame the document ultimately highlight how schoolwide behavioral interventions can significantly reduce or eliminate the use of restraint or seclusion. These guiding principles offer states, districts and other education leaders a framework for developing appropriate policies related to restraint and seclusion to ensure the safety of adults and children.
Importantly, the document emphasizes that restraint and seclusion are not treatment for behavior disorders and it affirms CEC’s position that any use of restraint or seclusion in schools should only occur in emergency situations - when there is a threat of imminent danger of serious physical harm to the student or others. The document also provides a synopsis of ongoing efforts by federal agencies to address national concerns about using restraint and seclusion in schools, and includes links to state restraint and seclusion policies and procedures.
“Ultimately, the standard for educators should be the same standard that parents use for their own children,” Duncan added. “There is a difference between a brief time out in the corner of a classroom to help a child calm down and locking a child in an isolated room for hours. This really comes down to common sense.”
CEC applauds the Department for its work on this document and for the continued emphasis on this important issue.
Rea d CEC’s resources on Restraint & Seclusion.
Read the Department of Education’s full document here.
The U.S. Department of Education announced a new priority for applications for the Technology and Media Services for Individuals with Disabilities—Stepping-Up Technology Implementation Program. This program focuses on three priorities. The first is to promote the development, demonstration and use of technology to improve results for students with disabilities. The second priority is to provide educational value to students with disabilities in the form of educational media services activities and the third to support improvements to captioning and video descriptions that are appropriate for classroom use.
A report issued today by the National Center on Universal Design for Learning titled Understanding the Impact of the Race to the Top and ARRA Funding on the Promotion of Universal Design for Learning indicated that many states are pursuing implementation of UDL principles to support student learning.
Universal Design for Learning (UDL) is an educational framework that focuses on three areas:
While the report reflects many examples of states that are moving forward, it also identifies many barriers to full implementation of UDL, such as: a need for additional professional development; need for greater resources and investment from the state and federal level; and the need to have UDL better infused into general and special education laws (i.e. the Elementary and Secondary Education Act/No Child Left Behind and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act).
The 14 states surveyed in the report had all used the terms “universal design” or “universal design for learning” in their Race to the Top applications. Four of the 14 states surveyed received RTTT grants.
CEC is a member of the National UDL Taskforce, a group of 40 organizations that promote the use of UDL and its inclusion in various federal education policies.
Learn more about UDL, including accessing the UDL Guidelines, implementation tips, and much more at: www.udlcenter.org.
Check out CEC's book on UDL and other resources here.
Just what constitutes ‘evidence-based practice’ is a widely discussed topic of conversation, particularly among educators who are determining which interventions, instructional strategies, and curricula to use with children and youth with disabilities. With federal laws mandating their use, educators need guidance when making these determinations.
That’s where CEC’s evidence-based practice resources come in.
For the last few years, CEC has been working with a group of special education researchers and practitioners to highlight and explain ‘evidence-based practice’ through two special editions of Exceptional Children, CEC’s premiere research journal, and through other initiatives.
In the meantime, CEC has urged the U.S. Department of Education to revise its definition of ‘evidence-based’ as proposed in the IDEA State Personnel Development Grant program. The proposed definition reads: “Evidence-based refers to practices for which there is strong evidence or moderate evidence of effectiveness.”
CEC – with the integral input of its members, particularly the Division for Research – has called this definition overly broad and vague. Among CEC’s many concerns is that the proposed definition would do little to improve instructional practice because the language referring to “moderate evidence of effectiveness” undermines the purpose of evidence-based practices, which is intended to set a high bar for practices supported by a trustworthy body of research.
While CEC’s work to define ‘evidence-based practice’ is still underway, and a more complete definition of evidence-based may emerge, the proposed definition must be strengthened to ensure the spirit of evidences is upheld in its implementation. CEC proposed to change the definition to:
“Evidence based refers to practices that are supported by a sufficient number of high quality studies that use research designs from which causality can be inferred and that demonstrate meaningful effects on student outcomes.”
CEC’s proposed definition originates from the work of numerous special education researchers, most directly from CEC’s Division for Research whitepaper, Thinking and Communicating Clearly About Evidence-Based Practices in Special Education by Bryan G. Cook and Sara Cothren Cook.
While the debate over defining ‘evidence-based’ promises to continue for some time, take a look at these helpful resources from CEC.
Read CEC’s Full Response to the State Personnel Development Grant Proposed Priorities and Definitions by clicking here.
Recent, Secretary Kathleen Sebelius of the U.S. Department for Health and Human Services (HHS) announced 15 new members to the Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee. The IACC is an advisory committee composed of individuals from federal and the general public and is charged with three major responsibilities. The first is to coordinate all the HHS efforts concerning Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). The second is to develop and update the strategic plan for ASD and the third is to provide advice to the HHS Secretary on ASD. The committee pulls its members from a wide range of federal agencies and public institutions involved in Autism research and services.
IACC meetings are open to the public and include a variety of panel discussions, presentations and discussions on a variety of topics, including activities and projects of the IACC, recent advances in science and policy issues on autism.
To read the bios of those chosen for this committee, please click here.
CEC has called for these types of cross agency and department initiatives for years and applauds the formation of this committee. CEC will closely monitor the IACC’s work and ensure that CEC’s views and member priorities are represented.
Today, the U.S. Secretary of Education, Arne Duncan, surprised CEC Member, Benjamin White, by calling him to express his appreciation for Ben’s outstanding work in the field of education and to encourage him to keep it up.
“It was definitely surprising,” and “I had no idea Secretary Duncan would join the call,” said White. “I thought I was just going to speak to members of the Department’s staff about teacher preparation programs – I had no idea what was coming!”
Secretary Duncan thanked Ben for his commitment to education and praised his accomplishments. He also asked Ben what he thought the Department of Education should do to attract great teachers? Ben told the Secretary that in his experience, having the opportunity to work in the field and be engaged in the classroom with the students was critical to his decision to work in education.
Ben is currently a full time student pursuing a double major in Elementary Education and Special Education with an endorsement in Cognitive Impairment at Eastern Michigan University. Prior to enrolling at Eastern Michigan, Ben was a paraprofessional in Rochester Community Schools. It was there in a classroom for students with Autism that he found his passion for education.
Ben is an active CEC member and currently serves as President and Children and Youth Action Network Coordinator for the Michigan CEC Student Association. As a student leader in his university chapter and now at the state level, Ben’s focus has been on ensuring teaching students receive meaningful professional development. This year he was also honored at CEC’s convention with the Kayte M. Fearn CEC Ethnic Diversity Scholarship.
Secretary Duncan’s call to Ben takes place during Teacher Appreciation Week. Ben was one of just four teachers that Secretary Duncan selected to call personally and express his appreciation for their dedication and work. CEC commemorates Ben White for all of his accomplishments and this impressive recognition today.
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