|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
AUTISM FIRST STEPS
AUTISM DAILY NEWSLETTER
Sunday, November 18, 2001
INDEX:
* PUTTING STUDENTS TO WORK ON CLASSROOM DISCIPLINE
* BUSH WANTS OWN PICTURE OF SPECIAL EDUCATION
* IDEA FUNDING, WITH MORE STATE CONTROL, IN PLAY AS CONGRESS
FINISHES ED BILL
* NEWS BRIEF -- IDEA REATHORIZATION ON HORIZON; DEPARTMENT OF ED
SEEKS INPUT
* NEWS BRIEF -- SCHOOL ADMINISTRATORS GET IDEA DISCIPLINE HELP
* GRANT, SCHOLARSHIP AND OTHER FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES
***************************************
PUTTING STUDENTS TO WORK ON
CLASSROOM DISCIPLINE
>From Katherine Mitchem, West Virginia University, and Julieann Benyo, Ogden
City School District, Ogden, Utah
Students in middle school and high school can take charge of their own
behavior and classroom discipline with some encouragement, and perhaps an
element of competition to make it exciting. A pair of educators in Maryland
developed a self-management plan, tested on middle-school students, that
builds on the "thumbs up, thumbs down" feedback method many teachers
use
with very young children. The plan gives teachers a quiet way, without
disrupting their teaching, to let students know when they are not acting
appropriately.
READ THIS WEEK'S LESSON PLAN:
www.specialednews.com/educators/lessonplans/behaviorlesson111301.html
Special Education News has links to many more pages full of lesson plans for
special ed and general ed teachers, addressing many different objectives.
Take a look @ www.specialednews.com/educators/lessonplans/lessons.html
............................................................................
BUSH WANTS OWN PICTURE OF SPECIAL EDUCATION
WASHINGTON, November 11, 2001 -- The White House is asking two dozen
people
from all corners of the U.S. special education field explain the current
special ed system in a more comprehensive manner than Congress, embroiled in
debates over federal special ed funding and disciplinary procedures for kids
with disabilities, has presented during President George W. Bush's 10 months
in office. In an executive order last month, President Bush authorized the
formation of the President's Commission on Excellence in Special Education,
with instructions to report on the strengths and weaknesses of the programs
created and partially funded by the Individuals with Disabilities Education
Act.
READ THE FULL ARTICLE:
BUSH WANTS OWN PICTURE OF SPECIAL EDUCATIONNovember 11, 2001 WASHINGTON
--
The White House is asking two dozen people from all corners of the U.S. special
education field explain the current special ed system in a more comprehensive
manner than Congress, embroiled in debates over federal special ed funding and
disciplinary procedures for kids with disabilities, has presented during
President George W. Bush's 10 months in office. In an executive order last
month, President Bush authorized the formation of the President's Commission on
Excellence in Special Education, with instructions to report on the strengths
and weaknesses of the programs created and partially funded by the Individuals
with Disabilities Education Act. All commissioners will be unpaid but
compensated for travel and other meeting expenses to develop the report, which
is due no later than April 30, 2002. The goals set out in Bush's executive
order mirror those the U.S. Department of Education targets each year as it
compiles its Annual
Report to Congress on the Implementation of IDEA. One
key difference in the two reports, which are likely to be released around the
same time next spring, is where the information and recommendations will come
from. Bush appears to be looking for as many different kinds of voices as
possible in the. According to the executive order, "The members may
include current and former Federal, State, and local government officials,
recognized special education experts, special and general education finance
experts, education researchers, educational practitioners, parents of children
or young adults with disabilities, persons with disabilities, and others with
special experience and expertise in the education of children with
disabilities." The Annual Report to Congress, on the other hand, is
largely compiled from on statistical analysis of information from the
Department of Education's special ed staffers, as well as feedback from
regional resource centers and other agency special ed contacts. For the
President's Commission, nineteen members will be named by the White House from
the general public, while up to five additional members will come from the
Education and Health and Human Services Departments. The commission is expected
collect information on federal, state, and local special education programs
from experts as well as members of the public, such as parents, educators and
other service providers. From that feedback, they will develop policy
recommendations for the federal government's role in improving students with
disabilities' educational outcomes. The group will look at three areas in which
the government plays or could play a role.
IDEA
FUNDING, WITH MORE STATE CONTROL, IN PLAY AS CONGRESS FINISHES ED BILL; IDEA
Discipline Protection Under Fire
September 30, 2001
Not surprisingly, the most emphasis in Bush's executive order falls on funding
special ed. The President charged the commission with examining how
cost-effective current approaches to educating students with disabilities are.
The group will look at the appropriate role of the federal government should be
and identify and analyze factors that have contributed to the rising cost of
special education since the enactment of IDEA's predecessor, the Education for
All Handicapped Children Act, in 1975. Bush also asked the commission to
suggest ways to best use federal resources, look at whether government
bureaucracy supports or hinders the provision of quality special ed services
and consider what role state and local governments have played and should play
in financing these services. Second, the commission is expected to get a clear
sense of what areas of the special ed field need more research. In addition,
the group will analyze how differences in local education agencies' size,
location, wealth and demographics impact the classification of students in
special ed programs, their success rates and the cost of educating them.
Finally, the commission will evaluate the effectiveness of current efforts to
improve special education. Specifically, Bush asked for feedback on reading
programs, a pet project of First Lady Laura Bush -- the commission is to look
at whether early intervention in reading instruction reduces the number of
children identified with disabilities and referred for special ed services
later. In addition, the White House wants to know how the federal government
can help school districts recruit and retain qualified educators and integrate
students with disabilities in performance and accountability systems.8
www.specialednews.com/washwatch/washnews/bushspedcommission111101.html
............................................................................
IDEA FUNDING, WITH MORE STATE
CONTROL,
IN PLAY AS CONGRESS FINISHES ED BILL
IDEA
Discipline Protection Under Fire
WASHINGTON, September 30, 2001 -- As a joint committee of senators and
representatives work out the final details of an elementary and secondary
education reauthorization bill to send President Bush, a plan to fully fund
special education is still on the table. If it survives the compromise
talks, the plan would require the federal government to increase state
special ed grants by $2.5 billion per year for six years to cover 40 percent
of the average cost of providing services under the Individuals with
Disabilities Education Act. Unlike other attempts to fully fund IDEA in
recent years, the plan developed by Sens. Chuck Hagel (R-Neb.) and Tom
Harkin (D-Iowa) could make it to Bush's desk before Congress adjourns,
thanks to a provision that will allow states that comply with IDEA to spend
the extra special ed money on other education programs.
READ THE FULL ARTICLE:
IDEA FUNDING, WITH MORE STATE CONTROL, IN PLAY AS CONGRESS FINISHES ED BILL
IDEA Discipline Protection Under FireSeptember 30, 2001 WASHINGTON -- As
a joint committee of senators and representatives work out the final details of
an elementary and secondary education reauthorization bill to send President
Bush, a plan to fully fund special education is still on the table. If it
survives the compromise talks, the plan would require the federal government to
increase state special ed grants by $2.5 billion per year for six years to cover
40 percent of the average cost of providing services under the Individuals with
Disabilities Education Act. Unlike other attempts to fully fund IDEA in recent
years, the plan developed by Sens. Chuck Hagel (R-Neb.) and Tom Harkin (D-Iowa)
could make it to Bush's desk before Congress adjourns, thanks to a provision
that will allow states that comply with IDEA to spend the extra special ed
money on other education programs.
Contact
ESEA Bill Conferees Attend
IDEA Reauthorization Forums
The committee of 18 Democrats and 20 Republicans is working to reconcile
numerous differences in S.1 and H.R.1, the
elementary and secondary education reauthorization bills that passed the Senate
and the House, respectively, earlier this year. In addition to the full-funding
plan, H.R.1 contains a provision that, if passed unchanged, would remove some
of the protections added to IDEA in 1997 for students who break discipline
rules on school property. The discipline amendment, sponsored by Sen. Jeff
Sessions (R-Ala.) and Rep. Charlie Norwood (R-Ga.), would allow state and local
education agencies to draft their own discipline rules, to apply to all
students whether they have a disability or not, for cases involving weapons,
assault or drugs. Introducing the amendment on the House floor in May, Norwood
argued it will make schools safer by applying the rules to all students.
"A special needs student receives preferential treatment when it comes to
being punished for outrageous behavior," Norwood said. "My
amendment…gives schools the authority to have a consistent discipline policy
for all students. It allows special needs students to be disciplined under the
same policy as non-special needs students in the exact same situation."
Though the Sessions-Norwood amendment passed the House as part of H.R.1, some
in the House and Senate oppose the measure, and lobbyists in the disability community
say it could still be defeated in conference. Among those against changing
IDEA's discipline protection is Rep. George Miller (D-Calif.), a member of the
conference committee and an original author of the federal special ed law in
the mid 1970s. Speaking against the measure during House debate, Miller
rejected Norwood's suggestion that kids with disabilities get preferential
treatment. SCHOOL
ADMINISTRATORS GET IDEA DISCIPLINE HELP
September 30, 2001
LATEST
IN STEADY STREAM OF DISCIPLINE MEASURES COMES FROM SENATOR ASHCROFT
May 29, 2000
"What we do under the law is recognize that children with handicaps, with
disabilities, in many instances, must be treated differently because of those
disabilities," Miller argued. "What we do in this is suggest that we
cannot, under the federal law, deny them continued education if they are
suspended, because we understand the problems of educating some of these
children, many of whom have multiple handicaps, multiple disabilities; that if
we stop the educational services, in many instances, it is very difficult to
start or to have that child catch up." As the conference committee
continues to meet, the disability community is lobbying hard to defeat the
Sessions-Norwood amendment. The National Mental
Health Association cautions against "the proposed abandonment
of current law protections, because a disproportionate number of youngsters
involved in school disciplinary proceedings are children with serious emotional
disturbances." According to the NMHA, "Adoption of either of the
proposed disciplinary amendments would set back the clock to a period when
thousands of students were denied special education by school systems."
The NMHA and other special ed advocates, including the Council for Exceptional Children, argue any
revision or reconsideration of IDEA's discipline policy belongs in the IDEA
reauthorization process, which is slated to begin next year. The Hagel-Harkin
funding plan, on the other hand, has won widespread endorsement from the
disability community and education organizations. Eight groups sent conferees a
letter last week to nudge the committee toward approving the plan. "At the
state level, and most importantly at the local level, the full federal
commitment for IDEA is crucial to education reform," the groups argued.
"Given the overall economic uncertainty facing our nation and declining
revenues available at the state and local level, it is imperative that Congress
provides the funding promised for children with disabilities." Critical to
ensuring passage of some kind of IDEA funding measure is the support of the
states as well. The National Governors'
Association has not specifically endorsed the Hagel-Harkin plan, but at its
annual meeting in August the group passed a resolution supporting
"enactment of legislation that makes IDEA funding a mandatory expenditure
with incremental increases and eases the current federal restrictions for
offsetting the costs to states." The CEC, the National
Education Association, the National PTA
and others say they are willing to accept such an easement of the federal rules
-- including allowing states to spend less than the total amount of federal aid
allocated for special education each year -- if the states do a better job of
providing services to students with special needs. NCD
WANTS STATE IDEA OVERSIGHT SHIFTED FROM PARENTS TO DOJ
January 7, 2000 Find a state,
then click "IDEA Compliance" for state-specific reports How Much More
Would Each State Get?
Choose a state,
then click "State Data & Web Links" for the most recent estimate
Under the Hagel-Harkin plan, school districts would be allowed to spend as much
as 55 percent of the extra federal funds they receive starting in fiscal year
2002 on non-special ed projects. For example, the state of Wisconsin received
$108.45 million in federal funds for special ed programs in 2001, according to
the U.S. Department of
Education. Under the Hagel-Harkin plan, it would receive an additional
$83.45 million, according to estimates by the American
Association of School Administrators, as the first step toward meeting the
federal government's 40 percent commitment by 2007. School districts in
Wisconsin could use up to $45.9 million of the extra $83.45 million on general
education programs. Over 10 years, the CEC estimates, that could yield an extra
$77.2 billion in money for other school programs, while at least $104.06
billion would always be reserved for special ed. With flexibility comes
accountability, however. If a school district fails to meet IDEA's
requirements, it would lose that spending freedom and could be required to put
the special ed funds into specific programs as dictated by the Department of
Education. On the flip side, local school districts that can already
demonstrate they fully comply with all of IDEA's rules could apply for
permission to use all of its extra special ed allocation on other projects.
Linking increased spending flexibility to state compliance with IDEA could
delay the redirection of extra special ed funds to non-special ed programs in
many states. As previously reported, all 50 states have consistently failed to
meet most of IDEA's requirements in recent years.8
www.specialednews.com/washwatch/washnews/ESEAIDEAfunds093001.html
............................................................................
NEWS BRIEF -- IDEA REATHORIZATION ON HORIZON;
DEPARTMENT OF ED SEEKS INPUT
IDEA REATHORIZATION ON HORIZON; DEPARTMENT OF ED
SEEKS INPUTSeptember 30, 2001
IDEA
FUNDING, WITH MORE STATE CONTROL, IN PLAY AS CONGRESS FINISHES ED BILL
September 30, 2001 Check our Events Calendar for
more details.
WASHINGTON -- The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act comes up for renewal
by Congress next year, and people on both sides of the special ed debate are
looking to that reauthorization as an opportunity to fine-tune or, in some
cases, eliminate provisions that have proven unpopular or ineffective since the
law was last updated in 1997. The current law's disciplinary rules, for
example, may come under heavy fire when Congress convenes a new session next
January if a current alteration sponsored by Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.) and
Rep. Chuck Norwood (R-Ga.) is defeated in the Elementary and Secondary
Education Act reauthorization bill. In preparation for next year's debate, the
U.S. Department of Education's Office of Special
Education Programs has scheduled eight forums to gather public input on the
best and worst aspects of IDEA as it stands today. Federally funded regional
IDEA resource centers in Minneapolis, Mobile, Ala., Providence, Reno, Nev.,
Salt Lake City, San Antonio, Texas, and Washington, D.C., are hosting the
forums. Each resource center will provide interpreters for people with hearing
disabilities and stipends for parents needing childcare during the meetings.8
www.specialednews.com/washwatch/washnews/briefIDEAforums093001.html
............................................................................
NEWS BRIEF -- SCHOOL
ADMINISTRATORS GET IDEA DISCIPLINE HELP
SCHOOL ADMINISTRATORS GET IDEA DISCIPLINE HELPSeptember
30, 2001
to view this document you will need Acrobat Reader
WASHINGTON -- The U.S. Department of Education recently released a collection
of research and technical information to help school administrators improve
the safety of their schools and school grounds while also complying with the
Individuals with Disabilities Education Act's rules governing disciplinary
action for students with disabilities. The new materials are part of the department's
effort to support the extensive law revisions in the 1997 reauthorization of
IDEA, which included specific assurances that kids with special needs would
continue to receive public educational services even if suspended or expelled
from school. In addition to helping administrators implement "what works
to create safe, effective learning environments for all children," the
Education Department's Office of Special Education Programs said, "We also
want to clarify some common misunderstandings about what schools can do in
those rare instances where a child with a disability threatens the safe school
environment."
www.specialednews.com/educators/ednews/briefEDdisciplineguide093001.html
............................................................................
GRANT, SCHOLARSHIP AND OTHER
FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES
@
www.specialednews.com/funding.html
Deadlines are fast approaching for the following opportunities:
* U.S. Department of Education Grants:
- Research and Innovation To Improve Services and Results For Children With
Disabilities
- Technology and Media Services For Individuals With Disabilities
- Training and Information For Parents Of Children With Disabilities
* Radio Shack National Teacher Awards
* Foundation for Exceptional Children Yes I Can! Awards
Special Education News features a lengthy and growing online list of various
sources of money for educators and others seeking to fund special ed
projects or obtain or upgrade teaching equipment and materials. Check out
our funding page for the latest items! We welcome information on additional
opportunities. E-mail them to calendar@specialednews.com.
**************************************
Autism Awakening, Autism FIrst Steps Newsletter,
or any staff do not endorse any individuals, groups or programs.
References regarding programs, meetings, resources, research, opinions,
treatment, etc., should not be interpreted as an indication of
endorsement. They are provided for informational purposes only.
To View
Newsletter Policies they are located at the Newsletter
Website:
Direct Link:: Autism
First Steps Newsletter
http://autismawakeninginia.bizland.com/autismfirststepsnewsletter/
To have
friends, Family, or professionals join:
1. they can go to the above link
2. They can go to the Newsletter Group page located at:
Direct Link::
Yahoo!
Groups : AutismFirstStepsAutismNewsletter
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/AutismFirstStepsAutismNewsletter
3 Send a e-mail to AutismAwakening@aol.com and ask to be subscribed to
the free online daily newsletter
Visit one of the largest websites Commited to bringing you the latest in news,
options, and techniques, and more on Autism located at:
Direct Link:: Autism Awakening 4 Kids
www.AutismAwakening.com
To Submit a
story, alert, readers post, or advertisement please e-mail AutismAwakening@aol.com
To be removed reply to this e-mail and requested to be removed from the list.
To
unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
AutismFirstStepsAutismNewsletter-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com
Your use of
Yahoo! Groups is subject to the Yahoo!
Terms of Service.
ALL
INFORMATION, DATA, AND MATERIAL CONTAINED, PRESENTED, OR PROVIDED HERE IS FOR
GENERAL INFORMATION PURPOSES ONLY AND IS NOT TO BE CONSTRUED AS REFLECTING THE
KNOWLEDGE OR OPINIONS OF THE PUBLISHER, AND IS NOT TO BE CONSTRUED OR INTENDED
AS PROVIDING MEDICAL OR LEGAL ADVICE. THE DECISION WHETHER OR NOT TO
VACCINATE IS AN IMPORTANT AND COMPLEX ISSUE AND SHOULD BE MADE BY YOU, AND YOU
ALONE, IN CONSULTATION WITH YOUR HEALTH CARE PROVIDER.