• New NCLB Reports Made Available
  
• Policy Summit Attracts Leaders in Early Childhood Field
  
• House Passes Hurricane Relief Bill Targeting Schools
  
• OSEP Posts New Grant Opportunity for Higher Ed
  
• Society for Research in Child Development Announces Fellowship Opportunities

IDEA Celebrates Its 30th Anniversary -- Many Successes Despite Congress's Empty Promises

As IDEA celebrates its 30th anniversary and the great impact it has made on the lives of students with disabilities, CEC also recognizes that funding has fallen far short of what Congress has pledged. CEC encourages you to submit an op-ed to your local newspaper to raise awareness in your community and with members of Congress.
CEC provides a sample letter titled "Thirty Years is Too Long to Wait" on the Legislative Action Center . All you need to do is enter your zip code & personalize it!

Learn More.

New NCLB Reports Made Available

Three new reports concerning NCLB have been released. The topics vary in focus from a broad look at NCLB to a specific look at how NCLB is affecting one state.

On Nov. 10, the Department of Education released "No Child Left Behind: A Road Map to State Implementation". This report provides a broad overview of the Department's activities and policies concerning NCLB. In addition, this report states that the Department will soon release the proposed policy on assessments for students with disabilities. Recently, an interim policy was established to allow two percent of students with disabilities the opportunity to contribute to their school’s AYP by making significant progress, not necessarily meeting grade level standards. This is an addition to the one percent subgroup of students with the most cognitive disabilities.

Read No Child Left Behind: A Road Map to State Implementation

Read CEC's Response to the 'Common Sense' Guidelines by the Department of Education

The Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO) recently released Statewide Educational Accountability under the NCLB Act - A Report on 2005 Amendments to State Plans, a detailed report on changes to state accountability plans. This document describes all the changes to state plans allowed and denied by the Department of Education.

Read CCSSO's Report

The Center on Education Policy recently released a new report, Hope But No Miracle Cures: Michigan's Early Restructuring Lessons. This report provides an in-depth analysis of how schools in Michigan are approaching restructuring after failing to make “adequate yearly progress” under NCLB.

Read the Center on Education Policy's 'Restructuring' Report

Policy Summit Attracts Leaders in Early Childhood Field

On Nov. 16, policy makers – including CEC – concerned with the implementation of positive, evidence-based practices for young children met in Washington, DC for the third annual Policy Makers’ Summit. The summit, hosted by the Center for Evidence-Based Practice: Young Children with Challenging Behavior, reviewed approaches to conducting evidenced-based practices and featured a range of speakers including officials from the Office of Special Education Programs at the Department of Education, mental health experts, researchers and a parent of a child with autism.

The Center for Evidence-Based Practice: Young Children with Challenging Behavior, funded by the Department of Education, has made numerous resources available by visiting: www.challengingbehavior.org

House Passes Hurricane Relief Bill Targeting Schools

On Nov. 16, the House passed the Hurricane Regulatory Relief Act (H.R. 3975), introduced by Rep. Bobby Jindal (R-LA). The bill seeks to provide flexibility for K-12 schools, school personnel and institutions of higher education. In addition, the bill proposes to increase access to early childhood programs, such as Head Start, for victims of Hurricane Katrina.

Under this bill, for one year, schools could extend deadlines for special education evaluations and reporting requirements. In addition, the bill would allow highly qualified teachers from affected states to be considered highly qualified in other states where they are temporarily teaching and serving displaced students. The bill would expand the IDEA Paperwork Reduction Pilot Program to all affected states.

Read a Summary of the Bill

OSEP Posts New Grant Opportunity for Higher Ed

The Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services and National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research (NIDRR) announced a grant to provide research training and experience at an advanced level to individuals with doctorates or similar advanced degrees who have clinical or other relevant experience. Advanced Rehabilitation Research Training, (ARRT) projects train rehabilitation researchers, including individuals with disabilities, with particular attention to research areas that support the implementation and objectives of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended (Act), and that improve the effectiveness of services authorized under the Act.

Deadline for applications is January 17, 2006.

Read the announcement in the Federal Register for grant and application information.

Society for Research in Child Development Announces Fellowship Opportunities

The Society for Research in Child Development is seeking applications for the upcoming Policy Fellowships for 2006-2007. There are two types of Fellowships: Congressional and Executive Branch (e.g., ACF, NIH). Both provide Fellows with exciting opportunities to come to Washington, DC and use their research skills in child development outside of the academic setting to inform and influence public policy.

For more information, visit www.SRCD.org/policyfellowships.html or call (202) 336-5926.

Fellowships run from September 1st through August 31st. The deadline for applications is December 15, 2005.