| News for special education professionals |  |
- New Jersey to shutter 18 special schools as enrollment drops
By June 2010, some 560 New Jersey children with special needs will have to return to their local school districts for services, the state's commissioner of children and families said when announcing the closure of 18 special schools. Some families and school staff plan to fight the move, saying the schools provide help that students often can't find in their neighborhood school. The Star-Ledger (Newark, N.J.)
(4/8)     
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Oregon School for the Blind may close: Learning to read Braille at the Oregon School for the Blind saved 19-year-old Lena Rominscaia, who struggled in her own high school, she says. But some state legislators want to close the school in order to redirect the $3.1 million it receives each year in annual state funds to local districts, where the legislators say it can help more students than just the 32 who attend the state school. The Oregonian (Portland)
(4/8)
- Transient students pose special problems for educators
High student-mobility rates are hard not only on children, but on their teachers as well, writes teacher Laura Reasoner Jones, a Virginia technology specialist. Relationships with students abruptly are torn apart, leaving teachers in mourning and less willing to befriend future pupils. But if educators treat every day as if it may be each child's last one at the school, they may be able to keep doing their best for each child without the pain of sudden separation, she writes. Teacher Magazine (free registration)
(4/8)
 | AAC Devices from PRC Help Kids Speak
It's hard to learn when you can't communicate. Students with autism, Down syndrome, cerebral palsy, and other conditions that impair speech are using Vantage™ Lite, SpringBoard™ Lite, ECO™, and other speech output devices from PRC to communicate in the classroom and at home. Visit www.prentrom.com to learn more. |
| Educational Leadership |  |  |
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- Educator: Collaboration, compassion enhance learning
A Kansas teacher says it's important to make learning fun, have compassion for students and understand that everything educators do affects their students. Bonnie Dumpert, a sixth-grade teacher, believes author Hiam Ginot was right on the money with this quote: "As a teacher, I possess a tremendous power to make a child's life miserable or joyous. ... In all situations, it is my response that decides whether a crisis will be escalated or de-escalated and a child humanized or dehumanized." The Miami County Republic (Paola, Kan.)
(4/8)
- Assistive technology enhances "Circus of the Senses"
The founders of the Big Apple Circus described each act of their special "Circus of the Senses," and their words were beamed into infrared listening devices for audience members with visual disabilities who attended the free performance in Boston. Those with hearing disabilities and developmental disabilities also enjoyed the performance designed for people with special needs. The Sun (Lowell, Mass.)
(4/9)
 | Florida district expands Reading Plus® usage to over 300 schools.
Based on results of a study involving thousands of students, Miami-Dade Public
Schools expanded access to Reading Plus® district-wide. Reading Plus® makes
use of technology to improve silent reading proficiency and test scores at costs
below $20 per student. Click to Learn More. |
| Policy News | | |
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- Many California programs at risk because of funding "flexibility"
California vocational classes that have appealed to some teens at risk of dropping out may be eliminated as the state and districts attempt to balance their budgets. The state's budget deal eliminates dedicated funding for such programs -- as well as those for gifted students, high-school counselors and adult education -- to give districts more flexibility to spend state money where district officials say it is needed most. San Jose Mercury News (Calif.) (free registration)
(4/8)
| Eye on Exceptionalities | | |
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- Multiple disabilities don't stop student drummer
Lyndon White, 17, has cerebral palsy, physical and mental disabilities, is nearly deaf and cannot speak, but the Florida teen is a talented drummer who has played at Disney World and recently won a CEC "Yes I Can" award for his accomplishments. "He's the centerpiece of what we do in our percussion ensemble," said Lyndon's music teacher, Don DeVito. "He communicates at a very high level musically." The Gainesville Sun (Fla.)
(4/5)
- Forced marriages allegedly arranged for some Britons with disabilities
Some British young adults with disabilities and who come from immigrant families are being forced into marriages, perhaps as a way for families to provide for their future care. While some prospective spouses knowingly agree to marry in order to obtain legal residency, others are said to be unaware of their intended's special needs. BBC
(4/6)
| CEC Spotlight | | |
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CEC announces FREE webinars on the economic-stimulus package
CEC will host webinars this month explaining the economic-stimulus package and its effects on special education/early intervention. This webinar series is free to CEC members. Find out more.
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Want legal information in an easy-to-read format?
From Kurt Hulett, "Legal Aspects of Special Education" uses everyday language to help teachers, administrators and advocates understand special-education law. It includes an interview with Joe Ballard, a pioneer of the IDEA movement; discussion of RTI; and the implications of IDEA and its link to the civil rights movement. Find out more.
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- Friday, April 03, 2009
- Thursday, April 02, 2009
| | | Lead Editor: Susan Rush
Contributing Editor: Tammy Oseid
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