Teachers,
Principals, Paraprofessionals
The
Basics l Teacher Litigation l Qualified Teachers l Classroom
Life
Working with Parents l Research Based Instruction l Graduation
Routes to the Classroom l NCLB Hotline l Newsletters l Free Pubs l Books l Useful Sites
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Your Role
"I've come to the frightening conclusion that I am the decisive element in the classroom. My personal approach creates a climate. My daily mood makes the weather. As a teacher, I possess tremendous power to make a child's life miserable or joyous. I can be the tool of torture or an instrument of inspiration. I can humiliate or humor. Hurt or heal. In all situations, it is my response that decides whether a crisis will be escalated or de-escalated and a child humanized or de-humanized." - Haim Ginott, clinical psychologist, child therapist, educator, and author
The
Basics
No
Child Left Behind - law, regulations, publications, research based instruction,
information directories, flyers, news, fact sheets, and education statistics.
Individuals with Disabilities
Education Act (IDEA) - law, regulations, articles, cases, news.
Section
504 of the Rehabilitation Act - FAQs, articles, cases, accommodations, modifications,
news.
Family
Education Rights & Privacy Act (FERPA) - FAQs, articles, cases about privacy
and records.
No
Child Left Behind Database - Compliance status and state NCLB plans from the
Education Commission of the States.
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What You Need to Know About IDEA 2004
IDEA 2004: Requirements for Highly Qualified Special Ed Teachers - Learn about new requirements for special ed teachers; limits of what teachers who are not highly qualified may do; how teachers can demonstrate their competence.
IDEA 2004: IEPs, Highly Qualified Teachers, IEPs, & Research Based Instruction - Learn about new language in IDEA 2004 that is designed to ensure that children with disabilities are taught by highly qualified teachers and receive research based instruction. This article includes new requirements for personnel training, IEPs, and scientifically based instruction.
IDEA 2004: What You Need to Know About Functional Goals in IEPS - Pat Howey answers questions about functional goals in IEPs. The IDEA 2004 statute and federal regulations include specific requirements about using present levels of functional performance to develop functional goals in the IEPs for all children with disabilities. Pat also teaches you how to find answers to your questions in references that are available on Wrightslaw.
IDEA 2004: What You Need to Know About IEPs for Children with Behavior Problems - IDEA 2004 and the special education regulations include specific requirements for IEPs of children whose behavior impedes their learning or the learning of other children, including training teachers to use positive behavioral interventions and strategies.
IDEA 2004: What You Need to Know About IEPs & IEP Meetings - How did IEPs change under IDEA 2004? What does the law say about developing, reviewing and revising IEPs? Who may be excused from IEP meetings, when, how? When can the child's IEP be changed without an IEP meeting? What services must be provided when a child transfers to a district in the same state? A different state? What are “multi-year IEPs”?
IDEA 2004: What You Need to Know About IEP Team Members & IEP Team Attendance - Learn about IEP team members and IEP team attendance, when team members may be excused from a meeting, and what parents and the school district must do before a team member may be excused.
No Child Left Behind Act of 2001
No Child Left Behind covers nearly all aspects of public education, from the classroom to the school board. The resources in No Child Left Behind will help teachers, administrators, paraprofessionals, and school board members find information quickly and take advantage of the opportunities in the law.
Teacher
Litigation
Linda
McGreevy v. Stroup,
Tsosie, Soltis, Bermudian Springs Sch. District
- U. S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit held that school administrators
may be officially and individually liable for retaliating against a school nurse
who advocated for children with disabilities.
Doing
the Right Thing: Court Vindicates School Nurse in Retaliation Case - Linda
McGreevy is a licensed professional nurse, a pediatric nurse practitioner, and
a certified school nurse. During the first five years when she worked as a school
nurse in the Bermudian Springs Elementary School, she received excellent performance
evaluations. Suddenly, her her evaluations dropped to unsatisfactory levels. What
caused her fall from grace?
Pamella
Settlegoode v. Portland Public Schools - U. S. Court of Appeals for
the Ninth Circuit upholds jury award of one million dollars to fired special ed
teacher; importance of free speech for teachers. (April 2004)
Retaliation! The Inside Story of the One Million Dollar Verdict
Help for Teachers
Who Are Being Pushed Out of Their Jobs - Describes requirements for highly
qualified teachers, how teachers can demonstrate competence in subjects they teach,
professional development & training, responsibilities, and timelines.
Fales
v. Garst: Analysis of Teachers' Lawsuit Against Principal. Three teachers
alleged that principal violated their rights to freedom of speech and association
by instructing them not to discuss incidents regarding special education students
and their rights to equal protection by lowering their evaluations.
Fales
v. Garst. Decision by U. S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit
attempts to balance
the teachers’ interest in free speech versus their employer’s interest in efficiency.
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Highly
Qualified Teachers
National
Board Certified Teachers More Effective. Study by University of Washington
and the Urban Institute finds that teachers who earned national certification
are more effective in raising student achievement than other teachers. (March
16, 2004)
Congress
Orders Study of Teacher Ed Programs. The mandated study about coursework requirements,
how reading and math are taught, and how programs are aligned with scientific
evidence may lead to standards, norms, and professionalization of teaching. (March
2004)
State Teacher Policy Yearbook 2007 - Progress on Teacher Quality: How the States are Faring. Excellent report about teacher quality and preparation by state. Area 6 is Preparation of Special Education Teachers by state. Primary findings are here.
Scroll down to #7 for findings about the preparation of special education teachers.
What Education Schools Aren't Teaching about Reading and What Elementary Teachers Aren't Learning. The National Council on Teacher Quality examined what aspiring teachers learn about reading instruction in college. NCTQ analyzed a representative sample of reading courses to assess the degree to which students are taught the five essential components of effective reading instruction: phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension.
Teacher Education: Coming up Empty - Describes a study in which leading teacher educators admit that there’s little evidence to prove the effectiveness of teacher ed.
Improving
Teacher Quality - Non Regulatory Guidance, U. S. Department of Education (Rev.
9-12-03)
Title
1 Paraprofessionals - Draft Non Regulatory Guidance, U. S. Department of Education
(11-15-02)
Meeting
the Highly Qualified Teacher Challenge: The Secretary's Second Annual Report on
Teacher Quality, U. S. Department of Education (2003)
Meeting the Highly Qualified Teacher Challenge: The Secretary's Annual Report
on Teacher Quality - U. S. Department of Education (2002)
State
Reports on the Quality of Teacher Preparation - Title II Technical Assistance
Main page l State
Reports
NCLB:
Toolkit for Teachers, U. S. Department of Education (2002)
Information
and Complaints (all states), U. S. Department of Education
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Classroom
Life
Stop Bullying Now! Multimedia toolkit for school leaders and educators about the dangers of bullying. Developed by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Health Resources and Services Administration, the DVD toolkits include animated Webisodes, which depict how students experience bullying and reach safe and healthy solutions; public service announcements; video workshops for professionals in education, health and safety, mental health and other fields; and an instructor’s guide to help teach children aboutbullying.
Fighting the Good Fight: How to Advocate for Your Students without Losing Your Job by Rick Lavoie. One of the greatest blessings of my professional life is the opportunity I have to talk with hundreds and hundreds of my Special Education colleagues. These conversations confirm my long-held belief that some of the finest people on the planet are toiling daily in America's classrooms…and particularly in our Special Education programs! LDonline (2008)
A Good Grade for Teach for America What makes a good teacher? Experience helps. But a new study of Teach for America (TFA) – education's version of the Peace Corps – shows that their students do better on end-of-course exams than those of other teachers. TFA teachers' impact is even greater than that of teachers with three or more years of experience relative to new teachers. Article in pdf format
Using
Data to Influence Classroom Decisions by the U. S. Department of Education.
Discipline
& Positive Behavior Supports from Wrightslaw.
Grade
Retention and Mental Health Outcomes from the National Association of School
Psychologists.
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Working
with Parents toward Common Goals
A
New Wave of Evidence: The Impact of School, Family, and Community Connections
on Student Achievement by the Southwest Educational Development Laboratory.
Using
the No Child Left Behind Act to Improve Schools in Your State - A Toolkit for
Business Leaders by the Business Roundtable.
An
Action Guide for Community and Parent Leaders - Using NCLB to Improve Student
Achievement from the Public Education Network.
Autism Speaks New School Community Tool Kit. The purpose of this kit is to provide information about autism – the features, challenges and strengths -- as well as some of the tools and strategies that may result in more positive interactions for all members of a school community. This tool kit is not intended to be a curriculum for special education for students on the autism spectrum, but rather a support for the general education and administrative school staff who interact with students with autism in various capacities. However, it is envisioned that this tool kit will provide valuable information and resources that can be employed by special education and administrative staff in their efforts to plan for and support students in general education environments and involvement in the school community as a whole.
Click here for a PDF of the School Community Tool Kit ( 203 pages)
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Research
Based Instruction
Teaching
Reading IS Rocket Science, What Expert Teachers Should Know and Be Able to Do
from the American Federation of Teachers.
Put
Reading First - The Research Building Blocks for Teaching Children to Read
- Makes evidence-based reading research available to educators, parents, policy-makers,
and others who want to help all people learn to read well.
Identifying and Implementing Educational Practices Supported by Rigorous
Evidence published by Institute of Education Sciences (IES) of U. S. Department
of Education. A "user-friendly" resource for education officials and
educators seeking to improve educational and life outcomes for children. "Perhaps
the most effective resource we have for improving American schools is scientifically-valid
knowledge about which strategies work and which don't work . . . offers...concrete,
easily-accessible assistance in finding and using strategies that have been validated
in rigorous studies." - Rod Paige, Secretary of Education
More resources about Research Based Instruction
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Keeping
an Eye on Graduation
Transition of Students With Disabilities
To Postsecondary Education:
A Guide for High School Educators from the U.S. Department of Education, Office for Civil Rights (OCR).
Reaching
New Heights: Turning Around Low-Performing Schools from the National Governors
Association.
From
the Margins to the Mainstream from Jobs for the Future.
High
Schools That Work (from Southern Regional Education Board) - Register for
conferences
and workshops, get
publications and materials, read about exemplary
school and classroom practices, find a schedule
for technical assistance visits to schools.
Gateway
Institute for Pre-College Education - A rigorous academic program that prepares
students for college and careers; Gateway operates a school and runs programs
in ten public high schools.
Career
Academy Support Network - Programs that organize instruction in academic subjects,
enabling students to fulfill requirements for college entrance while learning
how their academics relate to something outside high school.
Talent
Development High Schools, Johns Hopkins University - Comprehensive reform
model for large high schools that face serious problems with student attendance,
discipline, achievement scores, and dropout rates.
Learning
Outside the Lines - 6 Programs that Work by the Kellog Foundation, What Kids
Can Do, and Jobs for the Future.
Raising
Our Sights: No High School Senior Left Behind - The National Commission on the
High School Senior Year from the Woodrow Wilson National Fellowship Foundation.
Advancement Via Individual Determination
(AVID). Students in a college preparatory program receive academic and motivational
support from college students, work in collaborative groups, and use a curriculum
focused on writing.
Early
College High Schools. Students earn a high school diploma and two years of
college credit toward a bachelor's degree.
Factors
Affecting Mathematics Achievement for Students in Rural Schools by Southern
Regional Education Board (SREB)
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Different
Routes to the Classroom
Boston
Teacher Residency (BTR) - a one-year urban teacher preparation program; co-teach
with master teachers, take courses, receive a 10,000 stipend.
Growing
Better Teachers in the Garden State: New Jersey's "Alternate Route"
to Teacher Certification by the Thomas B Fordham Foundation.
Teacher
Advancement Program - Focuses on professional development and ways to expand
supply of high quality educators.
Troops
to Teachers Program from the U. S. Department of Education
Passport
to Teaching Certification from the American Board for Certification of Teacher
Excellence.
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Policy Guidance - Toll Free Hotline Numbers
US Department of Education, Elementary and Secondary Education
Toll-Free Numbers and Hotlines.
The Information Resource Center (IRC) is the home of 1-800-USA-LEARN (1-800-872-5327), the telephone number for information on the Department of Education's major education improvement priorities (e.g., reading, family involvement, technology).
The local number in Washington, D.C. is 202-401-2000. Spanish speakers are available (se habla español). TTY: 1-800-437-0833.
Elementary and Secondary Education -
Policy Guidance.
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Free
Newsletters
Free
Newsletters - A comprehensive list of free newsletters about education, special
education, education law, No Child Left Behind, and disabilities from Wrightslaw.
The
Achiever - Newsletter with information, events and announcements about No
Child Left Behind.
The
Beacon: The Journal of Special Education Law and Practice - Electronic journal
of articles and essays for those who are interested in special education law and
practice. Each issue focuses on a theme and includes practical and theoretical
articles.
ED
Review - Free newsletter about educational issues from U. S. Department of
Education.
EdWeek
Update (free weekly alert about what's new at Education Week)
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Free Pubs
Accommodations Manual: How to Select, Administer, and Evaluate Use of Accommodations for Instruction and Assessment of Students with Disabilities. (pdf format) Developed by the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO) State Collaborative on Assessment and Student Standards Assessing Special Education Students.
The Accommodations Manual presents a five-step process for individualized educational program teams, 504 plan committees, general and special education teachers, administrators, and district-level assessment staff to use in the selection, administration, and evaluation of the effectiveness of the use of instructional and assessment accommodations by students with disabilities. The guidance in the manual pertains to students with disabilities who participate in large-scale assessments and the instruction they receive. Word Format
Recommended
Books - See
also Effective Education
Straight
Talk About Reading: How Parents Can Make a Difference During the Early Years
by Susan Hall, Louisa Moats, and Reid Lyon
A
Basic Guide to Understanding, Assessing, and Teaching Phonological Awareness
by Joseph K. Torgesen, Patricia G. Mathes
Speech
to Print: Language Essentials for Teachers by Louisa Cook Moats
Multisensory
Teaching of Basic Language Skills by Judith R. Birsh (Editor)
Dysgraphia:
Why Johnny Can't Write - A Handbook for Parents and Teachers by Diane Walton
Cavey
Other Useful
Sites
achieve.org
American Diploma Project at Achieve.org
Association for Supervision and Curriculum
Development (ASCD)
Brown
Center on Education Policy (Brookings Institute)
Center
on Education Policy
Center
for Research on the Education of Students Placed at Risk (CRESPAR)
Consortium for Policy Research in Education
(CPRE)
Council
of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO)
Council
of the Great City Schools
Council
for Basic Education
Education
Commission of the States
Education Excellence
Education
Next
Education
Trust
High
Schools That Work
Institute
for Educational Leadership
National
Association of Elementary School Principals
National
Association of School Psychologists
National
Association of Secondary School Principals
National Association of Special Education Teachers (NASET)
A national professional association dedicated to special education teachers, professors who teach future special education teachers, students who are working towards their teaching certification in special education, and inclusion classroom teachers working with children with special needs. NASET provides practical information, useful resources, member benefits and an extensive special education database.
Southern
Regional Education Board (SREB)
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Revised 05/27/09
