CEC Policy Insider

Teacher Appreciation Week Brings CEC Members to U.S. Department of Education

Last week, in recognition of Teacher Appreciation Week, 20 CEC members had the unique opportunity to sit down for a conversation at the U.S. Department of Education to discuss many of the most pressing issues in education, including new teacher evaluation systems and the implementation of college and career ready standards. 

Special educators from the Washington, DC area echoed feelings of their colleagues from across the nation, highlighting both the positive and areas of concern in the education reforms now unfolding in most states. 

Many states are in the midst of revamping their teacher evaluation systems to adhere to the requirements of the ESEA waivers and Race to the Top.   During last week’s conversation, many CEC members agreed that the new evaluation systems have sparked a more meaningful , reflective conversation about the roles, responsibilities and contributions of special educators and have allowed for more targeted professional development.  But, at the same time, many challenges still remain including ensuring that the right data is collected and used in its proper way, the need for more meaningful feedback from evaluators, and the caution that evaluation systems may be reinforcing silos between general and special education – rather than supporting collaborative approaches.

For a great summary of the conversation, check out Charmelle Smith’s Reality 101 blog posting!

And this week, the U.S. Department of Education is hosting a special education feedback discussion. To learn more about this discussion and how to participate, please read our Policy Insider story.  

Thank you special educators for your work every day on behalf of children and youth with exceptionalities and their families!! 

Make Your Voice Heard: Join the OSERS Conversation for Change Now!

Join the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services, along with the U.S. Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and the Social Security Administration for a free, public, online dialogue to discuss the impact of federal regulation and legislation on successful transition from school to work of youth with disabilities.

Help these agencies by identifying current barriers and opportunities to improve transition outcomes by participating in the discussion and bringing your expertise. The discussion hosts are looking for anyone with a personal or professional stake in supporting youth and young adults and their transition from school to living, working and thriving in their communities. The purpose of this discussion is to help federal agencies improve the legislation and regulations intended to support school to work force transitions for youth with disabilities by helping to facilitate strategic communication and the alignment of policies between agencies.   

To register for the discussion, and find more information, please click here.

Tune In to See U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan in a Live Webcast

Tune in on Thursday, May 2 to view a live webcast by U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan as he gives the keynote address for the 66^th National Seminar of the Education Writers Association (EWA). Topics will include the federal waivers for the No Child Left Behind Act as well as what’s up next for the reauthorization of this law as Secretary Duncan discusses the future of federal education reform and the new directions the U.S. Department of Education will take in the next couple of years. The Secretary will take questions from the reporters attending the event following his speech.

Will he address students with disabilities and/or gifts and talents? Tune in to find out on Thursday May, 2 at 11:45 a.m. to 1:15 p.m. PDT. You can view the webcast here: edpolicy.stanford.edu/multimedia/video/

US Dept. of Education Publishes Blueprint for RESPECT

Two years ago, the U.S. Department of Education launched a national dialogue with classroom teachers about the challenges and aspirations of America’s teachers.  CEC hosted a RESPECT roundtable, at its annual Convention in 2012 in Denver.

In addition to receiving input from CEC members, the Department also spoke to nearly 6,000 teachers from across the country through roundtable discussions, online feedback and social media. This week, the Dept. of Education released the result of this national dialogue in a blueprint for reforming the teaching profession. Among other things, it calls for salaries to be competitive with professions like architecture, medicine and law, more support for novice teachers and more career opportunities for veterans.

 

The blueprint is called RESPECT – an acronym that stands for Recognizing Educational Success, Professional Excellence and Collaborative Teaching, and in conjunction with the launch the Department has re-launched an educator homepage to include new information about the RESPECT initiative, including:

• The Blueprint in pdf & e-book format
• Self-inventory to assess your school or district on the critical components of RESPECT
• How educators provided input to RESPECT
• Also watch a video of teachers describing their connection with RESPECT

Dwindling Federal Support Results in Fewer Investments in Special Education Research

Today, the research arm of the U.S. Department of Education announced that it will not have sufficient funding to initiate a special education research grant competition for fiscal year 2014, a result of sequestration and the 30% -- or $20 million -- funding cut incurred by the National Center for Special Education Research (NCSER) over the last few years that CEC and special education advocates have been fighting to reverse.  

Instead, NCSER within the Institute for Education Sciences, will fund an expected 13 grant proposals in FY 2013 -- down from over 40 grants funded last year -- and in FY 2014 will fund new awards from the pool of proposals received in 2013, rather than hold a new competition

This is the first time since its creation in 2004 that NCSER has been unable to hold a new grant competition.  Annual grant competitions allow researchers to propose projects that address timely and relevant special education issues that concern children and youth with disabilities, their families and special educators.  The absence of a FY 2014 grant competition does little to grow, enhance, or foster the federal government’s special education research agenda.  CEC is gravely concerned that the future of NCSER will be severely inhibited if this funding trajectory continues.

Over the last year, at the urging of special education researchers and CEC, legislation and policies have been put forth in the U.S. Senate and by the Obama Administration to boost NCSER’s funding by $10 million.  However, to date, Congress has been unable to compromise on funding levels for government programs and instead has simply kept the federal government running at last year’s funding levels.  For NCSER, this means attempts to reverse the $20 million cut – or to restore some of this funding – has stalled. 

Join CEC in urging Congress to restore funding for special education research!  A healthy federal investment in special education research arms educators with the tools needed to be effective.   Email pubpol@cec.sped.org with ‘special education research advocacy’ in the subject line to become involved – particularly if you are an educator, parent, or researcher!

Read the official Federal Register Notice

Read CEC’s Special Education Research Advocacy resources

View a national overview of NCSER research and a state-by-state analysis