SpedPro

Nominate early childhood interventions

By JohnL on Aug. 2, 2008.

The Coalition for Evidence-Based Policy has issued a call for nominations of “Social Interventions Meeting ‘Top Tier’ Evidence of Effectiveness” with a specific focus on early childhood interventions. The coalition is a non-profit and non-partisan organization that is affiliated with the Council for Excellence in Government. Its mission is “to promote government policymaking based on rigorous evidence of program effectiveness.”

Recent Congressional legislative provisions seek to focus funds in certain federal social programs on models and strategies (“interventions”) meeting Top Tier evidence of effectiveness – i.e., “that have been shown, in well-designed randomized controlled trials, to produce sizeable, sustained effects on important … outcomes.” To assist federal agencies, grantees, and others in implementing these provisions effectively, the nonprofit, nonpartisan Coalition for Evidence-Based Policy is launching an initiative to identify and validate interventions meeting this evidence standard. Here is a link [see end] to a 3-page Project Overview (plus appendices).

Read the rest of this entry »

ICDR meetings

By JohnL on Jul. 17, 2008.

Update: Check the Web site for changes in the schedule. The Interagency Committee on Disability Research (ICDR) will be holding what it calls “stakeholder meetings” on Tuesday, 5 August 2008 and Wednesday, 13 August 2008. Interested parties can can participate in person, by telephone or via Web cast. The meetings will be conducted in Arlington (VA, US).

The purpose of this event is to allow individuals with disabilities and their representatives (family members, organizations, service providers, disability and rehabilitation research and policy groups, advocacy organizations with specialized disability knowledge) the opportunity to suggest specific ways to improve future disability and rehabilitation research to benefit individuals with disabilities. We are also interested in hearing from individuals concerning how well the existing federal research programs are responding to the changing needs of individuals with disabilities. These comments can cover a wide range of research areas, including, but not limited to:

• Employment of people with disabilities
• Community integration and continuum of care
• Health disparities
• Access to assistive technology and universal design
• Transition of youth to employment and independent living
• Availability of accessible housing, transportation and recreation

As the list reveals, this is not about special education, but the topics (e.g., transition) may be of interest to some special educators. Link to the ICDR Web site .

Optional IDEA alternative dispute resolution

By JohnL on Jun. 5, 2008.

Project Forum has released a new document that some professional special educators will find of interest and importance. Here’s part of the notice:

This In-Depth Policy Analysis is the result of findings based on a survey sent to all special education units of state education agencies. The survey requested information about the use of 10 alternative dispute resolution processes not specifically required under IDEA, the extent of their use, and other information. The 10 processes studied are:

• Conflict resolution skills training;
• Stakeholder management or oversight council;
• Parent-to-parent assistance;
• Dispute resolution case managers;
• Telephone intermediary;
• IEP facilitation;
• Third-party opinion or consultation processes;
• Early complaint resolution; and
• Resolution meeting facilitation.

Each of these processes is defined and findings are described under each process. Factors that impact the use of these processes are discussed and conclusions are drawn.

Download a PDF of the document on the Project Forum Web site.

VP for TheArcLink

By JohnL on May. 11, 2008.

The folks over at The Arc are searching for a senior administrator for TheArcLink, the organization’s means of providing resources for individuals with disabilities and their families so that they can make informed decisions about services and participate actively in their communities. Here’s a brief version of the announcement:

This key position has responsibility for TheArcLink’s marketing and communications activities as well as new product development. For a complete position description, go to www.thearclink.org/egroup/thearclinkvp.pdf.

Marketing activities include communicating via email, training webinars and direct personal contact to participating providers, potential participating providers, Roommates users, representatives of new potential state subscribers to Roommates, potential funders for the National FindFamily Registry and potential underwriters and supporters for TheArcLink in general. The Vice President will also staff exhibits at state and national meetings as requested by the President.

TheArcLink periodically develops new products in response to consumer demand or perceived market gap. Key to development are regular conversations with stakeholders, knowledge of the market niche, focus group results, and a knowledge of TheArcLink’s internal engineering capacity to develop specific applications. Since the initial launch of TheArcLink in 2000, these new products have been developed and introduced: The TheArcLink Calendar, the Medicaid Reference Desk, MyPlan (an online individual needs assessment in conjunction with the Medicaid Reference Desk), Roommates and the National FindFamily Registry. TheArcLink also hosts the websites of other disability organization on request. The Vice President will be a key participant in the process of all new product development, and will serve as the lead contact for new products as assigned by the President.

The successful candidate will have training and experience in Information Technology Management (IT), as well as an orientation to the field of cognitive disabilities.

Application Deadline: June 10, 2008

Send all resumes and inquiries to vicepresident@thearclink.org.

Salary: Competitive

TheArcLink Incorporated is an equal opportunity employer.

Download a PDF of the position description here.

Cook and Tankersley receive Kauffman award

By JohnL on Apr. 29, 2008.

B. Cook, J. Lloyd, M. Tankersley

Janet Lerner, editor of Learning Disabilities: A Multidisciplinary Journal, sounded a note of congratulations:

Congratulations to Bryan G. Cook and Melody Tankersley for receiving the James M. Kauffman Publication Award for their special issue of the journal, Learning Disabilities: A Multidisciplinary Journal. Bryan Cook and Melody Tankersley were the guest editors for Volume 14, Number 3 on “Side Effects of Inclusion: The Unforeseen Impact of Including Students with Learning Disabilities.”

Linked here is the summary article of this issue by Professors Tankersley and Cook. Learn more about the Learning Disabilities Association journal here.

Research funds in perspective

By JohnL on Apr. 19, 2008.

The Council for Exceptional Children generated a graphic that allows one to see the relative US federal funding for research in various areas. It’s a pretty clear indication of the importance attached to addressing the improvement of education, no? I’ve linked a larger version of the file to the image at the right. It’s suitable for downloading.

To be sure, there are some funds in the NIH and NSF research budgets that go toward educational research. For example, some of the funds from the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development fund research on Autism and Learning Disabilities. I do not know what proportion of those budgets are devoted to such educationally relevant topics, but I bet that it’s a small proportion.

OSERS Director of Research to Practice

By JohnL on Apr. 18, 2008.

Here’s a position announcement for someone to fill the duties of director of the research arm of the U.S. Department of Education Office of Special Education and Rehabilitation Services.

The following OSERS vacancy announcement(s): Supervisory Education Program Specialist, GS-1720-15 located in the Office of Special Education Programs, Research to Practice Division, closes on May 19, 2008 and is open to everyone.

If you are interested in obtaining a copy of the announcement or wish to apply, you must submit your application online through the OPM website which can be accessed through [this location]

We ask your assistance in the recruiting process by providing a copy of the announcement(s) to anyone you believe would be interested in and would be qualified for the position. Please note the above closing date of the vacancy announcement. Applications will not be accepted after that date.

New Bogus Bowl on TE

By JohnL on Apr. 6, 2008.

I posted a new entry in the series about disingenuous reasons educators use in explaining their practices. This one is predicated on contemporary rejection of testing. Follow this link to cast your vote.

How to read research

By JohnL on Feb. 21, 2008.

I sometimes note how much I’d like to help policy makers learn to discriminate between evidence- and bologna-based educational programs. Apparently, I’m not alone.

The US Coalition for Evidence-Based Policy, a non-profit promoting excellence in government, is offering a workshop for public-sector administrators on understanding research that should form the basis of public policy. Because I couldn’t find a page about the workshop on the Web site, I’m taking the unusual action of reprinting the Coalition’s announcement of the workshop.

How to Read Research Findings to Distinguish Evidence-Based Programs from Everything Else

Tools for Public Officials and Other Stakeholders to Become Independent Experts,

Offered by Recognized Leaders in Evidence-Based Reform

Washington DC, April 8, 2008

Evidence-based policy reform is an important new development in American government, requiring new skills of public officials, staff, and other stakeholders. Requirements for rigorous evaluation and the use of evidence-based programs now appear in Congressional legislation, Office and Management and Budget (OMB) guidance, and federal agency grant solicitations in many diverse areas of policy. These developments offer the potential to bring rapid, evidence-driven progress to areas such as education, employment and training, crime and justice, early childhood programs, substance abuse prevention, and international development assistance. Key precedents include medicine, where evidence-based policy has produced remarkable advances in human health over the past half-century; and welfare, where rigorous evaluations built actionable knowledge about “what works,” setting the stage for the successful, bipartisan welfare reforms of the 1980s and 90s.

Our workshop teaches the core skill needed to be an effective practitioner of evidence-based policy: The ability to read a study and readily assess whether it produced valid evidence of a program’s effectiveness.

This core skill is needed, for example, to –

• Distinguish the few programs in your policy area that are truly backed by valid evidence from everything else that claims to be, without having to rely on outside “experts” whose biases and capabilities are unknown;
• Sponsor a study that is capable of generating valid evidence about a program’s effectiveness; and
• Explain research results to key colleagues and stakeholders in a clear and persuasive way, so as to enlist them as partners in your efforts.

Acquiring this core skill is straightforward: A one-day workshop on key principles, followed by weekly “brown-bag” conference calls providing hands-on, coached experience in reviewing actual studies.

The workshop will take place on Tuesday, April 8, 2008 at the Coalition for Evidence-Based Policy from 9:00 to 4:00, with lunch provided. The weekly follow-up sessions will be held over a 12-week period, via 45-minute conference calls at the noon hour. In these sessions, participants will gain hands-on experience reviewing actual studies in a small-group setting facilitated by Coalition staff, with the goal of becoming independent experts. Participants are encouraged to suggest studies to review in these sessions.

Our background: A nonprofit, nonpartisan organization, we’ve played a leadership role in advancing evidence-based reforms through our work with top Congressional and federal agency policymakers:

Our work with Congress and OMB helped create a new evidence-based home visitation program at HHS in the FY 08 Appropriations Act (Public Law 110-161).
We helped OMB develop new guidance for the federal agencies on What Constitutes Strong Evidence of a Program’s Effectiveness.
Our work with Congress has yielded important advances in Congressional support for rigorous – preferably randomized – evaluations in education, crime prevention, and other areas.
We’ve conducted previous workshops on evidence-based policy for OMB, the Departments of Education and Labor, the Congressionally-established Academic Competitiveness Council, and others.
We developed and manage one of the leading U.S. websites of evidence-based programs – Social Programs That Work (www.evidencebasedprograms.org).
A recent independent assessment of our work found we’ve been “instrumental in transforming a theoretical advocacy of evidence-based policy among certain [federal] agencies into an operational reality.”
Logistics and Cost

When: Tuesday, April 8, 2008, 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., with lunch provided. 12 follow-up sessions via conference call each Tuesday thereafter, starting at noon.

Where: The April 8th session will be held at the Council for Excellence in Government (1301 K Street, NW, Suite 450 West, Washington DC 20005)

Who: Public officials and staff, policy analysts, program providers, and other stakeholders. A research background is not required.

Cost: $520 for the one-day workshop and 12 follow-up sessions. As a nonprofit organization, we price our workshops as inexpensively as we can to reach the widest possible audience.

Deadlines: The deadline for registration and payment is Tuesday, April 1st. Space is limited, and our previous workshops have filled up quickly.

How to register: Please register via our website at http://www.excelgov.org/userpreview.php?formid=389.

Payment Information: Credit card payments are preferred; we also accept checks (payable to the Council for Excellence in Government) and purchase orders. To process your payment, please contact David Anderson at (danderson@excelgov.org, 202-530-3284).

Questions?: Please contact David Anderson (danderson@excelgov.org, 202-530-3284).

Development of the workshop curriculum is funded through a grant from the William T. Grant Foundation.

Presidential candidates’ views

By JohnL on Feb. 10, 2008.

Late last week, Christina A. Samuels, the special ed beat writer for Education Week posted an entry on US political candidates’ views about disabilities and education. Writing under the title “Presidential Candidates and Spec Ed,” Ms. Samuels started her post with these words:

They may have other policy differences, but when it comes to special education, Democratic presidential hopefuls Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama and Republican John McCain all want the same thing for states–more money.

My colleague Michele McNeil has already written in her lively blog about Clinton’s pledge to “fully-fund” the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act.

I hope someone is standing up when there are opportunities and asking candidates questions about how US policy on special education will change in the next few years. One of my big fears is that the next round of IDEA will actually see efforts to disenfranchise some students with disabilities. Can we expect any candidate to understand the intricacies of such policies?

Read the entire post here.