ESEA Reauthorization

The Obama Administration has determined the ESEA Reauthorization to be a high priority item for this year and on March 13 released a blueprint to guide the reauthorization discussion. Secretary Duncan is visting various sites around the country to gain support for the changes the Administration would like to see reflected in the reauthorization. A major theme is to vastly improve student achievement and thus make the United States a leader in global education. In order to reach this goal, all states will be asked to adopt uniform standards that will prepare students across the country for academic success in college or readiness for success in a career when leaving K-12 schools. A second major theme is to financially reward states that develop an effective accountability system to ensure that their students do demonstrate improvement in high school graduation rates and academic preparedness for college and careers. Members of the Consortium for Citizens with Disabilities (CCD) have been preparing for the reauthorization and its effect on students with disabilities. One product of these preparations is the Principles for the Reauthorization of ESEA. Click here to download. For more information, click on 'ESEA Reauthorization' (above) or the 'NEWS & LEGISLATION' link.

INTERESTED IN RTI INFORMATION?

Two excellent sources of information on RTI are available from Florida's 'Response to Intervention Teaching Learning Connections' project Click here for information, and from U.S. Office of special Education Programs Click here for information.

ANNOUNCING NRCLD:
A national research center, a joint project of researchers at Vanderbilt University and the University of Kansas, has been established to address the complex array of issues facing the learning disabilities field. The National Research Center on Learning Disabilities (NRCLD) received a five-year, $3.5 million grant from the U.S. Department of Education's Office of Special Education Programs. Co-directors of the new center are Dan Reschly, chair of the Department of Special Education at Peabody College, Vanderbilt; Doug Fuchs, special education professor at Peabody College; and Donald D. Deshler, director of the Center for Research on Learning at the University of Kansas. For more information, visit the NRCLD Web site at www.nrcld.org.