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Author Archives: Elisabeth Williams
Senate Passes Rosa’s Law! Critical First Step in Removing Term “Mental Retardation”
Last week, the Senate passed Rosa’s Law, legislation that would remove the term “Mental Retardation” from all federal laws and replace it with the more commonly used term “Intellectual Disability.” CEC has long supported this legislation in the Senate and will now shift its efforts to advocating for its passage in the House. Rosa’s law is named after Rosa Marcellino, a Maryland girl with Down syndrome. Similar legislation proposed in the House is known as the Elizabeth A. Connelly Act in honor of a former member of the New York Assembly who was influential in pushing for services for those… Continue reading
Posted in Uncategorized
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CEC Made a Difference! $10 Billion for Educator Jobs and $16 Billion for FMAP
After months of advocacy by CEC, other education groups, and individuals across the nation, the House and Senate have both passed legislation that will save educator jobs and extend Federal Medicaid funding. Importantly, and of concern to many, this funding is fully paid for, meaning it will not add to the deficit. Indeed, according to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office, in addition to providing schools and states the money that they critically need – it will actually lower the deficit over the next 10 years. Last week, as we reported in the Policy Insider blog, the Senate approved this critical… Continue reading
Posted in CEC Legislative Action Center, Medicaid, Opportunities for Advocacy
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CEC Supports Bill Expanding PBIS and EIS for All Students
Positive Behavior Intervention and Supports (PBIS) and Early Intervention Services (EIS) were both born in special education. But their impact in that arena has demonstrated that these interventions hold great possibilities for all of education. Therefore, CEC is supporting legislation introduced by Senators Bennet (D-Colo.), Franken, (D-Minn.), Alexander (R-Tenn.) and Burr (R-N.C.), which would expand every schools’ ability to use these critical interventions. The Achievement Through Prevention Act aims to promote school-wide positive environments, and support students proactively not just reactively. Of particular interest to CEC and its members, this legislation specifically supports several of CEC’s ESEA Recommendations and would… Continue reading
Posted in IDEA School Aged, Safe and Positive School Climate, U.S. Congress
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Common Core Standards Draft Released: Open for Public Comment
On Wednesday, the National Governors Association Center for Best Practices (NGA Center) and the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO) released the much anticipated first official public draft of the K-12 math and language arts standards as part of the Common Core State Standards Initiative. This Initiative is a process being led by governors and chief state school officers in 51 states, territories, and the District of Columbia. These new standards aim to replace the many different standards currently used by states across the nation creating national consistent expectations for what students should learn. Adoption of the standards will… Continue reading
Posted in Opportunities for Advocacy, U.S. Department of Education
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White House Reports: Groups Agree Book Content Should Be More Accessible
The White House reported that the Reading Rights Coalition, which represents thirty million Americans who cannot read print due to disabilities; the Authors Guild, with a membership of eight thousand American writers; and the Association of American Publishers, whose more than three hundred members include most of the major commercial publishers in the United States as well as smaller and non-profit publishers, today issued a joint press release stating “that the contents of books should be as accessible to individuals with print disabilities as they are to everyone else.” They further agreed to work together to reach this desired goal…. Continue reading
Posted in Administration
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Comments Sought on National Education Technology Plan Draft
On March 5, the U.S. Department of Education released a draft of the National Education Technology Plan, a document which outlines how technology can be used to transform teaching and learning. Centered on five themes: Learning, Assessment, Teaching, Infrastructure, and Productivity, the Plan provides key goals and recommendations. CEC submitted extensive comments, many of which were incorporated into the draft plan. The draft Plan is now available for public comment. Please click here to read the plan and submit comments. Read CEC’s Recommendations titled: Embedding Technology in Education for All Learners. Continue reading
Posted in assistive technology, U.S. Department of Education
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Save Gifted Education Funding; Call in March 10-11
CEC needs your help to save the Jacob K. Javits Program, the only federal investment in gifted education – and time is running out. In 2009, less than 2 cents out of every $100 of the federal K-12 education budget was devoted to meeting the needs of the nation’s 3 million students with gifts and talents. As educators, we know that all children deserve an education that addresses their unique learning needs – and these students are no different. Congress is considering proposals that may eliminate funding for the Javits program. This would result in a loss of research, supports,… Continue reading
Posted in CEC Legislative Action Center, Gifted and Talented, Opportunities for Advocacy
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National Council on Disability Appoints Executive Director
The National Council on Disability (NCD) today announced the appointment of Joan M. Durocher as Executive Director. Ms. Durocher will serve in this position as an interim placement through September 11, 2010, or until a permanent Executive Director is appointed. Durocher has served NCD for over eight years, the last several years in the position of Senior Attorney Advisor. Prior to that, she served the American Bar Association (ABA) in several different capacities. NCD is an independent federal agency making recommendations to the President and Congress to enhance the quality of life for all Americans with disabilities and their families…. Continue reading
Posted in Administration, U.S. Congress
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House Committee Questions Duncan about Lack of Support for IDEA
The U.S. Secretary of Education testified about the President’s FY 2011 budget request and ESEA reauthorization to the House Education and Labor Committee. Duncan was grilled by both Republicans and Democrats about the lack of funding increases for IDEA. Ranking Member John Kline (R-MN) opened with a harsh statement about the lack of proposed funding for IDEA, citing Representative DeLauro’s (D-CN) statement about $250 million being “budget dust.” Kline also pointed out that the President’s proposed level is $26.1 billion less than what is needed to meet full funding of IDEA. Secretary Duncan responded to questioning about the lack of… Continue reading
16 States Make First Cut in $4 Billion Race to the Top Competition
On March 4, the U.S. Department of Education announced that 16 states are finalists in the first phase of the Race to the Top competition, the $4 billion initiative to implement education reforms. The finalists are: Colorado, Delaware, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana, Massachusetts, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, and Tennessee. Finalists were chosen based on a peer review process and will now have to provide an oral presentation of their applications in mid-March, a process that will be on video and publically available, prior to receiving awards for this first phase… Continue reading
Posted in Administration, American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (Economic Stimulus), Race to the Top, U.S. Department of Education
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