Author Archives: Kristin McDonald

Sequestration is Fast Approaching: CEC Shares Concerns with White House

From Kristin McDonald over on CEC Policy Insider. Sequestration, the DC name for $85 billion dollars of across the board budget cuts, is less than 10 days away. If Congress and the Administration fail to act, the US Dept. of … Continue reading

Posted in Administration, CEC Legislative Action Center, Gifted and Talented, IDEA Early Intervention, IDEA Preschool, IDEA School Aged, NCLB/ESEA, U.S. Congress, U.S. Department of Education | Comments Off

CEC Celebrates U.N. International Day of Persons with Disabilities

From Kristin McDonald over on CEC Policy Insider. Today we celebrate the U.N. International Day of Persons with Disabilities (IDPD). With over one billion people, or 15% of the world’s population living with a disability, this day commemorates continued efforts … Continue reading

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National Council on Disability Releases Policy Study on Parents with Disabilities

From Kristin McDonald over on CEC Policy Insider. The National Council of Disability, a U.S. independent federal agency designed to address the rights of persons with disabilities, released a report entitled Rocking the Cradle: Ensuring the Rights of Parents with … Continue reading

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Obama, Romney Talk Education During NBC’s Education Nation; Differing, Similar Positions on Display

From Kristin McDonald over on CEC Policy Insider. NBC’s interviews of President Obama and Governor Romney during Education Nation read like a menu of education’s most talked about issues:  common core state standards, teacher evaluations based on student performance, investing … Continue reading

Posted in Administration, U.S. Department of Education | Comments Off

Senate Passes Bill Funding Government for 6 months; Adjourns until After Election

From Kristin McDonald over on CEC Policy Insider. We have a budget! (Well, sort of …) Early Sunday morning, the Senate passed (62-30) a six-month Continuing Resolution for Fiscal Year (FY) 2013. The House passed it the week before, and … Continue reading

Posted in U.S. Congress | Comments Off

OSEP Releases Question 4 in Results Drive Accountability Process: Respond with Your Comments Today!

From Kristin McDonald over on CEC Policy Insider. The U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Special Education Programs has released question 4 in their series of comment solicitations as part of the results driven accountability reform currently underway for IDEA. … Continue reading

Posted in IDEA Early Intervention, IDEA Preschool, IDEA School Aged, U.S. Department of Education | Comments Off

Conference of States Parties to UN CRPD: CEC Approved as Accredited NGO

From Kristin McDonald over on CEC Policy Insider. Last week, CEC’s Associate Executive Director for Policy and Advocacy, Deborah Ziegler, Ed.D, attended the fifth session of the Conference of States Parties to the Convention on the Rights of Persons with … Continue reading

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White House Report: Children with Disabilities will Suffer Under Automatic Spending Cuts; Over $4 Billion Cut from Education Programs

From Kristin McDonald over on CEC Policy Insider. Sequestration  — the 8.2% automatic, across-the-board-cut to most federally funded programs – is the newest buzz word in policy circles.  Last Friday, the White House budget office released a report detailing the … Continue reading

Posted in Administration, U.S. Department of Education | Comments Off

Happy Constitution Day!

From Kristin McDonald over on CEC Policy Insider. Today, September 17, is the anniversary of the day in 1787 when the Constitution was signed. In honor of this, Constitution Day is also known as Citizenship Day in recognition of all … Continue reading

Posted in Opportunities for Advocacy | Comments Off

Apply Now! The Society for Research in Child Development Offers Policy Fellowships in Congressional and Executive Branches

From Kristin McDonald over on CEC Policy Insider. The Society for Research in Child Development (SRCD) is now accepting applications for policy fellowships for 2013-2014. Fellows will have the chance to work in either the Congressional or Executive Branches and … Continue reading

Posted in Head Start, IDEA Early Intervention, Opportunities for Advocacy | Comments Off