(SpEd Links) Research Roundup (LD News: November 2008)

[Guest guest]

Hi All:

Some good links from NCLD newsletter I want to pass along.

Sincerely Vivian

Education and the 2008 Presidential Election: Where the Candidates Stand (PDF, 10 pages)In preparation for the 11/08 presidential election, the NCLD created a side-by-side comparison of key topics articulating each candidate's stand on key education issues. Statistics and Solutions: The U.S. Graduation Rate Listen to an NCLD Podcast featuring Fasteau, Director of Policy Development at the Alliance for Excellent Education, who outlines the facts and controversy surrounding the state of U.S. graduation rates and suggests possible federal, state and district-level solutions to help our nation's students succeed. Challenging Change: How Schools and Districts are Improving the Performance of Special Education Students (PDF, 30 pages)This report highlights how two schools and three school districts from around the nation are working to dramatically improve the academic achievement of their special education students. The educators profiled have taken on the challenge of implementing reforms that lead to significant progress for students with disabilities—nearly half of whom have learning disabilities (LD). Rewards & Roadblocks: How Special Education Students are Faring Under No Child Left Behind (PDF, 26 pages) NCLB has provoked discussions that span a wide range of opinions and positions. This report provides a look at several specific requirements of the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) and their impact on students receiving special education supports and services. Tax Foundation letter and report from the National Center for Education Statistics See this report for easy-to-understand charts and summaries detailing the increases and percentages of the federal education funding contribution by state, state per pupil spending and summaries for some of the most pressing 2008 funding issues. State Testing Accommodations: A Look at Their Value and Validity (PDF, 20 pages)Learn about students with disabilities and students with limited English proficiency and the accommodations that are provided to include them, with fair testing conditions, as full participants in assessments. Making NCLB Work for Children Who Struggle to Learn: A Parent's Guide (PDF, 23 pages)This publication provides information on the nation's largest federal education law and offers ways that parents can use the law's key provisions to improve the academic achievement of their students. Making the Most of Options for IDEA-eligible Students (PDF, 8 pages)This parent advocacy brief outlines the school choices and supplemental educational services opportunities that might be available to students, and highlights important points to consider and questions to ask. NCLB and IDEA: What Parents of Students with Disabilities Need to Know and Do (PDF, 23 pages)While NCLB seeks to improve the education of all children — with an emphasis on children from low income families — IDEA focuses on the individual child and seeks to ensure specialized services for children with disabilities so that they may benefit from education. NCLB provisions apply to all students, including those whose disabilities require special education. So it's important that parents understand the requirements of IDEA, in its alignment with NCLB.