The Division on Career Development and Transition Board is pleased to open nominations for several positions that will begin on July 1, 2009.   DCDT needs your leadership, creativity, and experience!   If you are interested, or you know a colleague who would be an excellent candidate, please read further for details.

Nominations are being solicited for the following positions:

Vice President. The Vice President serves as President - Elect in the event of resignation or absence or inability to serve of the President - Elect and performs other responsibilities as designated by the President, particularly chairing the Membership Recruitment committee or serving as chair of the Conference Planning Committee. The person elected as Vice-President serves a four-year term. The first year, the elected officer will serve as Vice-President, and subsequent years as President-Elect, President, and finally as Past-President.

Treasurer.  The Treasurer serves a three year term, the first of which overlaps with the outgoing treasurer to ensure a smoother transition.  The Treasurer is a member of the Executive Committee of DCDT and is responsible for the fiscal management of the organization including submitting and implementing the approved budget of the organization, processing payments to the organization, providing a monthly accounting of expenses and revenue to the executive board, and ensuring timely submissions of payments, tax, and insurance paperwork. 

Secretary.  The Secretary serves a three year term, and serves as a member fo the Executive Committee of DCDT.  The Secretary takes and distributes minutes of the monthly Executive Committee meetings as well as twice annual meetings of the full board and the annual business meeting open to the full membership.  The secretary is also responsible for keeping an updated listing of board and past president contact information.

Northwest Regional Representative. The Northwest Regional Representative serves as a liaison from the DCDT Board to state DCDT subdivisions and performs responsibilities in the area of marketing, recruiting membership, mentorship, and planning.   She/he will assist on a regional basis with the initiation and maintenance of subdivisions and with the conducting of conferences, state meetings, and/or workshops.
The Northwest Representation must be a DCDT member from one of the states in the Northwest Region:  

ALASKA                    MISSOURI              SOUTH DAKOTA
IDAHO                      MONTANA             WASHINGTON
IOWA                        NEBRASKA            WYOMING
KANSAS                    NORTH DAKOTA
MINNESOTA              OREGON

 
Northeast Regional Representative.   The Northeast Regional Representative serves as a liaison from the DCDT Board to state DCDT subdivisions and performs responsibilities in the area of marketing, recruiting membership, mentorship, and planning.   She/he will assist on a regional basis with the initiation and maintenance of subdivisions and with the conducting of conferences, state meetings, and/or workshops.
The Northeast Representation must be a DCDT member from one of the states in the Northeast Region:  

Connecticut             New Jersey
Illinois                     Ohio
Indiana                    Pennsylvania
Maine                       Iowa
Massachusetts          Rhode Island
Michigan                  Vermont
New Hampshire        Wisconsin

All nominees must be members in good standing of the Division on Career Development and Transition at the time of nomination.
 
Nomination Process
The DCDT Nominating Committee will accept the nomination of any member in good standing of the association, including self-nominations.   All nominations must be accompanied by a short biography of the nominee, five letters of nomination for the nominee from DCDT members in good standing, and written consent from the nominee to serve if elected.   Self-nominations must be accompanied by five letters of nomination from other DCDT members and the self-nomination letter must include a statement of the person's willingness to serve if elected.  
Nominations can be mailed, e-mailed, or faxed to:

Colleen A. Thoma, Ph.D.
VCU School of Education
1015 West Main Street, P.O. Box 842020
Richmond, VA 23284-2020
[email protected]
804-255-2446
To be eligible for consideration, nominations must be received by December 10, 2008

 

The Division on Career Development and Transition (DCDT), a division of the Council for Exceptional Children (CEC), is accepting nominations for awards given to people who have made outstanding contributions in the field of secondary education and transition for students with disabilities.  Award categories include: innovative practices; teacher; employer; national leadership; state/local leadership; and research.  Deadline for nominations is January 15, 2009. The awards will be given out at the 2009 CEC Conference in Seattle, WA. To nominate someone for a DCDT award, please submit a letter of nomination to Dr. Colleen Thoma (see below). To learn more about award guidelines, see below. For questions, email [email protected].
 Nominations can be mailed, e-mailed, or faxed to:

Colleen A. Thoma, Ph.D.
VCU School of Education
1015 West Main Street, P.O. Box 842020
Richmond, VA 23284-2020
[email protected]   
804-255-2446

Marc Gold Innovative Practices in Transition Award - This award is presented to an individual or organization that has demonstrated innovation in transition services.  The award is named after Marc Gold whose innovative "Try Another Way" approach opened the door employment for many students with severe disabilities.

Iva Dean Cook Teacher of the Year Award - This practitioner honor is awarded to an educator who has demonstrated outstanding commitment and service to the career education and transition of students with disabilities. The award is named in recognition of Iva Dean Cook, a DCDT founding member, past president and a pioneer in teacher preparation in transition.

Employer of the Year Award - This award is presented to an employer or business that has shown remarkable commitment to promoting or providing employment opportunities to students with disabilities.

Oliver P. Kolstoe Award - The Oliver P. Kolstoe Award is presented to an individual who has made a significant contribution to the field of career development and transition through means other than direct classroom instruction (which is recognized by the Iva Dean Cook Teacher of the Year Award). The award is named in recognition of Oliver P. Kolstoe, a DCDT founding member and past president whose early research and publications significantly shaped the field of transition.

Donn Brolin Award for State/Province Leadership and Services- This honor is awarded to an individual who has provided significant leadership and service in transition to a state or province. Donn Brolin was a founding member and the first president of DCDT and as author of the Life Centered Career Education curriculum was influential in the career development and early transition movement.

Patricia L. Sitlington Research in Transition Award- This award is presented to an individual who has contributed to more positive outcomes for transition-aged youth and to the field of transition through a body of research in transition. The award is named in honor of Patricia Sitlington, a DCDT past-president who has contributed significantly to knowledge in the field through research.

NLTS2 Database Training Seminar
Washington, D.C. January 13-15, 2009

A 3-day seminar on the use of the National Longitudinal Transition Study 2 (NLTS2) database for education research and policy analysis will be held January 13-15, 2009 in Washington D.C. This seminar is open to advanced graduate students and faculty members from colleges and universities, and to researchers, practitioners, and policy analysts from research, education, and human services agencies and organizations.

For anyone interested in using these data, this training is not to be missed. Attendees will have the opportunity to work directly with the researchers who developed the data collection instruments and database. Future seminars on this topic have not been announced, and we cannot assume that there will be additional opportunities to receive this training.

There is no fee to attend this training seminar. Transportation, hotel accommodations, and training materials will be provided at no cost to the participants. Participants will be responsible for their meals and incidental expenses.

Participants must have knowledge and experience in either SPSS or SAS programming. Applications are due November 23, 2008. Application and registration information can be found at: http://ies.ed.gov/ncser/whatsnew/conferences/nlts2_training.asp

The NLTS2 includes a nationally-representative sample of more than 11,000 students with disabilities who were 13 through 16 years old and receiving special education services when the study began in the 2000-2001 school year. NLTS2 is following these students for 9 years until the oldest subjects reach the age of 26. Data collection includes multiple waves of interviews and surveys with youth, parents, and educators; a direct student assessment; and student transcripts. The training will cover data from the first three waves of data collection, with the oldest subjects having reached the age of 20.

NLTS2 is designed to support research on a wide range of topics pertaining to youth with disabilities as they move from secondary school into adult roles. Cross sectional and longitudinal analyses can be conducted. The database includes over 10,000 variables related to youth and family characteristics, school characteristics, special education programs and services, academic and functional performance, adult services and supports, postsecondary education, adult adjustment and health, and adult employment.

PLEASE POST THIS INFORMATION AND PASS IT ON TO ANYONE
WHO MAY BE INTERESTED IN THIS OPPORTUNITY.

For more information about this training opportunity, please contact Chonita Milner-Vaughn at Optimal Solutions Group, LLC at [email protected] or by phone at 301-306-1170


NLTS2 is administered by the National Center for Special Education Research within the Institute of Education Sciences, U.S. Department of Education.