Enforcing federal laws on bullying:  The Department of Education has issued guidance for educators about complying with their responsibilities to prevent harassment, as laid out in federal laws. The guidance is the product of a year-long review of the federal statutes and case law covering sexual, racial and other forms of harassment. It clarifies responsibilities under federal laws for authorities in public schools and in colleges.

N.J. proposal to toughen anti-bullying laws:  New Jersey lawmakers unveiled a bipartisan effort to enact the toughest anti-bullying law in the nation. The "Anti-Bullying Bill of Rights" would require training for nearly all school employees on how to spot, prevent and report acts of intimidation. Each district must form a "school safety team" that reviews complaints, lead by a counselor designated as an "anti-bullying specialist." The measure, A3466, would also require school employees to report harassing actions they learn about that take place off school property.

Anti-bullying laws raise awareness across nation: States that have adopted anti-bullying legislation report that the laws have led to increased teacher training, character education and sensitivity programs. It's hard to determine whether the laws have decreased bullying because states track school incidents and crimes in various ways, and some do not track data on bullying at all. Five states have not passed anti-bullying laws, according to Bully Police USA, which tracks such legislation. 

Half of teens admit bullying in last year:  Half of high school students say they've bullied someone in the past year, and 43% say they've been the victim of bullying, according to a national survey by the Josephson Institute of Ethics which asked more than 43,000 high school students whether they'd been physically abused, teased or taunted in a way that seriously upset them.

"Making Life Easier" Series for Parents and Caregivers: The Technical Assistance Center on Social Emotional Intervention for Young Children (TACSEI) has launched a new series entitled, Making Life Easier, which is designed to provide helpful tips for parents and caregivers on how to make often challenging events easier to navigate and even enjoyable. Topics currently available include Bedtime and Naptime, Running Errands, and Diapering. Each tip sheet also includes a helpful quick reference sheet.

Webinar Series on the Social Emotional Development of Young Children:  In recent years, there have been increased referrals of children with potential delays in social emotional development to programs for young children funded by the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. In response to this challenge, a webinar series on the importance of social emotional development as a stepping stone to positive outcomes for young children has been developed by the IDEA Infant & Toddler Coordinators Association (ITCA), the IDEA 619 Consortium, and the Technical Assistance Center on Social Emotional Intervention for Young Children (TACSEI).

Second Set of "CELLcasts" for Parents Available for Viewing or Downloading:  The Center for Early Literacy Learning (CELL) has released a second set of CELLcasts for parents. CELLcasts are audio/video versions of CELL practices which can be viewed/listened to online or downloaded. Diaper Ch Ch Changes are fun-filled ideas to turn a diaper changing routine into an early learning opportunity, while Act Natural provides ideas on how to support and guide toddlers while playing dress up and reenacting their favorite story. Read It Again illustrates two of the many benefits of repeated readings to preschoolers: learning new words and matching letters to sounds.

On Nov. 29, 1975, the passage of the Education for All Handicapped Children Act, now known as the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), guaranteed access to a free, appropriate, public education (FAPE) in the least restrictive environment to every child with a disability. The U.S. Department of Education's Office of Special Education and Rehabilitation Services (OSERS) has just published a new report, Thirty-five Years of Progress in Educating Children with Disabilities Through IDEA, which reflects on how far we've come, envisions the future of IDEA and celebrates the millions of people who have enjoyed access to the services and education as a result of this law.

Check out the latest edition of

Overview of Immigrant Eligibility for Federal Programs and the

Medical Assistance Programs for Immigrants in Various States table

from the Guide to Immigrant Eligibility for Federal Programs.

The Oley Foundation has outlined the importance of having an Individual Health Plan (IHP) for students with chronic health conditions.  Although an IHP is not a legal document, if it's included in an IEP or 504 Plan it becomes part of that legal document.  An IHP expands upon the health condition and how it relates to the individual child.

"Embedding Health Outcomes in the Individualized Education Program" is a video recording of a 40 minute teleconference that provides information and specific examples of health related goals for an IEP.  This recording is available, at no cost, from the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction.

Of nearly 7.4 million children in the US diagnosed with emotional, behavioral, or developmental conditions, a disproportionate number do not get the mental health services they need because they are underinsured, according to a new report released by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA).  The study also finds that boys, adolescents, and children from low-income families are affected by conditions such as depression or ADD at higher rates than other children, but that adequate health services for these children remain an unmet need.  "The Mental and Emotional Well-Being of Children: A Portrait of States and the Nation 2007" found that 11.3% (nearly 7.4 million) of children in the US are reported by their parents to have been diagnosed with emotional, behavioral, or developmental conditions.  Nearly two-thirds (65.7%) are boys; more than half (51.1%) are between the ages of 12 and 17; nearly one-quarter (24.8%) have family incomes below the Federal poverty level; and 1/3 have also been diagnosed with a chronic physical condition.  29.4 % of diagnosed children with insurance were reported by their parents to have insurance that did not usually or always meet their needs. 40.3% of diagnosed children have more than one emotional, behavioral, or developmental condition. 45.8% of children with one or more emotional, behavioral, or developmental conditions also had learning disabilities.

Parents and Teachers: What Does An Effective Partnership Look Like?  Posted on Friday, October 22, 2010 is the parent question 'How to involve parents in a child's education?'  Join the discussion.

This brief policy analysis was designed by the Personnel Improvement Center and Project Forum to describe some of the strategies states are using to recruit and retain qualified special educators and related service providers. Forty state education agencies (SEAs) responded to the survey. Most reporting SEAs engage in activities aimed at recruiting to the field of special education and related services and to specific positions from the state level and work toward improving retention. Common strategies include Internet-based recruitment, job fairs, professional development opportunities, mentoring or coaching and collaboration with teacher preparation programs. The state-level infrastructures that support this work are discussed.  Click here to access the report.

Beyond Academics at The University of North Carolina at Greensboro is a four year post-secondary education program for adults with intellectual disabilities. The course of study prepares enrolled students for a self-determined lifestyle emphasizing careers, meaningful avocations, and community living. Through the Office of Undergraduate Studies at UNCG, students completing requirements for graduation receive a certificate in Integrative Community Studies. They have courses for students in health literacy, financial literacy, self advocacy/independent living etc.

Download your copy of OTL Messaging Toolkit

Opportunity to Learn Toolkit now available on OTL website:  The Opportunity to Learn (OTL) Campaign seeks to develop a new framework for systemic education reform around one fundamental value: that all children have a right to a fair and substantive opportunity to learn. Research has shown that four core resources are needed to give our children this opportunity: access to highly effective teachers, early childhood education, college preparatory curricula, and equitable instructional resources.  The National OTL Campaign has prepared the OTL Messaging Toolkit to share the framework and language to create an echo chamber of ideas within communities and with policymakers and the media. Whether you are working on ending the school to prison pipeline in Denver, ending the dropout crisis in Chicago, or winning key resources for schools in California, Arkansas or New York, we all are working to provide every student in the country, regardless of race, socioeconomic status, language of origin and immigration status, an opportunity to learn. The Toolkit provides guidance for choosing the right messages, framing the Opportunity to Learn, creating an echo chamber through the media, talking points and much more.

The Institute of Education Sciences (IES) has issued a new report, A Study of States' Monitoring and Improvement Practices Under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (October 2010), which provides a description of the nature and scope of states' Part B and Part C monitoring systems. Data on 20 states' monitoring systems in 2004-05 and 2006-07 were collected during two site visits. The report describes states' approaches to monitoring and how states' monitoring systems and processes mapped onto a framework developed for the study.

70% of American households used the Internet in 2009. The majority used broadband to access the Internet at home. Almost one-fourth of all households, however, did not have an Internet user.  Income and education are strongly associated with broadband Internet use at home.  Broadband Internet adoption was higher among White households than among Black and Hispanic households. Differences in socio-economic attributes do not explain the entire gap associated with race and ethnicity.  A similar pattern holds for urban and rural locations. Urban residents were more likely than rural counterparts to adopt broadband Internet, even after accounting for socio-economic differences.  In contrast, differences in socio-economic and geographic characteristics do explain a substantial portion of the broadband adoption lag among people with disabilities.  Lack of need or interest, lack of affordability, lack of an adequate computer, and lack of availability were all stated as the main reasons for not having home broadband Internet access.  Internet non-users reported lack of need or interest as their primary reason for not having broadband at home. This group accounted for two-thirds of those who don't have broadband at home.  Households that did not use the Internet specifically at home but did use the Internet elsewhere ranked affordability as the primary deterrent to home broadband adoption. This group represented almost one-fourth of those who don't have broadband at home.  Households that use dial-up service cited affordability as the main reason for not adopting broadband at home. Between 2001 and 2009, broadband Internet use among households rose sevenfold, from 9 percent to 64 percent of American households.  Some of the demographic groups that had lower-than-average adoption rates in 2001 have since shown impressive gains, but sizable gaps remain among demographic groups defined by income, education, race, and ethnicity.