NAEAACLD NEWS

FOCUS
a publication of the
National Association for the Education of African American

Children with Learning Disabilities

A Quarterly Newsletter September 2010

Greetings and Good News!

The NAEAACLD is proud to announce that the organization was recently awarded a significant grant "to support the expansion and sustainability of services to deepen understanding and advocacy for learning differences in African American Children." While our work has experienced many highs and lows in the past, we are excited about this new potential for growth and look forward to serving and representing our constituency with greater impact and resourcefulness.

We ask for your continued patience and support as we strive to build an organization that meets the needs of African American families and children struggling to learn. Included in this newsletter are several ways in which you can help.

Survey Your Thoughts

The survey takes only 5-10 minutes!

Please take time to complete a survey that will help us to understand how the NAEAACLD can better serve you and your community. To access the survey, click here. Please remember that NAEAACLD resources have been slim in the past so we know that we can do more. The sky is the limit. Tell us what you really think!

The Giving Season

Demonstrate your Support of the NAEAACLD

Many of the fall fundraising campaigns have begun and will continue through the end of the year for tax deductible considerations. Please don't forget the NAEAACLD! You can become a member at a variety of levels beginning at $20.00 for students or make a donation of any size. Visit the NAEAACLD website for Membership or Donation information. Your gift will help us grow!

Call for Parent Leaders

Are You a Leader in Your Community?

The goal of the NAEAACLD's Parent Leadership Institute is to reach an unprecedented number of African American families through selected advocacy leaders who are committed to serving their communities by promoting parent involvement in the education of our nation's children. Through the Institute's training, members become knowledgeable about the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), which is the federal special education law that entitles all eligible school-aged children and youth with disabilities to receive a free appropriate public education.

The requirements for participation are: a commitment to serve one's community, a statement of interest and/or experience in working with communities, and a willingness to become a listed member of the NAEAACLD's Parent Leadership Institute for referring families. Individuals interested must complete a pre-training questionnaire. To access the pre-training questionnaire for completion online, please click here. Additional details on format and schedule will be sent only to those individuals who have submitted a completed pre-training questionnaire.

Parents Helping Parents

Waffles Every Day takes a serious subject and twirls it into a whimsical and comical story that praises the young subject, Tad, for becoming a success in spite of his uniqueness. Kim W. Tolbert is the author, poet, and mother of Tad, who is on the autism spectrum. This is her first in a series of books where special needs children are the heroes. Through her writings, she hopes to motivate, encourage, teach acceptance, and inform. To order copies, email: ktolbert3@cox.net. The book retails at $12.99.

News Briefs

Prominent civil-rights leaders have joined forces to provide all students an opportunity to learn through the reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA). Stating that "there is nothing short of a state of emergency in the delivery of education to our nation's communities of color" and that "access to a high-quality education is a fundamental civil right," the coalition has outlined six major principles that will be advocated to strengthen the ESEA and ensure that the federal government provides the support necessary to protect every child's right to a high-quality education. Read more on the OTL Campaign website.

The Schott Foundation for Public Education revealed in its latest biennial report that the overall graduation rate (2007-2008) for Black males in the United States was only 47 percent. The report shows that out of 50 states, half have graduation rates for Black male students below the national average. In additional to a national summary and detailed state-by-state data, the report highlights the success of New Jersey's Abbott plan, which demonstrates that when equitable resources are available to all students, systemic change at the system level can yield significant results. Click here to read the full report.

U.S. Secretary Arne Duncan recently announced his intention to establish the Equity and Excellence Commission in order to collect information, analyze issues, and obtain broad public input on how the Federal government can increase educational opportunity by improving school funding equity. The commission will examine the disparities in meaningful educational opportunities that give rise to the achievement gap and recommend appropriate ways in which Federal policies could address such disparities. The announcement can be found in the Federal Register by clicking here.