News
New Inclusion Resource Guide
Posted May 7, 2008
The Mitsubishi Electric America Foundation has recently published a 14 page booklet: Paths to Inclusion: A Resource Guide for Fully Including Youth of ALL Abilities in Community Life. The guide is free and provides an overview of inclusion, examples of best practices, and links to helpful resources.
Proposed Title I Regulations Released
Posted April 24, 2008
On April 22, 2008 the U.S. Department of Education released proposed regulations covering several aspects of Title I of the No Child Left Behind Act, including reporting of graduation rates and parental notification.
New MN Special Education Data Posted
Posted April 21, 2008
The Minnesota Department of Education recently posted Part B and Part C District Data Profiles on their Web site. The profiles include district level data on specific performance indicators for students with disabilities in early childhood and K-12 special education programs.
New Report from America's Promise ALLIANCE: Cities in Crisis
Posted April 3, 2008
A new report released by America's Promise Alliance finds that America's largest cities are struggling to keep students in school.
Including Samuel, a documentary film by photojournalist Dan Habib
Posted March 31, 2008
Educators, parents, disability rights groups, social service agencies and the general public have a powerful new resource: Including Samual, a documentary film by photojournalist Dan Habib.
Including Samuel examines the educational and social inclusion of youth with disabilities. The film documents the Habib family's journey as they work to include Samuel, 7, in all facets of their lives, a journey that transforms each of them. Including Samuel also features four other families with varied inclusion experiences, plus interviews with teachers, parents and disability rights experts.
New Report - Transition Barriers for Children with Significant Disabilities and from Diverse Backgrounds
Posted March 31, 2008
A new report from the National Early Childhood Transition Center (NECTC) entitled Transition Issues and Barriers for Children with Significant Disabilities and from Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Backgrounds discusses transitions for children with significant disabilities children with disabilities from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds.
View a short summary of the report or see the full technical report.
New GAO Report on NCLB
Posted March 27, 2008
No Child Left Behind Act: Education Actions Could Improve the Targeting
of School Improvement Funds to Schools Most in Need of Assistance.
GAO-08-380, February 29.
Download a copy
or view highlights
of this report.
New Practitioner Brief: A Cultural, Linguistic, and Ecological Approach to Response to Intervention with English Languag Learners
Posted March 25, 2008
In order to meet the IDEA 2004, school districts around the country are working to develop Response to Intervention (RTI) models.
NCCRESt's newest Practitioner Brief — A Cultural, Linguistic, and Ecological Approach to Response to Intervention with English Language Learners — addresses a culturally responsive approach to RTI in a thoughtful and practical manner. This brief identifies guiding questions for service providers who determine whether assessment and instruction are linguistically and culturally appropriate for the student’s level of language proficiency. In addition, the brief considers student progress in relationship to peers with regard to language and cultural background. The authors have also created a useful flowchart to help practitioners to implement RTI interventions appropriately for students who are English Language Learners.
FERPA Regulations - Comment Request
Posted March 25, 2008
The March 24th Federal Register had a notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM) regarding the Family and Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA). The changes would clarify permissible disclosures to parents of eligible students and conditions that apply to disclosures in health and safety emergencies, as well as other provisions. Comments on the proposed regulations are due on or before May 8th.
OSEP Quarterly Correspondence
Posted March 25, 2008
The March 18th Federal Register included a list of quarterly correspondence (Oct. 1 - Dec. 31, 2007) from the U.S. Department of Education on issues regarding the interpretation of IDEA and the implementation of IDEA. The topics addressed are: Child with a Disability, Child Find, Methods of Ensuring Services, Personnel Qualifications, Prohibition on Mandatory Medication, Evaluations, Parental Consent and Reevaluations, Independent Educational Evaluations, Procedural Safeguards Notice, Impartial Due Process Hearing, Complaint Resolution, Accelerated Programs.
music within, DVD, Available on April 8th, 2008
Posted March 24, 2008
Based on a true story, the award winning movie, music within, will be available April 8th. The movie features Richard Pimentel (Ron Livingston) who begins his life as a fighter, and his life's work becomes a process of fighting for the rights of others. To learn more visit
http://www.musicwithindvd.com/
A boy and a puppet take on intolerance
Posted March 4, 2008
Duncan Masterman, a 7-year-old Brooklyn Park boy, doesn’t mind teaching others about his Tourette syndrome. He doesn’t have to explain much at school anymore, though, since Lynn Dennis
and volunteers from the PACER Center, used a puppet named Connor to explain the syndrome to his classmates.
Report Released on Foster Care Youth with Disabilities
Posted February 27, 2008
The National Council on Disability recently published "Youth with Disabilities in the Foster Care System: Barriers to Success and Proposed Policy Solutions," a report focusing on the challenges faced by older youth with disabilities in the foster care system.
Special Education Appropriations are Affected in 2008
Posted February 7, 2008
President Bush has signed an appropriations bill for this fiscal year that includes funding changes for provisions under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA):
- IDEA Section 619 Preschool: reduced by $6.62 million
- IDEA Part C Infants and Toddlers: reduced by $746,000
The Department of Education Fiscal Year 2008 Congressional Action report is available online. See page 9 for special education information.
Help PACER Create Its New Bullying Prevention Web Site for Teens
Posted February 7, 2008
PACER is creating an exciting new bullying prevention Web site for middle-school and high-school students—and you can help. Designed to educate, inform, and empower teens, the site will feature compelling stories from students, parents, educators, and community partners. What’s your story? Submit a video, story, poem, artwork, or audio clip with your ideas on bullying prevention.
I Can Do It, You Can Do It
Posted February 7, 2008
The U.S. Office on Disability has a nationwide program to improve the health of the 6 million American children who have disabilities. “I Can Do It, You Can Do It” is a program designed to increase physical activity and healthy nutritional behaviors. The program links children with disabilities with a physically active adult mentor who may or may not have a disability.
New Video! Transition Planning for Children with Disabilities
Posted January 29, 2008
This 30 minute video is a brief overview of the transition planning process for parents and families of children with disabilities.
RealPlayer is required to view.
New! Interactive Product on School Discipline
in Minnesota
Posted January 23, 2008
"School Discipline and Children with Disabilities: An Interactive Guide for Minnesota Families." Unique online resource that is a step-by-step guide through the process schools must follow to discipline children with disabilities
in Minnesota.
Whether you have a student who is on an Individualized Education Program (IEP), a Section 504 Plan, or you suspect your student may have a disability that affects his or her behavior at school, this guide is for you.
Exciting News! Earth, Wind & Fire to Headline PACER's 2008 Benefit!
Posted December 18, 2007
The legendary band Earth, Wind & Fire will take the stage at PACER Center’s 26th Annual Benefit on April 26, 2008. Winner of eight Grammy Awards, four American Music Awards, and a well-earned place in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, this popular group will wow the crowd. Be part of it. Order your tickets now!
Report Shares Trends in Rural Education
Posted December 18, 2007
“Why Rural Matters 2007: The Realities of Rural Education Growth” provides information on the condition of rural education nationwide and uncovers new trends and challenges facing rural educators. While enrollment in rural schools is up by 15 percent overall, there’s a 55 percent increase in rural minority students, with some states experiencing increases of more than 100 percent. Many rural schools continue to face a number of challenges, including high poverty levels, low student achievement, low teacher salaries, and uneven distribution of Title I funds. The report was issued by the Rural School and Community Trust.
New PACER Project to Increase Effectiveness of Special Education Advisory Councils
Posted November 15, 2007
PACER Center announces a new statewide project to increase the effectiveness of local special education advisory councils (SEACs). PACER will develop and publicize a Web page of centralized, user-friendly SEAC information, training, and support. The project is funded by a grant from the Minnesota Department of Education. For more information, e-mail
SEACSupport@PACER.org.
PACER's site offers many PDF files for download, which require 
