The ABCs of Bullying Prevention

http://www.educationworld.com/a_curr/shore/shore078.shtml

Cyberbullying -- a new and growing form of bullying that has emerged with the advent of technology -- is a problem today's schools increasingly must deal with. In this, the first of a 8-part series on bullying, Dr. Ken Shore explains what cyberbullying is and how schools can best deal with it.
 

Schools Endeavor to Fight Against Bullying

http://www.newsday.com/news/local/longisland/ny-libull0204,0,1452317.story?coll=ny-main-bigpix

Thinking back on the last nine years, Tyler Albertario really can't choose the worst moment. Maybe it was the morning someone tripped him in the school hallway. Or the afternoon that kids spit on him from a bus window. Or just the constant slights -- the birthday party invitations that never arrived, the play-dates that never materialized. His parents pay nearly $9,000 in property taxes a year because of the high quality of the school system. "But who cares about high-ranking education," his father said, "when your kid is miserable?"

Principal Faces Ax for Inappropriate Response to Bullying

http://mdn.mainichi-msn.co.jp/national/news/20070126p2a00m0na012000c.html

The principal of a municipal junior high school is set to be relieved of his duties and undergo training after his school's inappropriate response to schoolyard bullying caused the victim to suffer mental problems, officials said.

Charter High Schools: Closing the Gap in Charter High Schools

http://www.ed.gov/admins/comm/choice/charterhs/index.html

The U.S. Department of Education recently published a new guide that focuses on eight charter high schools that are raising the achievement levels of traditionally underserved student populations. The guide reveals how these schools are using innovative instructional approaches to close the gap between the highest-performing students and those lagging behind.

The Path to Jail is Paved with School Absenteeism

http://news.bostonherald.com/columnists/view.bg?articleid=180919

Long before he became Boston’s first homicide victim of 2007, Jason Fernandes was already lost. When a 14-year-old boy skips 40 days of school between September and December, the most a principal can offer in the way of a eulogy is “he seemed well-mannered.”

Working With the Courts in Child Protection (PDF)

http://www.childwelfare.gov/pubs/usermanuals/courts/courts.pdf

This helpful manual is especially useful for CPS workers, caseworkers, service providers, etc. who may benefit from a more in-depth view of how the court process works.

Featured Website: Kids Are Waiting: Fix Foster Care Now

http://kidsarewaiting.org/

A national, nonpartisan campaign dedicated to ensuring that all children in foster care have the safe, permanent families they deserve by reforming the federal financing structure that governs our nation's foster care program.

New Report Shows 35,000 Fewer Abused and Neglected Children Eligible for Federal Foster Care Support in 2005, Increasing Burden on States

http://www.pewtrusts.org/ideas/ideas_item.cfm?content_item_id=3955&content_type_id=16&

page=16&issue=30&issue_name=Foster%20care%20reform&name=Pew%20Press%20Releases 

Thousands of foster children and the states responsible for them are losing the critical help they need from the federal government. In 1998, more than half of the children in foster care were eligible for federal support, but, by 2005, less than half were-an estimated 35,000 fewer eligible foster children. The number is projected to continue to decline by approximately 5,000 children each year, according to a new analysis released today by the Kids Are Waiting: Fix Foster Care Now campaign, led by The Pew Charitable Trusts. This decrease is due in part to an antiquated eligibility provision known as the "lookback".

'No Child' Commission Presents Ambitious Plan

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/02/13/AR2007021301162.html?nav=rss_education

The Commission on No Child Left Behind proposed a wide-reaching expansion of the law yesterday that would for the first time require schools to ensure that all seniors are proficient in reading and math and hold schools accountable for raising test scores in science by 2014.

Beyond the Bake Sale: The Essential Guide to Family-School Partnerships

http://www.ncpie.org/

This innovative guide reveals how to build strong collaborative relationships and offers practical advice for improving interactions between parents and teachers, from insuring that PTA groups are constructive and inclusive to navigating the complex issues surrounding diversity in the classroom.
 

National Coalition for Parent Involvement in Education (NCPIE)

http://www.ncpie.org/

NCPIE was founded in 1980, at the initiative of what was then the National School Volunteer Program (now National Association for Partners in Education), with funding from the Ford Foundation and Union Carbide. At NCPIE, our mission is simple: to advocate the involvement of parents and families in their children's education, and to foster relationships between home, school, and community to enhance the education of all our nation's young people.

For more information on No Child Left Behind, visit http://www.bridges4kids.org/ESEA.html

Do Children with Special Health Care Needs Get Needed Behavioral Health Care? (PDF)

http://www.bridges4kids.org/qualitycareupdate3.pdf

Twelve percent of all children enrolled in commercial plans have special health care needs. Almost 40 percent of them have an emotional or behavioral disorder. Left untreated, they can impede personal, social, and cognitive development. This data update is the third in a series designed to keep commercial health plans abreast of the critical issues involved in caring for children with special health care needs.

UnitedHealthcare Children's Foundation Offers Medical Assistance Grants

http://www.uhccf.org

The UnitedHealthcare Children's Foundation is offering support to meet the needs of children across the United States with assistance grants for medical services not fully covered by health insurance. Parents and caretakers across the country will be eligible to apply for grants of up to $5,000 for healthcare services that will help improve their children's health and quality of life. Examples of the types of medical services covered by the grants include speech therapy, physical therapy, and psychotherapy sessions; medical equipment such as wheelchairs, braces, hearing aids, and eyeglasses; and orthodontia and dental treatments. Any child 16 years old or younger living in any UHCCF region of the United States and in need of financial assistance for healthcare services will be considered eligible for a grant. Families must meet economic guidelines, reside in the United States, and be covered by a commercial health insurance plan.

Changing Michigan's Schools

http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070215/OPINION01/702150342/1008

Like automakers, schools must change or perish. Without fixes, educators won't earn more funding. Like the auto industry, our system of public education must change or perish. The configuration of our public system of education is not sustainable educationally or fiscally.

State Performance Plan and Annual Performance Report Now Available

On February 1, 2007, the Michigan Department of Education, Office of Special Education and Early Intervention Services submitted its revised State Performance Plan and 2007 Annual Performance Report to the U.S. Department of Education, Office of Special Education Programs. The documents are available on the web in PDF format: State Performance Plan at http://www.michigan.gov/documents/mde/2007MichiganPartB-SPP_186126_7.pdf and the 2007 Annual Performance Report at http://www.michigan.gov/documents/mde/2007MichiganAPR_186129_7.pdf

Michigan School Business Officials Survey: 20% Of School Districts Will Go Into Deficit With Cut

http://www.bridges4kids.org/articles/1-07/MIRS1-30-07.html

A January 2007 survey conducted by the Michigan School Business Officials (MSBO) found that if the Legislature reduces the per pupil foundation grant by $224 per student, about 120 districts would go into deficit by the end of this school year.

For more information on Disabilities, Disorders and Diseases, visit http://www.bridges4kids.org/Disabilities.html