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July 24, 2006 |
Bridges4Kids
NewsDigest Topics
| • Disability News | |
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• No Child Left Behind (NCLB) |
• Special Education Issues |
| • Ask the Attorney/Advocate | |
| • Upcoming National Events | |
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http://www.wrightslaw.com/news/06/abuse.nys.regs.htm In June, 2006, New York approved "emergency regulations" that permit public schools to use aversive behavioral interventions and time-out rooms on children with disabilities. These regulations were approved without public meetings, testimony or comment.
http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060705/LIFE/607050322/-1/all If you're sensitive to the sun, prone to poison ivy or a magnet for mosquitoes, summer used to mean spritzing on the bug spray, slathering on the sunscreen and tiptoeing around the "leaves of three." This summer, the hot news is natural, wearable protection from nature's nuisances. There's apparel that blocks the sun's rays or chases off pesky, biting insects. You can rinse in sun protection with a laundry additive. And if you happen to forget to protect yourself, there's even clothing that reduces the itching and irritation from bites and sunburns or allergies.
http://news.publiceducation.org/t/5220/101742/139/0/ Four-in-ten teens who do not attend after-school programs say it is because they simply are not interested in what is being offered. When asked what factors would increase their interest in after-school activities, the overwhelming majority of teens said they would be interested in after-school programs that offer opportunities for college scholarships (94.3%), followed by programs where they can earn college credit (92.1%). Teens were also interested in programs that help them perform better in school (76.8%), develop leadership skills (76.4%), teach them how to work with money and budgets (75.6%) and how to run a business (69.1%).
The Grim Neurology of Teenage Drinking http://www.ocpapsych.org/print.php?sid=234 Mounting research
suggests that alcohol causes more damage to the developing brains of
teenagers than was previously thought, injuring them significantly
more than it does adult brains. The new findings may help explain why
people who begin drinking at an early age face enormous risks of
becoming alcoholics. "Clearly, something is changed in the brain by
early alcohol exposure," Dr. Swartzwelder said in an interview. "It's
a double-edged sword and both of the edges are bad." Juvenile Defender Delinquency Notebook (PDF) http://www.njdc.info/pdf/delinquency_notebook.pdf The National Juvenile Defender Center has revised and updated this manual for its 2nd edition, which is intended as an advocacy and training guide for juvenile defenders. Thirteen chapters cover everything from the initiation of the attorney-client relationship to appeals and related proceedings. Over 500 downloadable pages in which case you should stock up on ink cartridges and invest in several reams of paper. Available as a free PDF document.
http://www.tctimes.com/site/printerFriendly.cfm?brd=2524&dept_id=517571&newsid=16928966 The Fenton home of Phillip and Linda Canup and their son, Christopher, who turned 18 in June, is peaceful. But it was not always like this. In fact, it had been the reverse for several years, dissention, shouting, holes punched in walls - chaos. The Canups agreed to tell their story in order to help others, those parents and teens, who don't know where to turn.
Art Therapy: How Creative Expression Can Heal http://www.bridges4kids.org/articles/7-06/onesource_art.html#top Janette is six years old, her brown eyes weary with the haunted wisdom of a child who has seen more than any six-year-old should ever see. She witnessed her father, in the frenzy of an alcoholic rage, kick her pregnant mother in the stomach and saw the police come and drag her father out of the room, and she was there when her bruised and tearful mother returned from the hospital and told her that she wasn't going to have a baby sister after all.
http://drwilliampmartin.tripod.com/classm.html This huge list of classroom management resources was originally developed by graduate students at Monmouth University and is regularly updated. There are classroom management techniques tailored to elementary and secondary education, discipline ideas for new and experienced teachers, tips for handling special education, suggestions for getting organized, strategies for preventing behavior problems, sample classroom rules, ways of creating a caring community, and more. A companion feature offers the cream of the crop at The Really Best List of Classroom Management Resources!
Even simple actions that cost little or no money can positively affect the school climate and create that all-important sense of belonging and safety that many researchers say makes the difference between thriving and floundering at school. Diane Curtis outlines ten strategies for fostering healthy and caring environments for learning.
Need to Learn English in School? Follow the Yellow Brick Road http://news.publiceducation.org/t/4602/101742/58/0/ Immigrant students arrived at I.S. 223 in Brooklyn, NY, talking 24 different languages and not knowing a soul. About the only thing they shared was a shyness of speaking English aloud. First-year teacher Diana Senechal figured, what better way to give them confidence than to have them sing and dance in an hour-and-a-half-long musical, for three performances at the end of the school year, in the big auditorium, before a thousand strangers.
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2006/06/07/health/main1692386.shtml
Lying in his hospital room on a mattress designed to protect his
fragile skin, 13-year-old Achim Nurse poked his bandaged fingers at an
orange button on what looked like a souped-up video game console. Half
a second later, in a social studies class discussing the Erie Canal, a
5-foot-tall, steel-blue robot raised its hand. "You have a question,
Achim?" said the teacher. Achim is using a pair of robots — one,
called "Mr. Spike," at his bedside, and its mate, "Mrs. Candy," in the
classroom — to keep up with his schoolwork and his friends during the
months he will be bedridden at Blythedale Children's Hospital in
Valhalla, N.Y., just north of New York City.
http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/news/stories.nsf/education/story/3A76C7028249EFA48625719 Homeless students
struggle to attend school. Some miss class for a few days. Some never
come back. Now, in what may be a first for a U.S. public school
district, Superintendent Henke is looking to open a group home and get
homeless students to school each morning, homework each afternoon and
family dinners nightly. Bill Gates Gets Schooled http://news.publiceducation.org/t/4842/101742/87/0/ Six years and a steep learning curve later Melinda Gates says she and Bill didn't realize at first how much cooperation it would take from school districts and states to break up traditional big schools. "If you want to equate being naive with being inexperienced, then we were definitely naive when we first started," she says.
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No Child Left Behind (NCLB) |
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NEA to Challenge No Child Left Behind http://news.publiceducation.org/t/5220/101742/129/0/ A majority of the delegates at the National Education Association’s annual convention overwhelmingly approved a plan that would push for aggressive changes to the federal No Child Left Behind law, which is up for reauthorization next year. The nation's largest union, whose leaders have often complained they were not allowed to participate in the crafting of the country's chief education law, approved a plan that calls on NEA members to lobby Congress for reforms including establishing an accountability system that no longer relies only on testing as the measure of success or failure. Instead, the union recommends designing a system based on multiple benchmarks, including teacher-designed classroom assessments, student portfolios, graduation/dropout statistics, and college-enrollment rates, among other measures. The plan also calls for smaller class sizes, more funding for schools, and revisions to the definition of “highly qualified” teacher.
Poor & Minority Students are Shortchanged on Teacher Quality http://news.publiceducation.org/t/4602/101742/65/0/ A comprehensive study by The Education Trust has finally proven what anecdotal evidence has long suggested: Poorly qualified teachers drag down student achievement.
For more information on No Child Left Behind, visit http://www.bridges4kids.org/ESEA.html
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Parenting/Parental Involvement |
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The AARP Foundation Grandparent Information Center (GIC) offers a publication to inform grandparent caregivers about public benefits that may be available to them and the grandchildren they are raising. Entitled Guide to Public Benefits for Grandfamilies, it presents information about cash assistance, health, nutrition and tax credit programs that could help these families make ends meet. It provides useful information for grandparents or other relatives raising grandchildren who live on limited, fixed incomes that make it difficult for them to care adequately for the children. The GIC also suggests that these grandparent caregivers go to http://www.benefitscheckup.org to determine if they are eligible for cash assistance, health, food or home energy services. For more information, call 202/434-2218 or e-mail to agoyer@aarp.org.
For more information on Parenting, Siblings, Adoption and Foster Care, visit http://www.bridges4kids.org/Parenting.html
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MI Michigan Supreme Court: No Duty to Warn for Hair Oil That Caused Baby's Death http://www.earlychildhoodmichigan.org/articles/7-06/Gongwer7-19-06.htm The manufacturer of a hair oil product had no duty to warn of its toxicity, which caused the agonizing death of a baby who drank it, the Supreme Court ruled in a 5-2 decision released Wednesday. The decision reversed the Court of Appeals, which concluded questions such as whether a warning was required and whether the manufacturer breached an implied warranty should have been left to the jury.
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2003116726_earlylearning10m.html Washington Gov. Christine Gregoire and William H. Gates Sr., of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, will lead a public-private partnership called Thrive by Five: The Washington Early Learning Fun designed to prepare the state's youngest children for success in school. The group will start with $9 million, with more funds added in the years to come. The money will go toward staff training, parent education and support, and boosting the quality of existing preschool programs.
Study Finds Smallest Preemies Benefit From Breast Milk http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20060705.wpreemies0705/ BNStory/specialScienceandHealth/home The tiniest premature
infants fed with breast milk in the hospital did better on tests of
mental development later in life than did others fed only formula, a
new study has found. [Free login/registration required.]
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/5042308.stm Danish researchers found babies born at between 34 and 36 weeks were 70% more likely to develop attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Those born at less than 34 weeks were three times more likely to have ADHD. The study of 30,000 children in the Archives of Diseases in Childhood also found an increased incidence of ADHD in children with a low birth weight.
Have a Ball! A Toolkit for Physical Activity and the Early Years http://www.earlychildhoodmichigan.org/ChildDev.htm#resources A variety of materials in a handy, ready-to-go 'briefcase' for promoting and delivering physical activity opportunities for young children. The Toolkit includes a binder of information, a copy of Moving and Growing: Ages Two, Three and Four, a copy of the Rainbow Fun resource on CD, the Chief Medical Officer of Health Report: Healthy Weights, Healthy Lives, Canada's Food Guide to Healthy Eating: Focus on Preschoolers, a beach ball to (must we say it)…get the ball rolling, and other complementary materials. Download the binder contents available in PDF: What the Research Says (PDF 535KB), Resource Selection Critera (164KB), Resources (PDF 344KB), Great Ideas (PDF 3.5 MB), Have a Ball with a Ball ! (88.6KB), Fact sheets - Professionals (PDF 1.1 MB), and Fact sheets - Parents (PDF 316KB).
For more information on Early Childhood issues, visit www.EarlyChildhoodMichigan.org
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http://lsj.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060704/NEWS05/607040335&SearchID=73250217517450 When the rains came last month, so many moms, dads and kids poured into southeastern Michigan's newest family playground that the owners had to shut the doors for a while. The Castaway Cafe is a stone's throw from a popular Livingston County outlet mall. Inside is a giant play structure - 30 feet tall and covering 6,700 square feet, with four tube slides plus three smaller ones for toddlers, a suspension bridge, a zip line and a room full of huge balls to push around.
Single Gender Classroom Bill Signed by Michigan Governor http://www.bridges4kids.org/articles/7-06/Gongwer7-19-06.html#top Single-gender schooling in Michigan is now permitted under a bill signed Wednesday by Governor Jennifer Granholm. The most immediate impact would be in Detroit, Flint and Grand Rapids, where officials are exploring the option of creating a separate high school for boys and another for girls.
http://www.mlive.com/news/kzgazette/index.ssf?/base/news-18/1152890532103570.xml&coll=7 The Kalamazoo Promise has prompted lower interest rates on bonds, which will save Kalamazoo Public Schools millions of dollars. Reduced interest payments on an $85 million bond issue approved by voters in May and the refinancing of other bonds will save the district $5.9 million. The district had estimated a 5 percent interest rate to retire the May bond issue. But the financial underwriter, A.G. Edwards & Sons, said the rate would be 4.55 percent. The Kalamazoo Promise is what made the difference, said Gary Start, the district's deputy superintendent.
A bill, requiring children under the Women, Infants and Children program receive testing for lead in their systems, has also been signed by Michigan’s Governor.. The new law (SB 1185, PA 286, immediate effect) expands the number of children who are eligible for tests and will help the state meet its goal of testing 80 percent of children in Medicaid eligible families by 2007. Almost 85 percent of children in Medicaid households are also enrolled in WIC. "Testing and treating children, especially those who live in high-risk areas, is a critical step to ensuring that they can get off to a good start in life," the governor said. The bill was signed and filed and effective Wednesday, July 19, 2006. [Gongwer, July 19, 2006]
Last Chance: Get-tough Approach Challenges Michigan Kids http://www.lsj.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060710/NEWS01/607100335/1312 Naomi Cinko traveled 10 hours to arrive Sunday at the gates of Fort Custer Training Center and Day One of the Michigan Youth ChalleNGe Academy. The academy run by the Michigan National Guard could be her best chance at attaining a high school diploma or its equivalent. Since its 1999 start, the academy has graduated more than 1,100 teens. Officials say that 90 percent become productive citizens by joining the work force, signing up for the military or attending college.
History Guide Missed the Story http://www.mlive.com/news/grpress/index.ssf?/base/news-2/1152427446195860.xml&coll=6 The uproar over Michigan's proposed history curriculum could have been avoided. A straight telling of the American story is what Michigan students need. State education bureaucrats should have been able to provide it. Instead, they produced a truncated and ideologically tilted version that fully deserved the subsequent uproar. State Superintendent Michael Flanagan sent it back for remedial work.
http://www.bridges4kids.org/articles/7-06/MIRS7-13-06.html#top Public schools will see
$210 more per student in next year's batch of state money, but that's
not all the K-12 system will see as a part of a budget agreement
reached between lawmakers and the administration.
http://www.bridges4kids.org/articles/7-06/MIRS7-13-06.html#2 The poor will be asked to pay a $6 co-pay for emergency room visits and doctors will be able to see a 2 percent increase in their Medicaid reimbursement rates under a Department of Community Health (DCH) budget for Fiscal Year (FY) 2007 that was approved by a joint House-Senate conference committee today.
http://www.bridges4kids.org/articles/7-06/andell6-06.html#top The Detroit Schools has partnered with local universities to get students thinking about careers in science and engineering. Students at different levels of the Detroit Public Schools are being targeted in a statewide effort to get more women and minorities enrolled in engineering programs. One program that makes this its mission is the Detroit Area Pre College Engineering Program (DAPCEP).
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Special Needs for School-Age Children: Planning Ahead When Your Child Has a Disability http://www.bridges4kids.org/articles/7-06/onesource_future.html If your child has a disability, or another family member with a disability relies on you for care and support, you're likely to be concerned about the future. You know that it's important to understand the best way to arrange your financial and legal affairs to be sure your child's care continues after your death. The following information is meant to help you think about your child's future. It will help you get ready to talk with any experts who may help you plan your estate. It will also help you understand how to let future caregivers know important information about your child.
http://www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?pagename=thestar/Layout/Article_ PrintFriendly&c=Article&cid=1152309010215&call_pageid=968332188492
Family worries what will happen now to
9-year-old son. Natoma Houston sat at her computer frozen in disbelief
yesterday morning as she read the bottom line of the Ontario Court of
Appeal's decision on funding for intensive therapy for autistic
children over age 5. The Top Ten Things You Should Know About Fragile X-Associated Tremor/Ataxia Syndrome (FXTAS) http://www.bridges4kids.org/articles/7-06/FragileX4-06.html#top
http://www.bridges4kids.org/articles/7-05/FX7-05.html#top Although Fragile X Syndrome is the most common known cause of inherited cognitive impairment, the up-to-date name for mental retardation, the average person has not heard of Fragile X Syndrome. The average health professional has very little knowledge, or dated knowledge, of Fragile X Syndrome. Until our children were diagnosed, we were average people asking, “Fragile what?”
http://www.bridges4kids.org/articles/7-05/FX7-05.html#2
Special Needs for School-Age Children: Child Care for Children with Special Needs
http://www.bridges4kids.org/articles/7-06/onesource_childcare.html#top Special Needs for School-Age Children: Asperger Syndrome: First Steps Toward Understanding http://www.bridges4kids.org/articles/7-06/onesource_as.html#top
Candy Creations Co. produces confections for a select market: folks
who are allergic to nuts and those who want their sweets sugar-free.
The company’s chocolate product line is free of nuts. Almost all the
candies are also available in a sugar-free variety. Candy Creations
sells through its web site. Products can be shipped anywhere in the
U.S. Get more information at: 513-459-7946 or
www.nonutscandy.com.
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Sample Letter: Letter Requesting "No Restraint" http://www.bridges4kids.org/IEP/NoRestraintLetter.html#top Tip: Be sure that all behavior intervention planning documents are attached to and mentioned in your child's IEP.
U.S. Department of Education Pamphlet: Students with Disabilities Preparing for Postsecondary Education: Know Your Rights and Responsibilities http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ocr/transition.html This document provides information on the rights and responsibilities of students with disabilities who plan to attend a postsecondary institution. This pamphlet also explains the obligations of postsecondary schools to provide academic adjustments to ensure that they do not discriminate on the basis of disability. Copies can be ordered by calling (877) 4-EDPUBS or on-line ordering at http://www.edpubs.org/webstore/Content/search.asp.
Financial Aid for Students with Disabilities http://www.heath.gwu.edu/PDFs/Creating%20Options%202006.pdf This annual resource paper is a comprehensive guide to financial aid in the form of grants, loans, work-study, and scholarships.
http://www.ed.gov/legislation/FedRegister/finrule/2006-2/060506a.html The U.S. Dept. of Education has issued final regulations dealing with service obligations under Part D of IDEA - the Personnel Development to Improve the Services and Results for Children with Disabilities program. These regulations went into effect as of July 5, 2006.
http://www.thinkronize.com/press/PR/06_july05.html netTrekker
d.i., and internet search engine, takes differentiated instruction to
the next level with new Read Aloud feature to support special needs
learners. For more information on Special Education, IEPs and Section 504, visit http://www.bridges4kids.org/Rules.html
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Ask the Attorney/Advocate |
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Bridges4Kids Exclusive: Ask the Attorney with John Brower Visit http://www.bridges4kids.org/AA.html for dozens of John's previously posted Q&As.
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These are NEW calendar listings that have been added this week, along with events taking place this week. To view a complete calendar of National events, visit http://www.bridges4kids.org/Conferences.html
Resources for Children with
Special Needs, Inc.'s 22nd Annual Free Special Camp Fair
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These are NEW calendar listings that have been added this week, along with events taking place this week. To view a complete calendar of Michigan events, visit http://www.bridges4kids.org/Conferences.html
Van Atta's Summer Festival to Benefit Camp RicStar
Accessing Healthcare Coverage for Mental Health Services for Your Child and Is your Teen Ready for Adult Life? WHEN/WHERE: Pontiac August 9; Bad Axe August 16.
DESCRIPTION: The Association
for Children’s Mental Health will be providing 4 free regional
trainings as a part of the Real Choices Family to Family Health &
Education Center Project on both Accessing Healthcare Coverage for
Mental Health Services for Your Child and Is your Teen Ready for Adult
Life?
2nd Annual
"Ride for Autism" & Cheli's Children Foundation Motorcycle Ride FOR MORE INFORMATION: To download registration and/or pledge form, go to www.macombasa.org. This event will benefit the Macomb/St. Clair Chapter/ASA's Recreational/Social Grant for Special Education Classrooms.
The Michigan Branch of the
International Dyslexia Association's Fall Conference: All About
Reading
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Bridges4Kids NewsDigest Staff
Deborah Canja
Chief Executive Officer
Director of Information Technology & Information
Systems
Bella Djordjevski
Resource Assistant
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