The
California PARENT Center E-News - October
19, 2004
Welcome
to the California PARENT Center E-News Monthly
The E-News Monthly is distributed by
the California PARENT Center, a statewide Parental Information and
Resource Center based in San Diego, CA. Originally established with
funding from the U.S. Department of Education Office of Innovation
and Improvement, the Center is now self-supporting. It is a project
of the June Burnett Institute for Children Youth and Families, administered
by San Diego State University Foundation.
Upcoming
California PARENT Center Parent Involvement Conferences
Open
Conferences - The California PARENT Center, has scheduled
its next open LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT CONFERENCES On
School, Family and Community Partnerships for fall 2004.
To register,
Call: 619-594-4756 or 877-972-7368 (877-9-PARENT). For information
Visit the California PARENT Center Web Site at http://parent.sdsu.edu.
New
Guide to No Child Left Behind for Special Needs Students – (Alliance
Public Policy News) – The National Center for Learning Disabilities has
produced a useful guide, "Making the No Child Left Behind Act
Work" with funding from the Charles and Helen Schwab Foundation
and the Oak Foundation. It can be accessed at www.LD.org. Particularly useful for parents, the guide helps them deal with
the complexities of the law and equips them to advocate on behalf
of their children. It explains the purposes of the law and what the
states are obligated to do under it. State NCLP policies can be accessed
at the Department of Education website: http://www.ed.gov/admins/lead/account/stateplans03/index.html.
A key component of the law is the fact that there is a distinction
between Title I schools and those that do not have disadvantaged students,
who are classified as “subgroups.” States define the minimum
size of subgroups such as economically disadvantaged students, students
with disabilities, limited English proficiency students, and students
from major racial and ethnic groups in various ways. The minimum
size of these subgroups can be found at the Department of Education
website listed above. The database of the National Center for
Education Statistics provides information on “School Characteristics”
at http://nces.ed.gov/globallocator/.
The $12.3 billion provided by the federal government in Title
I grants must be utilized for “effective methods and instructional
strategies that are grounded in scientifically based research.” School
districts must have plans that are public records so you can request
to see them.
All children are assessed against the same high academic
standards and therein lies the rub. Only 7 states -- Arizona,
Colorado, Hawaii, Illinois, Minnesota, New Jersey, and South Carolina
-- require that the Individualized Education Program for special education
students address the same state content standards.
Another provision of the law places emphasis on highly
qualified teachers, yet recent surveys indicate around 10 percent
of special education positions nationally (39,000) are occupied by
uncertified personnel who serve approximately 600,000 students with
disabilities.
School report cards are mandatory, to be made public, and
must contain student achievement data for each school and for each
subgroup in the school, and information about the professional qualifications
of teachers. The individual student reports are, of course, confidential
and must provide information on the child’s academic standing compared
to what he or she should be achieving at the typical grade level and
age.
Remedial measures must be taken if schools do not achieve
the goals set by the law after two and three consecutive years, and
the remedial measures are clearly prescribed with timetables for improving
student achievements.
Innovations
in Education Creating Strong District School Choice Programs
--
Innovations in Education: Creating Strong District
Choice Programs is a new USDE publication which focuses on the implementation
of the No Child Left Behind Act’s public school choice provisions.
This guide was designed to help school districts implement choice
options more effectively. It draws on the concrete experiences of
five districts that already had a history of implementing choice prior
to NCLB. It provides ideas that have been implemented in these districts
also, as well as relevant research, resources and sample communication
tools to use with parents. Click here to
view the publication. To order copies, contact ED PUBS at edpubs@inet.ed.gov. Public Policy News). A new generation of people
with disabilities is preparing to enter the workforce, in part due
to the skyrocketing number of cases of autism in the past 15 years.
National
Women’s Law Center Reports Backward Steps on Child Care Assistance
-- (Alliance Public Policy News) -- Stagnant federal child care funding, combined with cash-strapped
states, have resulted in backward steps on child care assistance,
reports an issue brief from the National Women’s Law Center.
The brief, “Child Care Assistance Policies 2001-2004:
Families Struggling to Move Forward, States Going Backward” compares
state child care assistance policies for all 50 states and the District
of Columbia.
Studies demonstrate
that adequate child care funding is crucial for low-income parents
to be able to work, remain self-sufficient, and stay off welfare.
Nonetheless, the issue brief finds that since 2001, many states have
taken steps that limit child care assistance, including:
-
Restricting eligibility for help
- Placing eligible
families who meet the more restrictive income criteria on waiting
lists for assistance
- Requiring low-income
parents receiving help to pay much more toward the cost of child
care, and
- Failing to adjust
the rates paid to child care providers to keep pace with the rising
costs.
In addition to waning child care supports for working families, the
report highlights the recent Census figures that show the poverty
rate for women and children has increased for the third year in a
row, and the number of Americans without health insurance has increased. For more information on child care trends, and to access the report
in full, visit www.nwlc.org.
Save
These Dates:
- October
25-26, 2004 - State Superintendent's High School Summit 2004
- High Expectations for All Students, Sacramento Convention Center,
October 25-26, 2004 [Click for Full Information] http://www.cde.ca.gov/nr/re/et/yr04hset1025.asp.
- Nov
5-7, 2004 - C.A.C.E. Conference - The California Association
of Compensatory Education (C.A.C.E.) conference
is scheduled for November 5-7, Red Lion Hotel, 1401 Arden Way, Sacramento,
CA 95815. For further information contact: Judy_Goddess@agencyinfo.org
or Judy Goddess: 415-759-1994.
- December 3-4, 2004 – California PARENT Center Orange County Conference,
Santa Ana/Orange County Airport (See above)
California
PARENT Center Parent Liaison Certification Program
--
In connection with San Diego State University’s College of
Extended Studies (CES) and the CSU commission on the Extended University
the California PARENT Center is developing a certification program
for paraprofessionals in public schools working as parent liaisons.
For more information contact Jeana Preston at 619-594-4756 or 877-972-7368
(877-9PARENT).
Read prior issues of the California PARENT Center
E-News, located on our web site at http://parent.sdsu.edu/e-news.
If you do not wish to participate in this network, please send an
E-mail with "Remove" in the subject heading of the email
to cpclist@projects.sdsu.edu. We will promptly remove your address from our
lists.
Organizations
Collaborating in the California PARENT Center
California
State PTA, Chicano Federation of San Diego, Homey's Youth Foundation
(HIPPY), June Burnett Institute of the San Diego State University
Foundation, Parent Institute for Quality Education, San Diego Unified
Council of PTAs, San Diego Unified School District, San Diego Urban
League, Union of Pan Asian Communities.
