PACER Center
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Champions for Children with Disabilities
News
The abusive and sometimes deadly use of seclusion and restraint in schools is being addressed at the federal level.
Posted May 27, 2009
WATCH the May 19th Hearing of Committee on Education and Labor hearing examining the abusive and deadly use of seclusion and restraint in schools
READ THE U.S. GOVERNMENT ACCOUNTABILITY OFFICE REPORT
“Selected Cases of Death and Abuse at Public and Private Schools and Treatment Centers” Statement of Gregory D. Kutz, Managing Director
Full Report
Highlights
CONTACT COMMITTEE MEMBERS
Please contact Rep. Miller's office and/or other committee members if you'd like to communicate directly on this issue (link below). If there was ever a good time to make your voice heard about this issue, it is now!
"An Outbreak of Autism, Or a Statistical Fluke?"
Posted May 15, 2009
PACER Parent Advocate Hassan Samantar was quoted in this New York Times article concerning the Somali community in Minnesota.
"A voice for the voiceless in Somali autism debate"
Posted May 15, 2009
PACER Parent Advocate Hassan Samantar was quoted in this Minneapolis Star Tribune article.
Forest Grove v. T.A.
Posted April 20, 2009
Fact Sheet from the Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law about the Forest Grove v. T.A. U.S. Supreme Court case involving IDEA and residential treatment.
Early Childhood ARRA Resources
Posted March 30, 2009
The National Early Childhood Technical Assistance Center (NECTAC) has posted relevant resources on the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA).
New Special Education Advocacy Book
Posted January 24, 2009
A Guide to Special Education Advocacy by Matthew Cohen provides readers with an overview of current disability law and how it works, identifying practical ways for building positive and effective relationships with schools.
28th Annual IDEA Report
Posted January 18, 2009
The U.S. Department of Education has recently released the 28th Annual Report to Congress on the Implementation of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA).
New NCLB Guidance
Posted January 18, 2009
The U.S. Department of Education recently released non-regulatory guidance to assist states and districts in implementing school choice and supplemental education services (SES) provisions of the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB).
School Choice Guidance
SES Guidance
Economic Stimulus Bill Includes Special Education Funding
Posted January 18, 2009
On January 15 details of the federal economic stimulus bill were released, including $13 billion in special education funding.
Web site offers leadership training for parents
Posted January 8, 2009
A new leadership training curriculum helps empower parents of children with disabilities to advocate for change in their communities. The Parents as Collaborative Leaders curriculum, a project of the University of Vermont and PACER, is now available as 10 PowerPoint modules on the Parents as Collaborative Leaders Web site, uvm.edu/~pcl/modules.php.
OSEP Quarterly Correspondence
Posted November 13, 2008
The most current list of quarterly correspondence policy documents from the Office of Special Education Programs was announced in the November 13 Federal Register. Topics include child find, disproportionality, discipline, and others.
New IRIS Modules
Posted November 8, 2008
The IRIS Center has released 2 new training modules on Peer Assisted Learning Strategies (PALS) - A Reading Strategy for Grades K-1 and A Reading Strategy for High School. Both modules provide teachers research-based information and strategies for implementing PALS techniques in their classrooms.
National Transition Report
Posted October 29, 2008
The National Council on Disability (NCD) recently released a report titled The Rehabilitation Act: Outcomes for Transition-Age Youth. This report is a comprehensive assessment of the impact of the Rehabilitation Act on the employment and postsecondary education outcomes of eligible transition-age youth.
The Rehabilitation Act of 1973, together with the Education for All Handicapped Children Act of 1975, set in motion policy changes that have allowed many thousands of children and youth with disabilities in the United States the opportunity to gain the educational and vocational skills needed to transition to living, working, and participating as adults in community life.
NCLB Final Regulations
Posted October 29, 2008
On October 29, 2008, the U.S. Department of Education released final regulations to clarify provisions of the No Child Left Behind Act. The regulations cover several areas, including calculation of graduation rates, parent notification of school choice and supplemental educational services options, and state and district reporting requirements.
New Annual Performance Reports Summary Documents
Posted September 10, 2008
The U.S. Department of Education has posted reports summarizing States' responses to special education indicators such as graduation rates, parent involvement, and least restrictive environment. Part B and Part C summary documents are available.
New School Readiness Report 
Posted August 21, 2008
This new document from the National Center for Education Statistics reports findings on the school readiness of young children as reported by their parents and examines several other early learning topics such as developmental accomplishments and family activities.
New School Completion Report
Posted August 20, 2008
The National Center for Education Statistics recently released "Public School Graduates and Dropouts from the Common Core of Data: School Year 2005-06." The report presents the numbers of high school graduates receiving regular diplomas and those who dropped out in 2005-2006.
Governor's Report on Early Childhood
Posted July 1, 2008
The National Governors Association (NGA) recently released a report on the importance of developing public-private partnerships to promote the healthy development and school readiness of young children.
States Receive OSEP Determination Letters on Implementation of IDEA
Posted June 26, 2008
The federal Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) recently issued IDEA progress reports to state departments of education. Officially known as "U.S. Department of Education Determination Letters on State Implementation of the IDEA," the reports indicate if states met requirements of IDEA or need assistance or intervention to meet those requirements.
IDEA is the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, which provides public education to the nation's nearly 7 million children with disabilities. For funding accountability, states must show that they are meeting the education needs of children with disabilities.
Each state develops its own state performance plan, based on federal guidelines and then submits an annual performance report to OSEP telling how it met the targets of its plan. OSEP sends detailed progress reports to states in June, showing states where they need improvement. To view Minnesota’s determination letter, click here
. To find letters for other states, click here.
New PACER Web Site Addresses School-wide Positive Behavior Interventions and Support
Posted June 26, 2008
School-wide Positive Behavior Interventions and Support (SW-PBIS) is a statewide initiative for all students, with and without disabilities. It emphasizes interventions that create a positive school climate, resulting in increased learning and reduced disciplinary actions. PACER’s new site, funded by the Minnesota Department of Education, explains what SW-PBIS is and how parents and schools can be involved in this important effort.
Join IBM's World Community Grid
Posted June 26, 2008
The World Community Grid is an IBM effort to link computers worldwide and put idle computer time to use in aiding projects that benefit humanity. The grid is built upon an IBM infrastructure and includes IBM support. To become part of the grid, members install a small, free software program on their computers. When their computers are on but not being used, the program connects to the World Community Grid’s server, performs computations, and sends the results back to the server. Members’ donated resources help increase the pace of research. Visit
www.worldcommunitygrid.org, click “find a team,” and select “PACER Center.” Join the team! It’s safe and easy.
PACER's site offers many PDF files for download, which require 
