Parent Center Updates

• Utah Parent Center Collaborates on Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) Awareness Day
• Parents CAN Celebrates 5th Anniversary
• Parent Center Videos

Announcements & News

• TA&D Center of the Month: National Center on Educational Outcomes
• Parent Center AIM Webinars
• Challenge to Innovate Program
• ALLIANCE Topical Institutes: January 26-28

Resources

• CELL Practice Guides Available in Spanish
• Cyber Disclosure for Youth with Disabilities
• NCIPP Induction Insights Research Briefs
• School Districts Perspective on ARRA: Policy Report
• Family Partnerships in Juvenile Justice
• Response to Intervention Instruction Tools Chart
• Mobility International USA (MIUSA) Launches New Website

Technology

• Tech Corner Update: Webinar 101
• Microsoft Office 2010
• ¡TradúceloAhora!

Nonprofit Management

• Nonprofits and Social Media Report

Parent Center Updates

Utah Parent Center Collaborates on Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) Awareness Day

Utah Parent Center associate director Jennie Gibson has joined the Utah Fetal Alcohol Coalition and participated in a variety of activities to raise awareness about the issue throughout the State. Community events were planned for International FASD Awareness Day on September 9th and posters with personal stories were developed, including one featuring Mrs. Utah. The Coalition has conducted training for professionals and various groups across the state. Congratulations to Utah Parent Center on this new partnership! More>>>

Parents CAN Celebrates 5th Anniversary

ParentsCAN, a Community Parent Resource Center in Napa, CA is celebrating five years of serving families of children with disabilities in Napa County. In October ParentsCAN will hold their 5th annual Grand Traditions Gala. The event will include live and silent auctions, a raffle, and dancing! Congratulations to all ParentsCAN staff and executive director Joan Lockhart on this accomplishment! More>>

Parent Center Videos

The ALLIANCE National Parent Technical Assistance Center has produced several videos featuring interviews with Parent Center directors and staff highlighting exciting initiatives at their organizations. The videos can be viewed on the Parent Center Network portal or on YouTube. If you would be interested in being interviewed at an upcoming conference, or have an existing video clip about your Parent Center you would like posted on the Parent Center YouTube channel, please email alliance@taalliance.org. More>>>

Announcements & News

TA&D Center of the Month: National Center on Educational Outcomes (NCEO)

The National Center on Education Outcomes (NCEO) is a project at the University of Minnesota that provides national leadership in designing assessments and accountability systems that are effective  for all students, including those with disabilities and English Language Learners. NCEO conducts research, disseminates information, and provides technical assistance to states. They recently published a survey of states outlining current trends in the assessment field. Project Director Martha Thurlow can be seen discussing NCEO activities in a new video posted on the ALLIANCE National Parent Technical Assistance Center web page. More>>>

Parent Center AIM Webinars

The National Center on Accessible Instructional Materials (AIM Center) and PACER Center are co-sponsoring a series of webinars for Parent Training and Information Centers and Community Parent Resource Centers on accessible instructional materials (AIM). Presentations will be focused on the needs of families and time will be available for discussion. Parent Centers can register for the September 28th webinar here: https://www2.gotomeeting.com/register/286858211.

Tuesday September 28 - 3-4 pm Eastern
Family Matters: A Family-focused Introduction to Accessible Instructional Materials

In this webinar CAST provides an introductory overview of legal issues, specialized formats, sources of formats and supports and is specifically focused on the family perspective.  The session will also include a brief introduction to a decision-making process for families and educators.

Wednesday November 10 - 3-4 pm Eastern
Family Matters:  A Family-focused Introduction to AIM Center Supports and Tools

This webinar provides an overview of the many supports and interactive tools available on the web site of the AIM Center.  The AIM Navigator, the AIM Explorer, and others interactive tools will be demonstrated.

Challenge to Innovate Program

The U.S. Department of Education is partnering with the National Education Association (NEA) on a new three-phase Challenge to Innovate (C2i) grant program that will provide funding for educations to address the most pressing challenges in their classrooms. In the first phase educators are asked to share challenges that could be solved with $500 or less. Submissions are due October 19th and the 5 ideas with the most votes will receive $1000. The goal of the program is to promote innovative solutions to problems that can be implemented quickly. More>>>

ALLIANCE Topical Institutes

The ALLIANCE National Parent Technical Assistance Center Topical Institutes for Parent Centers will be held January 26-28, 2011 at the Hyatt Regency Crystal City in Arlington, VA. Look for more information later this fall! More>>>

Resources

CELL Practice Guides Available in Spanish

The Center for Early Literacy Learning (CELL) has translated many of its research-based Practice Guides for Parents into Spanish. The guides provide parents and caregivers with information regarding research-based practices that can be implemented during daily activities to promote literacy in infants, toddlers, and preschoolers. More>>>

Cyber Disclosure for Youth with Disabilities

The National Collaboration on Workforce and Disability for Youth (NCWD/Youth) and the U.S. Department of Labor recently published Cyber Disclosure for Youth with Disabilities as a supplement to The 411 on Disability Disclosure workbook. The document provides suggestions for youth on how to make informed decisions about disclosing their disability on social networking programs such as Facebook and Twitter. More>>>

NCIPP Induction Insights Research Briefs

The National Center to Inform Policy and Practice in Special Education Professional Development (NCIPP) has published 29 Induction Insights that summarize research on ways to support new special educators as they enter the workforce and become integrated in a school. The briefs are organized by audience: administrators, policymakers, teacher educators, beginning educators, and parents. More>>>

School Districts Perspective on ARRA: Policy Report

The Center on Education Policy (CEP) has published a new report: School Districts’ Perspectives on the Economic Stimulus Package: Teaching Jobs Saved in 2009-10 But Teacher Layoffs Loom for Next School Year. The report discusses how school districts have used American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) federal economic stimulus funds and progress made toward reaching the overall education reform goals attached to the funding. More>>>

Family Partnerships in Juvenile Justice

An Advocate’s Guide to Meaningful Family Partnerships published by the National Juvenile Justice Network provides suggestions for how professional advocates can build stronger partnerships with families to improve the juvenile justice system. More>>>

Response to Intervention Instruction Tools Chart

The National Center on Response to Intervention (NCRTI) has published an Instruction Tools Chart that represents the results of the first annual review of research studies of Instructional Programs by the NCRTI’s Technical Review Committee (TRC). The document is meant to assist educators and families in becoming more informed consumers when selecting instructional programs to best meet their needs. More>>>

Mobility International USA (MIUSA) Launches New Website

Mobility International USA (MIUSA) has recently updated their website to include easier navigation, a fresh design, and social networking tools. Soon the National Consortium on Disability and Exchange (NCDE) page will feature free resources in support of October’s Disability Mentoring Day. More>>>

 

Technology

Tech Corner Update: Webinar 101

The August ALLIANCE National Parent Technical Assistance Center (NPTAC) Tech Corner feature Webinar 101 provides Parent Center staff and others with helpful information related to planning and conducting webinars. Part 1 provides an overview of webinars and how to select a web conferencing service and Part 2 provides practical advice for planning and conducting webinars for families or others. A sample task list and a resource list is also posted. Be sure to check out the other Tech Corner features on topics such as Skype and podcasting. More>>>

Microsoft Office 2010

Two versions of Microsoft Office 2010 are now available through TechSoup’s nonprofit donation program. TechSoup has also written a helpful article outlining new features included in this software package update. More>>>

¡TradúceloAhora!

¡TradúceloAhora! is an automatic Spanish translation software program that provides bi-directional English-Spanish translations of emails, websites, and web searches. Through a grant from IBM, Parent Center staff can register and share this exciting resource with families. Look for more information about ¡TradúceloAhora! in the Tech Corner soon! More>>>

Nonprofit Management

Nonprofits and Social Media Report

Nonprofit organizations are using social media more than academic institutions and businesses. This new report from the University of Massachusetts-Dartmouth and Financial Insite provides further data on which tools organizations are using most and how effectively they are using them. More>>>