Contact: Jim Bradshaw
(202) 401-2310
$6 MILLION AWARDED TO EDUCATE FAMILIES AND SCHOOLS ABOUT
1997 LANDMARK AMENDMENTS TO SPECIAL EDUCATION LAW
U.S. Secretary of Education Richard W. Riley today announced the award of $6 million in grants for a national education and outreach effort to ensure that children with disabilities are receiving a quality education. Improving the education of disabled children is a primary objective of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) which was reauthorized in 1997.
"The information and training that these grants will produce are critical to achieving better educational opportunities for disabled children which are the goals of the reauthorized IDEA, " Riley said. "This is part of the ongoing efforts of the U.S. Department of Education to ensure that all students are challenged to excel."
The four grants are being awarded to three organizations, recognized as leaders in the education and disability field. They, in turn, have formed partnerships with more than 30 other associations, including the major education groups, to help in this nationwide effort.
In addition to producing various educational materials, an extensive communications network will be developed for dissemination of information and technical assistance. Toll-free numbers, websites, public service announcements and best practices reports are a few of the ways that people will be able to get information to help them.
The grantees also will educate a group of trainers who will instruct administrators, educators and other service providers on their roles in implementing the new law.
"We have made great strides over the years in dispelling the myth that children with disabilities cannot learn," said Judith E. Heumann, assistant secretary for special education and rehabilitative services. "Through these grants, we now are helping schools prepare to teach disabled young people to reach for the same level of excellence as every other child."
Currently, more than 5.8 million children and youth with disabilities who are served under the IDEA are excluded from the general curricula and assessments used with their non-disabled classmates, Heumann said.
She added that without established goals and standards, disabled children are all too often not challenged to excel. IDEA '97 strengthens academic expectations and accountability for disabled students and helps bridge the gap that has frequently existed between what children with disabilities are expected to learn and the higher standard that is required of non-disabled students.
The three grantees are the PACER Center, the National Association of State Directors of Special Education, and the Council for Exceptional Children (awarded two grants). Along with their partners, they represent families of disabled children and their supporters, policymakers, service providers and local-level administrators. Each award provides for $1.5 million per year for up to five years.
NOTE TO EDITORS: Details on the grants, recipients, their partners and press contacts follows.
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GRANT RECIPIENTS
Linking Policy and Practice Audiences to the 1997 Amendments of IDEA
(CFDA 84.326A)
Families and Advocates Partnership
Grantee: PACER Center, Inc.
4826 Chicago Avenue South
Minneapolis, MN 55417-1098
Contact: Paula S. Goldberg, 612-827-2966
Project
Co-Directors: Dixie Jordan
Sue Abderholden, M.P.H.
Primary
Partners: Academy for Educational Development (AED)
Federation of Families for Children's Mental Health (FFCMH)
Center for Law and Education (CLE)
Family Voices
Fiesta Educative
National Association for Parents of the Visually Impaired
National Coalition for Parent Involvement in Education (NCPIE)
National Council on Independent Living (NCIL)
National Down Syndrome Congress (NDSC)
National Indian Child Welfare Association (NICWA)
National Technical Assistance Alliance for Parent Centers (the Alliance)
The Families and Advocates Partnership for Education (FAPE) Project will be coordinated by the PACER Center. This project seeks to better inform and support families and disability advocates by building a communications network and developing various products to share research, Best Practices, and other information regarding IDEA ?97. In addition to producing a book on educational rights for families and advocates, this project will develop a new partnership website, educate trainers, offer training seminars (including via satellite), develop video and audio tapes, and establish a toll-free number to provide information and technical assistance to callers.
The PACER Center has conducted projects of state and national significance for parents of infants, toddlers, children and young adults with disabilities since 1987. It is located in Minneapolis, MN, and is the one of the oldest and largest federally funded parent centers in the country.
Policymakers Partnership
Grantee: The National Association of State Directors of Special Education (NASDSE)
1800 Diagonal Road, Suite 320
Alexandria, VA 22314
Contact: Martha J. Fields, Ph.D., 703-519-3800
Project
Director: Martha J. Fields, Ph.D.
Primary
Partners: American Association of Colleges of Teacher Education (AACTE)
American Association of School Administrators (AASA)
Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development (ASCD)
Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO)
Higher Education Consortium of Special Education (HECSE)
National Association of State Mental Health Program Directors (NASMHPD)
National Governors Association (NGA)
100 Black Men of America
The Policymakers Project will be coordinated by the National Association of State Directors of Special Education (NASDSE). This project seeks to better inform and educate policymakers for their role as agents of change in improving education results for children with disabilities. The PMP Project will accomplish this by using partner constituency groups to provide research-based information, support and technical assistance to help implement IDEA '97. In the first year of the project, the focus will be on policy issues related to standards, curriculum and assessment for all children, including children with disabilities. A comprehensive communication plan will be developed to disseminate information using the Internet, toll-free phone numbers, print materials, and on-site school visits, as well as other methods.
The National Association of State Directors of Special Education (NASDSE) is the only membership organization that exists to assist State Education Agencies in fulfilling their general supervisory responsibilities under IDEA and in improving educational results for infants, children and youth with disabilities. It is located in Alexandria, VA.
Service Providers Partnership
Grantee: Council for Exceptional Children (CEC)
1920 Association Drive
Reston, VA 20191-1589
Contact: Christine Mason, 703-264-9431
Project
Director: Colleen D. McNerney, Ed.D.
Primary
Partners: American Federation of Teachers (AFT)
American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA)
American Speech-Language-and-Hearing Association (ASHA)
American Vocational Association (AVA)
CEC Division for Early Childhood (DEC)
National Association of School Psychologists (NASP)
National Association of Educators of Young Children (NAEYC)
National Education Association (NEA)
The ASPIIRE Project will be coordinated by the Council for Exceptional Children (CEC). Many of the goals of this project are similar to the ILIAD Project, but the ASPIIRE Project targets general and special education teachers, early childhood specialists, and related service personnel rather than administrators. ASPIIRE will provide technical assistance and informational materials about IDEA '97 to at least 300,000 service providers. It also will develop products such as Best Practices reports and will train a Cadre of Trainers to educate other service providers about IDEA '97. As with ILIAD, these trainers will provide technical assistance through satellite broadcasts, website discussion groups, videotape vignettes, on-site consultations and presentations.
The Council on Exceptional Children (CEC) is the largest international professional organization dedicated to improving educational outcomes for individuals with exceptionalities, students with disabilities, and/or the gifted. The CEC sets professional standards, provides continual professional development, and helps professionals obtain conditions and resources necessary for effective professional practice. It is located in Reston, VA.
Local-Level Administrators Partnership
Grantee: Council for Exceptional Children (CEC)
1920 Association Drive
Reston, VA 20191-1589
Contact: Christine Mason, 703-264-9431
Project
Director: Jay A. McIntire, M.S.
Primary
Partners: American Association of School Administrators (AASA)
Council for Administrators in Special Education (CASE)
Council of Great City Schools (CGCS)
National Alliance of Black School Educators (NABSE)
National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP)
Urban Special Education Leadership Collaborative (USELC)
The ILIAD Project will be coordinated by the Council for Exceptional Children (CEC). One of the primary goals of the project is to use electronic and multi-media venues to improve the knowledge of school administrators about IDEA ?97. It will involve providing technical assistance and informational materials to at least 7,000 school districts to help administrators meet the challenges of IDEA. Implementation sites will be established to develop products such as Best Practices reports and to develop and train a Cadre of Trainers (including administrators, educators and related service providers). These trainers can then share their expertise by training others and offering technical assistance through satellite broadcasts, website discussion groups, videotape vignettes, on-site consultations and presentations.
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