President’s Commission on Excellence in Special Education (PCESE)
First Meeting
January 15, 2002
Hotel Washington
Washington, DC

Presentations:
The Honorable Terry E. Branstad, chairman, PCESE
Gloria Mounts, Committee Management, Office of Intergovernmental and Interagency Affairs, United States Department of Education
The Honorable Roderick Paige, United States Secretary of Education
Sergio Kapfer, Office of the General Counsel, United States Department of Education
C. Todd Jones, executive director, PCESE

President’s Commission on Excellence in Special Education
Second Meeting
February 25-27, 2002
The Warwick Hotel
Houston, TX

The Honorable Terry E. Branstad, chairman, PCESE

Presentations:
Daniel Reschly, Ph.D., chair, Department of Special Education, and professor of education and psychology, Peabody College of Vanderbilt University
Sharon Vaughn, Ph.D., professor and director of the Texas Center for Reading and Language Arts, College of Education, University of Texas at Austin
David J. Francis, Ph.D., professor of psychology and director, Texas Institute for Measurement, Evaluation, and Statistics, University of Houston
Lawrence C. Gloeckler, deputy commissioner for Vocational and Educational Services for Individuals with Disabilities, New York State Education Department
James E. Comstock-Galagan, Southern Disability Law Center, Bay St. Louis, MS
Gene Lenz, senior director, Division of Special Education, Texas Education Agency
The Honorable Roderick Paige, United States Secretary of Education

Professional Development Task Force Public Hearing
March 6, 2002
Hyatt Regency
Denver, CO

Chair: Paula Butterfield, Ph.D.

Presentations:
Rebecca M. Walk, state director of special programs, Wyoming Department of Education
William L. Sanders, Ph.D., manager, Value-Added Assessment and Research, SAS in School, Cary, NC
Frederick M. Hess, Ph.D., assistant professor of education, and government and foreign affairs, University of Virginia
Thomas M. Skrtic, Ph.D., chair and professor, Department of Special Education, University of Kansas
Mary T. Brownell, Ph.D., associate professor of special education, University of Florida
Mark L. Batshaw, M.D., chief academic officer, National Children’s Hospital, Washington, DC
Joyce F. Bales, Ed.D., superintendent, Pueblo School District No. 60, CO
G. Thomas Bellamy, Ph.D., interim vice chancellor for academic affairs, University of Colorado at Colorado Springs
Beth Schaffner, director of technical assistance and curriculum, Peak Parent Center, Inc., Colorado Springs, CO
Rebecca L. Hamilton, Ph.D., senior program officer, Literacy Plus, Pittsburgh Public Schools and project research consultant and graduate instructor, University of Pittsburgh

Accountability Systems Task Force and Public Meeting
March 13, 2002
Embassy Suites Hotel Des Moines – On The River
Des Moines, IA

Chair: The Honorable Steve Bartlett

Presentations:
Brian McNulty, Ph.D., vice president, Field Services, Mid-continent Research for Education and Learning, Aurora, CO
Gerald Tindal, Ph.D., head and professor, Department of Educational Leadership, Technology, and Administration; co-director, Behavioral Research and Teaching, University of Oregon
Elizabeth Anne Giovannetti, managing director, Special Education Services, New American Schools, Washington, DC
Martha A. Brooks, Ed.D., director, Exceptional Children and Early Childhood Group, Delaware Department of Education
Patricia L. Maichle, Delaware parent
Polly Adam-Fullbright, school psychologist and program consultant, Deaf and Hard of Hearing Program, Des Moines Public Schools
Martin Cavanaugh, chief of staff, Elk Grove Unified School District, CA
Sue Gamm, chief specialized services officer, Chicago Public Schools
Lizanne DeStefano, Ph.D., director and associate dean for research, Bureau of Educational Research, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Paul Marchand, assistant executive director for policy and advocacy and director of the National Governmental Affairs Office, The Arc of the United States
Martha L. Thurlow, Ph.D., director, National Center on Educational Outcomes, University of Minnesota
Daniel Wiener, assessment coordinator for special populations, Massachusetts Department of Education

Finance Task Force and Public Meeting
March 21, 2002
W Los Angeles Westwood
Los Angeles, CA

Chair: Douglas Gill, Ph.D.

Presentations:
Bill Freund, senior budget analyst, Washington State Senate Ways and Means Committee, Olympia, WA
Stephen Chaikind, Ph.D., professor of economics and finance, Gallaudet University, Washington, DC
Jack Daray, Ph.D., consultant, Daray and Associates, Olympia, WA
Paul M. Goldfinger, vice president, School Services of California, Inc., Sacramento, CA
Eric Hanushek, Ph.D., professor of education, Stanford University
Steve Johnson, assistant superintendent, Bozeman Public Schools, MT
Thomas Parrish, Ed. D., director, Center for Special Education Finance, Palo Alto, CA

President’s Commission on Excellence in Special Education
Third Meeting
April 9-10, 2002
Hyatt Regency Coral Gables
Coral Gables, FL

Chair: The Honorable Terry E. Branstad, chairman, PCESE

Presentations:
Diane Emery, parent and public relations coordinator, The Cushman School, Miami, FL
Carol C. Lang, parent from The Cushman School
Catherine Jean Wooley-Brown, Ph.D., state charter school coordinator, Florida Charter School Resource Center at the At-Risk Institute, College of Education, University of South Florida
Stephen V. Bird, Ph.D., parent of a child with a severe disability, Boone, NC
Caroline M. Hoxby, Ph.D., professor of economics, Department of Economics at Harvard University and director, Economics of Education Program for the National Bureau of Economic Research
Diane Cossin McCain, director, Choice Office, Florida Department of Education
John L. Winn, deputy secretary for accountability, research, and measurement, Florida Board of Education
Santiago Garcia Jr., parent with a disability, Homestead, FL
Alice Harris, a parent and the executive director and founder, Parents of Watts Working with Youth and Adults, Inc.
The Honorable Elizabeth Coulson, Illinois state representative and member of the Elementary and Secondary Education Appropriations Committee
Susan Thomas, high school teacher of students with learning disabilities, Arlington, VA
Linda Johnson, director, The Cushman School
Irwin Kurz, deputy superintendent, Office of Leadership Development, New York City Board of Education
Crisha Scolaro, parent and founder of Pepin Academy, Tampa, FL
Jo Ann Shaw, principal, Pepin Academy
Barry Morris, Ph.D., curriculum specialist, Pepin Academy
Laura Whiteside, parent, Pepin Academy
Mary Ellen Russell, assistant secretary for Catholic Schools Parental Rights Advocacy, United States Conference of Catholic Bishops
Rabbi Ezra Levy, administrator of the Middle School, Kesher School
Robin M. Wilkins, director of special education, Pennsylvania Virtual Charter School
Bonnie Schaeffer, parent from the Pennsylvania Virtual Charter School
Miriam Brinley, freshman with a disability at St. Mary’s College, St. Mary’s City, MD
Nicholas King, 16-year-old student from Temple Terrace, FL
Caitlin Whiteside, 11th grade student with a disability from the Pepin Academy
Josh Kemp, 19-year-old student in transition, Portland, OR

Assessment and Identification Task Force and Public Hearing
April 16, 2002
Court Room at Borough Hall
Brooklyn, NY

Chair: Jack Fletcher, Ph.D.

Presentations:
Marty Markowitz, Brooklyn Borough president
Harold Levy, chancellor, New York City Schools
Frank Gresham, Ph.D., professor of education, University of California at Riverside
James E. Ysseldyke, Ph.D., associate dean for research and professor, School Psychology Program, College of Education and Human Development, University of Minnesota
Gwendolyn Cartledge, Ph.D., professor, School of Physical Activity and Educational Services, College of Education, Ohio State University
Howard Abikoff, Ph.D., professor of child and adolescent psychiatry, New York University School of Medicine
Julie Berry Cullen, Ph.D., assistant professor of economics, Department of Economics, University of Michigan
Joseph H. Wehby, Ph.D., assistant professor of education, Department of Special Education, Peabody College, Vanderbilt University
The Honorable Lenny T. Winkler, Connecticut state representative, Groton, CT

Research Agenda Task Force and Public Hearing
April 18, 2002
Peabody College of Vanderbilt University
Nashville, TN

Chair: Nancy Grasmick, Ph.D.

Presentations:
Lynn Fuchs, Ph.D., professor, Department of Special Education, Peabody College, Vanderbilt University
Douglas Fuchs, Ph.D., professor, Department of Special Education, Peabody College, Vanderbilt University.
Susan B. Hasazi, Ed.D., director, Doctoral Degree Program in Educational Leadership and Policy Studies, College of Education and Social Services, University of Vermont
Paul H. Wehman, Ph.D., professor, Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Virginia Commonwealth University
Don Bailey, Ph.D., professor, Department of Special Education, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Mark Wolery, Ph.D., professor, Department of Special Education, Peabody College, Vanderbilt University
Wayne Sailor, Ph.D., professor of special education and senior scientist, Beach Center on Disability, University of Kansas
Donald D. Deshler, Ph.D., professor of special education and director, Institute for Research in Learning Disabilities and the Center for Research on Learning, University of Kansas
Donald Lee MacMillan, Ed.D., professor and graduate advisor, Department of Education, University of California, Riverside
Ann Kaiser, Ph.D., professor, Department of Special Education, Peabody College, Vanderbilt University

System Administration Task Force and Public Hearing
April 23, 2002
The U. S. Grant Hotel
San Diego, CA
Chair: Adela Acosta

Presentations:
Margaret J. McLaughlin, Ph.D., associate director, Institute for Study of Exceptional Children and Youth, Department of Special Education, University of Maryland
Edward Lee Vargas, Ed.D., superintendent, Hacienda La Puente Unified School District, City of Industry, CA
Batya Elbaum, Ph.D., associate professor, Department of Teaching and Learning and Department of Psychology, and director, School of Education Center for Research, University of Miami
Donnalee Ammons, chief executive officer, Success Institute, Boosier City, LA
S. James Rosenfeld, visiting clinical professor of law, Seattle University School of Law
William Dussault, vice president, Council of Parent Advocates and Attorneys
J. Ronald Lally, co-director, Center for Child and Family Studies at WestEd, San Francisco, CA
Laurie Powers, Ph.D., associate professor of pediatrics, public health, and psychiatry, and co-director, Center on Self-Determination, Oregon Health and Science University
Dixie Jordan, director, Families and Advocates Partnership for Education, Riverton, WY
Carol Topinka, director of special services, Milwaukee Public Schools
Judy Elliott, Ph.D., assistant superintendent for special education, Long Beach Unified School District, CA

The Role and Function of the Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) in the Implementation of Special Education Task Force and Public Hearing
April 26, 2002
Wyndham Washington
Washington, DC

Chair: W. Alan Coulter, Ph.D.

Presentations:
Alice D. Parker, Ed.D., assistant superintendent of public instruction and director of special education, California Department of Education
Barbara Gantwerk, director, Office of Special Education Programs, New Jersey Department of Education
Thomas Hehir, Ed.D., director, School Leadership Program, Harvard University Graduate School of Education
Paula Goldberg, executive director, Parent Advocacy Coalition for Educational Rights (PACER), Center Minneapolis, MN
Leslie Seid Margolis, managing attorney, School House Legal Services Project, Maryland Disability Law Center, Baltimore, MD
Richard "Dick" D. Komer, senior litigation attorney, Institute for Justice, Washington, DC
Philip J. Burke, Ph.D., professor and chair, Department of Special Education, University of Maryland
Susan Fowler, Ph.D., dean and professor, College of Education, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Martin Gould, Ed.D., senior research specialist, National Council on Disability

Transition Task Force and Public Hearing
April 30, 2002
Washington Hilton
Washington, D.C.

Chair: Douglas Huntt, Ph.D.

Presentations:
Carl Suter, director, Council of State Administrators for Vocational Rehabilitation
Jane Everson, Ph.D., associate professor/program director, Human Development Center, Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center and community development specialist, Center for Disability Resources, University of South Carolina School of Medicine
Frank Rusch, Ph.D., professor, College of Education, Children’s Research Center, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Paul Wehman, Ph.D., professor, Department of Physical Medicine, Rehabilitation and Special Education, Virginia Commonwealth University and director, Virginia Commonwealth University Rehabilitation Research and Training Center on Workplace Supports
Margo Vreeburg Izzo, Ph.D., program manager, Nisonger Center, Ohio State University
Robert A. Stodden, Ph.D., director and professor, Center on Disability Studies/University Center on Excellence, College of Education, University of Hawaii at Manoa
Andrea Sobel, Ed.D., independent education consultant, Annandale, VA
Catherine Healy, Kennedy fellow, Office of Disability Employment Policy, U.S. Department of Labor
Deborah Leuchovius, national coordinator of technical assistance on transition and vocational rehabilitation, Parent Advocacy Coalition for Educational Rights (PACER) Center, Minneapolis, MN
Andrew K. Block, Jr., legal director, Just Children Project, Legal Aid Justice Program, Charlottesville, VA

President’s Commission on Excellence in Special Education
Fourth Meeting
May 30-31, 2002
Capital Hilton
Washington, DC

President’s Commission on Excellence in Special Education
Fifth Meeting
June 13-14, 2002
Washington Hilton
Washington, DC

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