NCSER releases training videos for NLTS2 users...

The National Center for Special Education Research has released video training modules for the National Longitudinal Transition Study-2 (NLTS2). The NLTS2 data training modules are intended to be a resource to researchers who would like to use the NLTS2 dataset to conduct research addressing students with disabilities.
Links to all videos are here: http://ies.ed.gov/ncser/projects/nlts2/training.asp

2010 IDEA National Assessment Implementation Study

"This congressionally mandated study provides a national picture of state agency implementation of early intervention programs for infants and toddlers (IDEA Part C) and both state and school district implementation of special education programs for preschool- and school-age children (IDEA Part B). "
Links to an executive summary and the final report are here: http://ies.ed.gov/ncee/pubs/20114026/

Math & vocabulary performance of children receiving preschool Special Ed

A Longitudinal View of the Receptive Vocabulary and Math Achievement of Young Children with Disabilities, was released by the National Center for Special Education Research and is available for download at: http://ies.ed.gov/ncser/pubs/20113006/
The report "describe[s] how children who received preschool special education services perform over time on assessments of receptive vocabulary and math skills. It also describes how their receptive vocabulary and math performance vary over time by primary disability category."

Shortage of PhD's in Special Education predicted...

A note in the Chronicle (Sept. 14, 2011) summarizes this report from the Special Education Faculty Needs Assessment project at Claremont Graduate University, "Assessing Trends in Leadership: Special Education’s Capacity to Produce a Highly Qualified Workforce." They suggest that, "Not enough people are getting Ph.D.’s in special education, which could result in a shortage of qualified special-education faculty members...one-half to two-thirds of special-education faculty will retire within the next five years, which could leave 300 students with disabilities underserved for each missing faculty member."

HS academic performance of student with hearing impairments

photo © 2010 woodley wonderworks | more info (via: Wylio)
"A gap exists between the academic achievement of youth with hearing impairments and their peers in the general population in reading, mathematics, science, and social studies, according to a new release by The National Center for Special Education Research. Facts from NLTS2: The Secondary School Experiences and Academic Performance of Students With Hearing Impairments uses data from the National Longitudinal Transition Study 2 dataset to provide a national picture of the secondary school experiences and academic achievement of students with hearing impairments who received special education services.

The outcomes cover several key areas, including students’ experiences in general education academic courses and non-vocational special education courses, accommodations, supports, services provided to students, and academic achievement. In addition to the findings for the overall group, this fact sheet provides findings by parent-reported levels of hearing impairments. "

The report is available here: http://ies.ed.gov/ncser/pubs/20113003/

Summer Research Training: Single-Case Design

This announcement from IES~

The National Center for Special Education Research (NCSER) at the Institute of Education Sciences announces its 2011 Summer Research Training Institute on Single-Case Intervention Research Design and Analysis. The Training Institute is intended to increase the national capacity of education researchers to conduct single-case intervention studies that have scientifically credible methodology and analyses.

When:
June 27th to July 1st, 2011
Where:
University of Wisconsin-Madison; Madison, WI
All applications must be received no later than Friday, March 11, 2011 at 8:00 p.m. EST. For more information about the Training Institute, including the application procedures, please visit: http://ies.ed.gov/whatsnew/conferences/?id=772

Newest data on 100 largest public school districts (2007-08)

Clark County is 6th in size and Washoe is 57th. Data on high school completion rates, students eligible for school lunch program, students with IEP's, racial breakdown of student population, revenue sources, expenditures per pupil, etc.
Summary and link to full report is here: http://nces.ed.gov/pubs2010/2010349.pdf

Dialogic reading shows promise with children with disabilities

"Dialogic reading is an interactive shared picture-book reading practice designed to enhance young children’s language and literacy skills. During the shared reading practice, the adult and the child switch roles so that the child learns to become the storyteller with the assistance of the adult, who functions as an active listener and questioner.
Two studies of dialogic reading that fall within the scope of the Early Childhood Education Interventions for Children with Disabilities review protocol meet What Works Clearinghouse (WWC) evidence standards. The two studies included 52 students with language delays, from ages three to six, participating in early childhood programs in the Pacific Northwest.³ Both studies examined intervention effects on children’s communication and language competencies...
Dialogic reading was found to have potentially positive effects on communication and language competencies for children with disabilities."

The 2 studies meeting WWC criteria are:
Crain-Thoreson, C., & Dale, P. S. (1999). Enhancing linguistic performance: Parents and teachers as book reading partners for children with language delays. Topics in Early Childhood Special Education, 19(1), 28–39.
Dale, P. S., Crain-Thoreson, C., Notari-Syverson, A., & Cole, K. (1996). Parent-child book reading as an intervention technique for young children with language delays. Topics in Early Childhood
Special Education, 16(2), 213–235.

Links to study descriptions are here:
http://ies.ed.gov/ncee/wwc/reports/ece_cd/dialogic_reading/#go_3

NCSER announces FY 2010 grant awards

"NCSER is investing over $36 million in 21 new special education research grants. The Center received 162 research grant applications across 10 program areas focusing on improving educational outcomes for students with or at risk for disabilities.

As a group, the new research projects cover a variety of topics and age ranges—from infants and toddlers with or at risk for disabilities, to students with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD), to children who are deaf or hard of hearing and parents of children with hearing loss. Research projects include one that focuses on developing an assessment of American Sign Language (ASL) proficiency, a project that will develop a mobile phone-based instructional program of ASL for parents of children with hearing loss, a project that will validate a behavioral and emotional screening assessment for preschool students and a project that focuses on evaluating the effectiveness of an intervention that targets social communication and emotional regulation in children with ASD in kindergarten through second grade."

The list of award winners is here.

WWC adds new topic area: Students with Learning Disabilities

The Department of Education's Institute of Education Sciences What Works Clearinghouse (the arbiter of what is good research in education ;-) has added a new Topic Area. According to their recent newsletter, "WWC is now conducting reviews of research on interventions that focus on students who have learning disabilities. This new topic area aims to help educators make important decisions about curriculums [sic], supplemental products, and classroom methods....it is often difficult to identify research-based interventions—whether those are programs, products, or practices—that have shown to be effective specifically for these students. The WWC will evaluate research on curricula and instructional strategies that are intended to improve achievement for students with learning disabilities in grades K–12 and provide educators with insight on these important questions:

• Which interventions improve achievement in reading, writing, math, science, or social studies? Which promote student progress?
• Are some interventions especially effective for certain subgroups of students with learning disabilities—students of different ages, for example, or students with particular learning disabilities, students of specific racial/ethnic groups, or English language learners?"

NCSER Report on HS Exprience of Students with Mental Retardation

The National Center for Special Education Research (NCSER) within the Institute of Education Sciences has released "Facts from NLTS-2: Secondary School Experiences and Academic Performance of Students with Mental Retardation." The report uses data from the National Longitudinal Transition Study-2 (NLTS2) to provide a national picture of the secondary school experiences and academic achievements of students with mental retardation who received special education services. The NLTS2, initiated in 2001 and funded by NCSER, has a nationally representative sample of more than 11,000 students with disabilities.

NCSER issues new reports on alternate assessments

Two new reports are out from the National Center for Special Education Research. The national report is available here: http://ies.ed.gov/ncser/pubs/20093014.asp
The state level reports are available here:
http://ies.ed.gov/ncser/pubs/20093013.asp
The National Study on Alternate Assessments (NSAA)was mandated by Section 664(c) of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act of 2004 (IDEA) to examine alternate assessment systems in 50 states and the District of Columbia.

Free training available in using National Longitudinal Transition Study 2 (NLTS2) database

The National Center for Special Education Research (NCSER), within the Institute of Education Sciences, will sponsor a 3-day advanced studies seminar on the use of the National Longitudinal Transition Study 2 (NLTS2) database. The NLTS2 is designed to support research on a wide range of topics pertaining to youth with disabilities as they move from secondary school into adult roles. This seminar is open to advanced graduate students and faculty members from colleges and universities nationwide and to researchers, education practitioners, and policy analysts from federal, state, and local education and human services agencies and professional associations.The seminar will be held in Washington, DC on July 14-16, 2009. There is no fee to attend the training seminar. NCSER will provide training materials as well as computers for hands-on practice. NCSER will also pay for transportation and hotel accommodations. Participants will be responsible for their meals during travel and while in Washington, DC.Please visit http://ies.ed.gov/ncser/whatsnew/conferences/nlts2_DBtraining.asp to view the full announcement and application information for the seminar.

Pre-elementary Special Education study released

The National Center for Special Education Research within the Institute of Education Sciences has released the third major report from the Pre-Elementary Education Longitudinal Study (PEELS) entitled, "The Early School Transitions and the Social Behavior of Children with Disabilities: Selected Findings from the Pre-Elementary Education Longitudinal Study." PEELS involves a nationally representative sample of children, ages 3 to 5 years at entrance to the study, with diverse disabilities who are receiving preschool special education services in a variety of settings. Topics covered in the report include changes in services and eligibility at times of transition, transitions into kindergarten, and social skills and problem behavior of young children with disabilities from 2003-04 to 2005-06.

Research training seminars: Application deadline Nov. 23

Two three-day seminars on the use of longitudinal datasets for education research and policy analysis will be held January 13-15, 2009 in Washington D.C. The seminars will focus on the Pre-Elementary Education Longitudinal Study (PEELS) database and the National Longitudinal Transition Study 2 (NLTS2) database. PEELS and NLTS2 study children and youth with disabilities and are administered by the National Center for Special Education Research within the Institute of Education Sciences.

Both seminars are open to advanced graduate students and faculty members from colleges and universities nationwide and to researchers, education practitioners, and policy analysts from federal, state, and local education and human services agencies and professional associations. The application deadline is November 23, 2008.

PEELS
The PEELS includes a sample of over 3,000 children with disabilities and is designed to describe the characteristics of children receiving preschool special education, their educational programs and services, and their transitions from preschool programs to elementary schools. For more information about PEELS, see http://www.peels.org

For more information about the PEELS database training seminar, see
http://ies.ed.gov/whatsnew/conferences/?id=378&cid=4

NLTS2
The NLTS2 includes a sample of more than 11,000 students with disabilities and is designed to support research on a wide range of topics pertaining to youth with disabilities as they move from secondary school into adult roles. For more information about NLTS2, see http://www.nlts2.org

For more information about the NLTS2 database training seminar, see http://ies.ed.gov/whatsnew/conferences/?id=379&cid=4

NCSER grant applications: Letters of intent due August 4

The National Center for Special Education Research (NCSER) within the Institute of Education Sciences is accepting applications for its research grant programs. The ten research topics are:

* Early Intervention and Early Childhood Special Education
* Reading, Writing, and Language Development
* Mathematics and Science Education
* Social and Behavioral Outcomes to Support Learning
* Transition Outcomes for Special Education Secondary Students
* Cognition and Student Learning in Special Education
* Teacher Quality
* Related Services
* Systemic Interventions and Policies for Special Education
* Autism Spectrum Disorders.

The Request for Applications is currently available on the NCSER website http://ies.ed.gov/ncser/funding/. The application package will be available through www.grants.gov by August 4, 2008. Letters of intent are due August 4, 2008. Applications must be submitted electronically by October 2, 2008 at 4:30 p.m., Washington, D.C. time. For more information, please contact Kristen Lauer (Kristen.Lauer@ed.gov; 202-219-0377).

New IES Report: Changes in the Characteristics, Services, and Performance of Preschoolers with Disabilities from 2003-04 to 2004-05

The National Center for Special Education Research within the Institute of Education Sciences has released the second major report from the Pre-Elementary Education Longitudinal Study (PEELS)... PEELS involves a nationally representative sample of children, 3 to 5 years of age when they entered the study, with diverse disabilities who are receiving preschool special education services in a variety of settings. Topics covered in the report include declassification (children leaving special education), reclassification (movement from one primary disability group to another), changes over time in the special education and related services provided to preschoolers with disabilities, and changes in children's performance on a series of direct and indirect assessments in the areas of emerging literacy, early math skills, social be!
havior, and motor skills from 2003-04 to 2004-05.
You can view, download, and print the report at
http://ies.ed.gov/ncser/pubs/index.asp#20083011