E-News

2008 Minnesota School Test Results Are Available

Wondering how your child’s school performed in the standardized reading and math tests administered by Minnesota schools under No Child Left Behind (NCLB)? Find out more about this and other NCLB accountability guidelines from Minnesota Parent Center, a project of PACER.

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Award-winning Film on Inclusion to be Shown Aug. 4

PACER Center is showing “Including Samuel,” an award-winning film on inclusion, produced by photojournalist Dan Habib. It is designed for students, families, and others who want to work toward inclusion in educational settings. The film examines educational and social inclusion of youth with disabilities and features Habib’s son, Samuel, and other family members. Teachers, parents, and disability rights experts also are interviewed. Following the viewing, PACER staff will lead a discussion on the film. It will be shown on Monday, Aug. 4, from 7 to 9 p.m., at PACER Center, 8161 Normandale Blvd., Minneapolis, Minn. Advance registration is requested.

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Be a Partner with PACER in Bullying Prevention

PACER’s third annual National Bullying Prevention Awareness Week, Oct. 5 – 11, will include an expanded effort to reach schools and organizations nationwide. Exciting new activities, information, and contests will engage youth, educators, and parents in creating a safer world for children with and without disabilities. Show your support for National Bullying Prevention Awareness Week by signing up today as a partner on PACER’s Web site!

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Aug. 20 Webinar for Parent Centers Addresses Needs of Military Families

The Technical Assistance ALLIANCE for Parent Centers and STOMP (Specialized Training of Military Parents) will present a Webinar for federally funded Parent Centers. The goal is to teach Parent Centers about resources for military families who have children with disabilities or medical conditions. It’s Wednesday, Aug. 20 at 2 p.m. CST. STOMP is the only National Parent Training and Information Center providing support and advice to military parents without regard of the type of medical condition their child has. For information about STOMP, please visit www.stompproject.org or call 800-5PARENT. Registration information for the Webinar will be sent to Parent Centers in late July.

New PACER Web Site Addresses School-wide Positive Behavior Interventions and Support

School-wide Positive Behavior Interventions and Support (SW-PBIS) is a Minnesota 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.

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Join IBM's World Community Grid

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.

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