E-News

Frankie Valli & the Four Seasons to Headline PACER's 2009 Benefit! Tickets on Sale Now!

Hear Frankie Valli & the Four Seasons, the inspiration for the smash hit Broadway show “Jersey Boys,” at PACER Center’s 27th Annual Benefit on Saturday, May 2, at the Minneapolis Convention Center. With smash hits like “Sherry” and “Big Girls Don’t Cry,” the group has sold more than 100 million records worldwide and has been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Don’t miss this American pop icon! Reserve your tickets now!

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Materials Now Available from OSEP National Parent Center Conference

“High Expectations, Endless Possibilities” was the theme that brought together hundreds of Parent Center staff, Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) representatives, and national disability organizations at the annual OSEP National Parent Center Conference in Washington, D.C., in January. Attendees were motivated and enlightened by speakers such as Sharon Lewis, Beth Harry, Janice Fialka, and Jennifer Kemp. Handouts and presentations from the conference are available online.

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Parent Training Modules Help Families Promote Children’s Social and Emotional Skills

The Center on the Social and Emotional Foundations for Early Learning has developed parent training modules that help families promote children’s social and emotional skills, understand children’s problem behaviors, and use positive approaches to help them learn appropriate behaviors. The modules are available at vanderbilt.edu/csefel/parent.html.

New Document Addresses Screening Instruments for Social Emotional Concerns

“Emotional Concerns: Considerations in the Selection of Instruments” provides a brief overview of the use of screening instruments to help identify children and families who would benefit from early and targeted intervention strategies. This new document is meant to help administrators and teachers choose appropriate instruments for implementing a screening program. It’s available from the Technical Assistance Center on Social Emotional Intervention for Young Children.

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Economic Stimulus Package Increases Special Education Funding

The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) received $12.2 billion additional funding for the next two years. This includes $11.3 billion for IDEA Part B (age 3 to 21), $400 million for IDEA preschool funding (age 3 to 5), and $500 million for Part C (birth to 2). This will move the federal share of special education funding from 15.5 percent to 23.7 percent for the next two years. For Minnesota this would mean an estimated increase of $189.8 million for Part B, $7.7 million for Part B preschool funding, and $7 million for Part C. View the full stimulus bill at http://appropriations.house.gov/. View the provisions relating to special education, IDEA, and the stabilization fund at http://appropriations.house.gov/pdf/Recovery_Bill_Div_A.pdf.

Minnesota Special Education Taskforce Releases Report

The Special Education Taskforce Report was heard in the House K-12 education finance committee chaired by Rep. Mindy Greiling on Feb. 17. As part of that report, consumer and special education advocates submitted their summary of the process and outcomes. The contents of the report can be viewed at PACER.org/legislation/news.asp. Legislators have the final report and must decide by April 7 which rules and statutes will be eliminated or revised. For more information, contact Kim Kang, PACER’s public policy director, at Kim.Kang@PACER.org or 952-838-9000.

Web Site Offers Leadership Training for Parents

A new leadership training curriculum helps empower parents of children with disabilities to advocate for change in their communities. The Parents as Collaborative Leaders curriculum, a project of the University of Vermont and PACER, is now available as 10 PowerPoint modules on the Parents as Collaborative Leaders Web site at uvm.edu/~pcl/modules.php and on PACER’s site at PACER.org.

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The Play’s the Thing

“Autistic License” is a play that explores the experience of raising a child with autism. “I really think of this piece as a love story between a husband and wife, between a mother and a son, and between a father and a son,” says former PACER staff member and Minnesota playwright Stacey Dinner-Levin. The autobiographical play runs April 2-3 at Illusion Theater for National Autism Awareness Month and kicks off a month-long community tour.

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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 worldcommunitygrid.org, click “find a team,” and select “PACER Center.” Join the team! It’s safe and easy.

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