AccessCenterNewsletterMarch_2007

	March Newsletter
	Issue 23, 2007

Announcements

	Learn More About Successful Communities of Practice at Our New Access Center Webinar! Please join us on March 28, 2007 at 2:00 p.m. (EST) for our Access Center Information Sharing Communities (ISC) webinar on Communities of Practice. Tolani A. Adeboye, a Senior Associate in Special Education at the Council of Chief State School Officers will present “Harnessing the Power of Networks: A Guide to Communities of Practice for State & District Leaders.” This webinar is free and open to the public. For instructions on how to participate, please click here.

TA Highlights

	In February, staff from the Access Center visited two Council for Exceptional Children (CEC) Conferences in North Carolina and South Carolina. At the North Carolina CEC meeting, *“Staying Afloat in Seas of Change,”* Access Center staff presented a session on *“Enhancing Your Instructional Skills through Differentiation.”* At the South Carolina CEC State Professional Development Conference, Access Center staff presented a session on *“Improving Access to the General Education Curriculum for All Students through Collaborative Teaching.*”

Resources

	Frequently Asked Questions About Education For quick answers to frequently asked questions about education, the U.S. Department of Education offers an online resource filled with up-to-date information on numerous aspects of federal law, policy and initiatives. The Web site http://answers.ed.gov answers more than 100 questions related to topics addressed by the Department, including No Child Left Behind, financial aid, special education, school choice, grants and research. Topics are available in a fully searchable format that includes responses with links to additional information from internal and external sources. In addition, some answers are available in Spanish.

News & Policy

	NCLB Commission Issues Final Recommendations Report The bipartisan Commission on No Child Left Behind released its final recommendations report last month, outlining 75 changes that Congress should make to the law when it’s reauthorized. The recommendations include such proposals as reauthorizing the law this year, establishing new standards of effectiveness for teachers and principals, and developing voluntary national model standards and assessments that will help prepare all students for post-high school life. U.S. Chamber of Commerce Issues State-by-State Report on Educational Effectiveness In recognition of growing global competition and new challenges concerning social and economic changes, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce has recently issued a state-by-state report on academic achievement. The Chamber’s report, titled *Leaders and Laggers: A State-by-State Report Card on Educational Effectiveness*, had the goal of grading all 50 states and Washington, DC, on their K-12 school systems in order to identify both leaders and laggards in the tough business of school performance.

The Access Center, a project of the American Institutes for Research, is funded by the U.S. Department of Education, Office of Special Education Programs. Cooperative Agreement #H326K020003

The Access Center | 1000 Thomas Jefferson St., NW Washington, D.C. 20007-3835 | Phone: (202) 403-5512 | TTY: (202) 333-3072 Fax: (202) 403-5444 | Email: accesscenter@air.org

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