This section provides new resources from federal agencies, our partners and other national organizations. This page will be updated biweekly.  When items are moved off this page, they are placed in the appropriate section of the Topics Database.

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
http://www.ed.gov/index.jhtml

College Navigator – Spanish language version
https://nces.ed.gov/collegenavigator/?md=1
The U.S. Department of Education announces the release of a new Spanish language version of its college search tool, College Navigator.   College Navigator is a free consumer information tool designed to help students, parents, high school counselors, and others get information about nearly 7,000 postsecondary institutions in the United States. It provides a wide range of information -- such as programs offered, retention and graduation rates, prices, aid available, degrees awarded, campus safety, athletics, and accreditation -- in a user-friendly tool.


TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE & DISSEMINATION NETWORK (TA&D)

IDEA Partnership New On-line Resource
Together on RTI:  A Collection of Free Resources Selected by National Organizations for Their Members
http://www.ideapartnership.org/page.cfm?pageid=58
Working through the IDEA Partnership, national organizations have come together around Response-to-Intervention (RTI).  To help their members understand the basic concepts, engage in state and local discussions and become active in RTI Implementation;  they worked together to create a customized collection based in the research and training materials developed by national technical assistance centers.  In December 2007, states, technical assistance centers and national organizations came together in the National Summit on Response-to-Intervention.  Building on that event, national organizations are currently advancing their shared interest in RTI by disseminating this compilation of links to trustworthy sources of information that will be continually updated.  These resources have been developed and/or selected by practitioners and families. They provide tools and training materials for immediate use as well as links to websites that will continually produce high quality information.


New policy brief from CAST
A NIMAS Policy Brief: Progress on Implementation of the National Instructional Materials Accessibility Standard (NIMAS)
http://nimas.cast.org/about/resources/policy_brief-2008-04.html
The purpose for this brief is to provide updated information about the NIMAS-related developments that may impact choices that are made within States and local education agencies. Recent developments should be of interest to anyone responsible for implementing IDEA 2004 and the regulations pertaining to the statute. The Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP), U. S. Department of Education, now provides support for maintaining and improving the NIMAS specification; technical assistance to States, publishers, and conversion houses; a consortium of States working together to implement NIMAS requirements; a national accessible materials production and distribution service at Bookshare specific to meeting the needs of qualified students; and ongoing support for Recording for Blind & Dyslexic (RFB&D) and the American Printing House for the Blind (APH).

OUR PARTNERS

IRIS Center
http://iris.peabody.vanderbilt.edu

CSR: A Reading Comprehension Strategy, a revision and detailed expansion of the CSR section of The Reading Blues: Strategies to Help Upper-Elementary Students Move from Struggle to Success.
http://iris.peabody.vanderbilt.edu/csr/challenge.htm.
New Upper Elementary Reading Strategy Module posted to IRIS website. IRIS invites you to learn about Collaborative Strategic Reading (CSR), an approach that students with varying reading abilities can apply to improve comprehension while reading expository text in small, cooperative learning groups.


Education Commission of the States
http://www.ecs.org/

Issues in Funding Early & Middle College High Schools
http://www.ecs.org/clearinghouse/77/72/7772.pdf

State Governance Models
http://www.ecs.org/clearinghouse/77/78/7778.pdf

OTHER

Transition Training Institutes
http://www.transitioncoalition.org
The University of Kansas Department of Special Education and the Transition Coalition KU Summer Institute on Transition's  2008 Transition Summer Institute: "Transition Assessment" What's It All About:? How Do We Make it Happen? "

The Transition Summer Institute is a week-long conference held June 23 - 27, 2008 in Lawrence, KS. It is geared toward professionals and family members involved with secondary transition programs and services for students with disabilities. The Institute provides overview information for those new to transition services and provides updated information and research on effective practices in transition education and services.


2008 Georgetown Training Institutes
Developing Local Systems of Care for Children and Adolescents with Mental Health Needs and Their Families: New Directions to Improve Care
http://gucchd.georgetown.edu/programs/ta_center/TrainingInstitutes/TI2008/theinstitutes.html  
July 16 - 20, 2008.
Gaylord Opryland Resort & Convention Center
Nashville, Tennessee
In-depth, practical information on how to develop and operate systems of care and how to provide high-quality, effective, clinical interventions and supports within them. Special focus on three "new directions" to strengthen systems of care and improve outcomes, each comprising a distinct track: Implementing a Public Health Approach, Partnering With Schools, and Partnering With Child Welfare.


New GAO reports
Residential Programs:  Selected Cases of Death, Abuse, and Deceptive Marketing, by Gregory D. Kutz, managing director, forensic audits and special investigations, before the House Committee on Education and Labor. http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-08-713T
Highlights - http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d08713thigh.pdf

Residential Facilities:  State and Federal Oversight Gaps May Increase Risk to Youth Well-Being, by Kay E. Brown, director, education, workforce, and income security issues, before the House Committee on Education and Labor.  http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-08-696T
Highlights - http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d08696thigh.pdf