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You can register here to become a member! You can also download the full flyer here!What:TASH invites you to learn about Building Inclusive High School Communities by participating in this exclusive webinar series featuring leading experts on inclusive education. Creating a truly inclusive high school can be an arduous and complex process, especially as schools already face the challenge of raising academic standards through rigor and high-stakes testing. But as the gateway to adult life, high school should embrace and support all students by creating opportunities for: Self-advocacy Differentiated instruction and Universal Design for Learning Youth Engagement Relationship building and social interactions Engaging in preparation for the quality of life they deserve in the community This series is intended for anyone interested in developing inclusive schools, including parents of middle and high school students, special and general education teachers, special services staff and directors, school administrators, inclusive facilitators and other personnel. When:February 20 - March 20, 2012Accessible 24/7!Contact:Phone: (202) 509-9596Email: pallen@tash.orgWebsite: http://tash.org/conferences-events/webinars/current-webinars/

Click here to register for this event What: This three hour training is designed for counselor/administrator teams to work together to learn the basic principles of the Montana School Counseling Program Model.  The training will include roles and responsibilities of counselors and administrators within the program and steps for implementation of the Model.  Participants will have an outline of an implementation plan and be able to begin the implementation process. The goal is to provide high-quality, Level I training for Montana school counselors and administrators. Participants will learn the tools to: establish a school counseling program as an integral component of the school?s academic missions; ensure students have access to counseling services; identify and deliver the knowledge and skills acquired in the Academic, Career, and personal/Social Domains; promote specific guidelines and strategies to engage culturally different students/parents in counseling and the educational process; and, sponsor a culturally appropriate approach to counseling that is aligned with the spirit and intent of IEFA. Where: Montana State University - Billings College of Education Building, Room 122 Billings, MT Scheduled Trainings: March 11, 2011 9:00am-12:00pm April 1, 2011 9:00am-12:00pm April 13, 2011 9:00am-12:00pm Cost: http://www.msubillings.edu/smart/training/schoolcounseling.htm There are no fees for this training but registration is required.  Mileage reimbursement will be paid for those outside of the Billings area.

Today, the Obama Administration outlined how states can get relief from provisions of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act – or No Child Left Behind (NCLB) – in exchange for serious state-led efforts to close achievement gaps, promote rigorous accountability, and ensure that all students are on track to graduate college- and career-ready. “To help states, districts and schools that are ready to move forward with education reform, our administration will provide flexibility from the law in exchange for a real commitment to undertake change. The purpose is not to give states and districts a reprieve from accountability, but rather to unleash energy to improve our schools at the local level,” President Obama said. What this means for you:   For Teachers: A collaborative learning culture where teachers can target instruction towards the needs of students and offer a well-rounded curriculum. Fair and responsible evaluations that are based on multiple measures including peer review, principal observation, and classroom work.  For Principals: Greater flexibility to tailor solutions to the unique educational challenges of their students and recognition for progress and performance.  For Parents: Accurate and descriptive information about their children’s progress and honest accountability that recognizes and rewards success – where schools fall short – targeted and focused strategies for the students most at risk.  For Students: A system that measures student growth and critical thinking to inspire better teaching and greater student engagement across a well-rounded curriculum. For more information on how this flexibility package may affect you, read our blog post: What NCLB Flexibility Means for You

An effort by the Obama administration to overhaul the troubled federal agency that is responsible for the education of tens of thousands of American Indian children is getting major pushback from some tribal leaders and educators, who see the plan as an infringement on their sovereignty and a one-size-fits-all approach that will fail to improve student achievement in Indian Country. As Barack Obama makes his first visit to Indian Country as president this week, the federal Bureau of Indian Education—which directly operates 57 schools for Native Americans and oversees 126 others run by tribes under contract with the agency—is moving ahead with plans to remake itself into an entity akin to a state department of education that would focus on improving services for tribally operated schools. A revamped BIE, as envisioned in the proposal, would eventually give up direct operations of schools and push for a menu of education reforms that is strikingly similar to some championed in initiatives such as Race to the Top, including competitive-grant funding to entice tribal schools to adopt teacher-evaluation systems that are linked to student performance. The proposed reorganization of the BIE comes after years of scathing reports from watchdog groups, including the U.S. Government Accountability Office, and chronic complaints from tribal educators about the agency’s financial and academic mismanagement and failure to advocate more effectively for the needs of schools that serve Native American students. It also comes a year after U.S. Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell called the federally funded Indian education system “an embarrassment.” The BIE is overseen by the Bureau of Indian Affairs, which is housed within the U.S. Interior Department. Pushback From Tribes The proposal, released in April, was drafted by a seven-person “study group” appointed jointly by Ms. Jewell and U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan. Five of the panel’s members currently serve in the Obama administration. Some of the nation’s largest tribes, however, are staunchly opposed to the proposal, including the 16 tribes that make up the Great Plains Tribal Chairmans Association, which represents tribal leaders in South Dakota, North Dakota, and Nebraska. “It’s time for us to decide what our children will learn and how they will learn it because [BIE] has been a failure so far,” Bryan V. Brewer, the chairman of the 40,000-member Oglala Sioux tribe in Pine Ridge, S.D., said last month in a congressional hearing on the BIE. In the same hearing before the U.S. Senate Committee on Indian Affairs, Charles M. Roessel, the director of the BIE and a member of the panel that drafted the plan, said the agency’s reorganization “would allow the BIE to achieve improved results in the form of higher student scores, improved school operations, and increased tribal control over schools.” (Despite multiple requests from Education Week, the BIE did not make Mr. Roessel or any other agency official available for an interview.)

Click here to download the full flyer and registration for this event (PDF) Free training for: Elementary teachers, Special education teachers, Administrators, Paraprofessionals and parents This workshop is designed for a variety of individuals: Schools just beginning to think about Response to Instruction (RtI) Support staff in schools already implementing RtI (speech therapists, school psychologists, occupational and physical therapist, tutors, etc.) New administrators or teachers in schools already implementing RtI New members on established RtI teams Participants will be provided: An overview of the Montana RtI model--both the “big picture” and the eight essential implementation components Practical strategies and possible next steps they might take to “power up and move forward” with RtI implementation efforts Discussion of how their specific positions and roles “fit in” with RtI structures and procedures. When: October 4, 2011 8:00am - 3:30pm Mountain Where: Robins Administration Building 425 6th Street Upstairs Conference Room Havre, MT

Register and view more information here!What:The Duke Law School is joining with the Academy for IDEA Administrative Law Judges and Impartial Hearing Officers of Seattle University School of Law to conduct a training at the Duke Law School. The first two days of the three-day training on special education law and procedures will be open to attendance by persons who are not special education hearing officers. Persons attending will be entitled to attend all sessions on the specified days and one copy of the prepared materials for those sessions.When:March 6-8, 2012Where:Duke Law School210 Science DriveDurham, NC 27708Contact:S. James RosenfeldPhone: 206-922-3319

You can register online here!You can also download the flyer here for more information!What:Curriculum 21 is the outgrowth of the work of a dynamic group of educators worldwide, attempting to help colleagues transform curriculum and school designs to match the needs of 21st century learners. The impetus originated from the Curriculum Mapping work developed by Dr. Heidi Hayes Jacobs. As Curriculum Designers Inc. staff examined maps emerging across the United States and overseas, it was evident that curriculum and instruction remains dated, although both students and teachers recognize the need to become current and forward thinking in their planning. Concrete and practical models for updating your school programs appear in Dr. Jacobs’s book, Curriculum 21: Essential Education for a Changing World. Because of its impact on revising and changing education, Curriculum 21 has become a division of Curriculum Designers whose goal is to provide a full range of resources and services to all educators and schools involved in the journey of Curriculum Mapping.There will be a $25.00 per person fee for ACE member schools and $60.00 per person fee for Non- ACE members.When:Monday, March 5, 20128:00 AM - 4:00 PMWhere:Billings Hotel and Convention Center1223 Mullowney LaneBillings, MT 59101Contact:Andrea FischerPhone:(406) 690-9872Email: afischer.acemt@gmail.com