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The U.S. Department of Education has released a free, two-part training toolkit designed to reduce incidents of bullying, for use by classroom teachers and educators. The toolkit was developed by the Safe and Supportive Schools Technical Assistance Center, supported by the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Safe and Healthy Students, in collaboration with the NEA and the American Federation of Teachers.

This video illustrates how essential early childhood inclusion is for all children, including those who cannot be in close proximity to other children because of health concerns. In this video, Kate Mathany describes how her daughter Getty virtually attends a typical preschool classroom every day using a VGo. In the first part, Kate introduces us to Getty and describes how the idea to use the VGo came about. In the second part, Kate is joined by Eileen Sedilko, Getty's preschool teacher, as they illustrate how Getty's school day works from both home and classroom perspectives. They discuss a range of topics including preschool inclusion, parent leadership, the use of adaptations, collaboration, teamwork, the benefits of inclusion for all children, families, and teachers. This video has important messages for families with children who cannot attend a preschool because of health reasons who are looking for solutions, for all those interested in early childhood inclusion, and for current and future early childhood educators. A presentation of the Desired Results Access Project, Napa County Office of Education, funded by the California Department of Education, Special Education Division. Produced by Larry Edelman.

Register Now! Early Registration $30.00 - By October 1st  After Oct 2nd -- $45.00

Dr. Jorgensen is Project Director for the Institute on Disability at The University of New Hampshire and Director of the National Inclusion Education Initiative for students with Autism or Related Disabilities. Dr. Jorgensen Outlines Steps for Genuine Classroom Inclusion, with clarity, proven research and true compassion. The time to change the vision for the future of students with autism and other related disabilities begins Oct 7th!

Click here to download the full brochure with registration information (PDF) What: This course is designed to help you develop a more integrated approach, working within the classroom, educators and therapists collaborating to develop therapeutic intervention programs that can be implemented within students’ daily schedules. Participants will: Develop a tool kit of classroom based inter-vention strategies to support students within general education classrooms Discover the three components in class-rooms that have the greatest impact on student learning Uncover simple, movement based strategies to facilitate whole brain learning Decrease unnecessary referrals with a pro-active screening process Learn practical strategies to make visual media more accessible everyday for stu-dents who struggle with maintaining atten-tion How to introduce motor learning labs for reading and writing that can be easily intro-duced with core curriculum Learn strategies for positioning to enhance student performance at near point and far point learning tasks Receive an extensive resource handbook with dynamic intervention strategies Who should attend: Occupational Therapists OT Assistants Physical Therapists PT Assistants Special Education Teachers Regular Education Teachers School Psychologists Speech and Language Pathologists School Administrators When: October 20-21, 2011 Where: Hampton Inn Great Falls 2301 14th Street. SW Great Falls, Montana 59404 Contact: Deb Davison by email at deb_davison@gfps.k12.mt.us

Special education used to be a place—sometimes a separate school, more often a classroom down the hall where students labeled as such disappeared for hours at a time, out of sight and out of mind for the typical classroom teacher. That’s still sometimes the case, but increasingly, special education is front and center in the regular education classroom, and the population of students with individualized education plans has shifted away from those considered learning disabled.

Fewer students have been diagnosed with learning disabilities, but more students are being diagnosed with autism. “You’re not sending a child somewhere when you provide special ed. You’re providing them a service,” says Mary Watson, director of the Exceptional Child Division in the North Carolina Department of Education. “Special education is not a place; special education is individualized instruction with supports and services.”

The overwhelming majority of the nearly 76 million students in America’s schools and colleges spend most of the academic day in classrooms. That’s a problem because the classroom has been obsolete for several decades. That’s not just my opinion. It’s established science.

Click here to register for this free webinar What: Nearly every state in the country has adopted a new set of common academic standards in mathematics and English/language arts. The new guidelines lay out fundamental changes in the skills students are expected to have. But there is a long road from understanding the standards to putting them into practice in the classroom. This webinar will let participants in on the approaches that two districts—Hillsborough County, Fla. and Cleveland —are taking as they work to educate teachers about the standards and turn them into new types of teaching and learning. Register now for this free live event! When: Tuesday, August 30, 2011 12:00pm - 1:00pm Mountain Guests: Lynn Dougherty-Underwood, director of K-12 literacy, Hillsborough County Public Schools (Fla.). Mark Baumgartner, director of professional issues, Cleveland Teachers Union.

Click Here For More Information, and to Make Reservations What:Conference - Plain Talk About Reading (heralded as the nation's premier reading institute because of its clear focus on providing the latest scientifically based reading research (SBRR) and strategies for those who teach reading at all ages and grade levels). From the nation's leading researchers and seasoned practioners, atendees will learn the current findings on reading instruction, reading difficulties and reading intervention, and classroom strategies that put this knowledge to work.     $575 per person (if received before 9/30/11)    $645 per person (if received between 10/1/11 - 3/2/12)    $745 per person (if received after 3/2/12) Sessions In-depth information on today's most burning reading issues Early childhood literacy and language development  Getting adolescent literacy right Integrating literacy strategies across the disciplines at all grade levels  Practical strategies for increasing vocabulary Increasing reading comprehension  Teaching reading to English language learners Implementing Response to Intervention at all levels Leadership that yields increases in student literacy levels  Increasing teacher knowledge and skills Broad session choices: Sessions that target early childhood classrooms  Sessions that address how to meet the needs of special education students   Content-centered sessions on strategies for the classroom Sessions delivering the latest research on reading, RtI, language development, attention, and other related topics Sessions especially for school and district leaders Sessions focused on English language learners When:April 29, 2012 - 4:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m. (Mountain Time) – RegistrationApril 30, 2012 - 8:00 a.m. - 4:45 p.m. (Mountain Time) - Day 1May 1, 2012 - 8:00 a.m. - 4:45 p.m. (Mountain Time) - Day 2May 2, 2012 - 8:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m. (Mountain Time) - Day 3

What: A Booster Shot of INCLUSIVE Energy to your Classroom! Discover how Inclusive Instructional Strategies can transform your life and the lives of your students in a powerful and fun way! Diana Pastora Carson takes simple strategies to EMPOWER teachers and energize all learners, even ones with significant disabilities:   Rhythm Music Movement Interactive Visual Aids Collaborative Projects When: Friday, April 29, 2011  11:00am-12:00pm Mountain Registration: $55 Early Registration - Until April 21st $65 - April 22nd and beyond  Register Now! Create a sense of belonging for all students Empower confidence, motivation, and achievement Inclusive ideas can facilitate a positive learning experience for all, including teachers and staff Make learning environments and curricular content accessible to a full range of students

Skype in the classroom is a free community to help teachers everywhere use Skype to help their students learn. It’s a place for teachers to connect with each other, find partner classes and share inspiration. This is a global initiative that was created in response to the growing number of teachers using Skype in their classrooms. Read more

Click here to download the full brochure with registration information (PDF) What: Behavior Management This academy is intended to give the paraeducator knowledge and skill in instructional methods that support students who have challenging behaviors in inclusive classrooms, resource rooms, elf-contained classrooms, domestic settings and the community. The module focuses on interactions that paraeducators have with students whose behaviors are challenging and on the role they lay in assisting the professional members of their teams with behavior challenges. Effective behavior management is a complex system of proactive strategies, positive reinforcements and natural or logical consequences. The most important concept to understand is that good behavioral management begins with the educator; that ultimately the only person anyone can truly control is him or herself. Our focus, therefore, must be on changing what we, as educators do, as opposed to attempting to make or force our students to change. This academy will address this issue and provide participants with a “tool box” of ideas and strategies that have been proven to encourage positive behavior in students. If your school is an MBI school, these strategies are consistent with the MBI philosophy. Number Theory and Rational Numbers This academy was designed to provide paraeducators with the skills and knowledge needed to assist students, grades 5-8, with mathematics skills taught in the classroom. The course content is designed and adapted from standards recommended by the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics. It includes the specific skill-building areas of number sense, computational techniques for fractions, decimals and percentages; and their related applications for intermediate and middle-school learners. Participants are encouraged and welcome to attend both days of training. When: June 8-9, 2011 Where:Robins Administration Building Upstairs Conference Room 425 6th Street Havre, MT Register: Register online at www.havre.k12.mt.us Click on the CSPD icon (upper right hand corner) Click on CSPD Calendar

Click here to download the flyer (PDF) | Click here to register What: Join us as we explore useful technology tools for the classroom. Each month we will explore technological tools that can enhance the educational experience for educators and students. This “hands on” opportunity will use technological tools available in everyday activities: personal computers, cell phones, iPods, iPads, and much more! Free downloadable programs to broaden the educational experience through such sites as Wiki, and Google will be explored. The goal of these sessions is to provide useable and practical technology for educators in such a way that it puts the “fun” back into education. November’s Technology Tuesday will be a “show and tell” of useful technologies that Trina finds useful within the classroom setting. It will also be an opportunity to share the technology that others use in their classrooms. This “sharing” of technology will build the foundation of future Technology Tuesdays. When: Wednesday, November 16, 2011 5:00pm - 7:00 pm Mountain Where: Fromberg Elementary Bldg (Use the North Door)Room 301 Fromberg, MT Contact: John Keener by phone 406-657-1743 or email john.keener@msubillings.edu Debra Miller by phone 406-657-2072 or email dmiller@msubillings.edu