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The National Institutes of Health has awarded $5.3 million in initial one-year funding to the latest two recipients of the Autism Centers of Excellence (ACE) program. With these awards, announced on World Autism Awareness Day, these and nine other ACE centers around the country are now being funded for up to five years. The program was created in 2007 to launch an intense and coordinated research effort aimed at identifying the causes of autism spectrum disorders (ASD) and finding new treatments.

Registration available here!What:Connecting to the work that has been carried on during the last five years to successfully andcomprehensively implement Indian Education for All across Montana’s diverse communities, the theme for this year’s conference will explore the importance of crossing cultural and community divides to establish strong and productive relationships. Please consider sharing your knowledge and experiences related to this topic by submitting a conference presentation proposal. The Call for Proposals form will be available until December 30. The Indian Education Division and Office of Public Instruction will also be soliciting nominations for an important opportunity – the Advocacy Award for Excellence in Indian Education for All, in honor of one of Montana’s finest educators, Teresa Veltkamp. Nomination forms for the award will be available December 15th at OPI Indian Education Hot Topics. Please give consideration to this opportunity to acknowledge anoutstanding educator’s efforts in the promotion of and steadfast support for Indian Education for All. When:February 27-28, 2012Where:Billings, MTCrowne Plaza HotelContact:Joan FrankePhone: 406-444-3694

Click here to register and get more information!What:The theme of this year’s conference is “Leadership through Action and Participation.” We must all be strong advocates and willing to step up and make our voice heard through participation in policy development at the local, state, tribal and national level. Montana has become a recognized leader in Indian education in the nation and it has been because of the action taken by many MIEA members and friends of Indian education to make these positive changes.Great speakers, workshops, a student leadership strand, awards banquet and an elder’s luncheon just to mention a few. This year the parent forum on Thursday will focus on parent issues such as: the Johnson-O’Malley Program, Title VII Part A, Indian Education for All and Impact Aid. We encourage parent committees and others involved in supporting Indian parents to attend.When:April 12-15, 2012Where:Bozeman, MTBest Western Plus GranTree InnContact:Ron Juneau            406-850-9982     mieadirector@gmail.com                                Michelle Mitchell     406-833-0106     michell.mtchll@gmail.com     

The National Institutes of Health is awarding nearly $100 million in grants — the most ever — to research the causes of autism and look for treatments. The funding is part of $5 billion that’s being awarded by the NIH to study autism, cancer and heart disease, among other conditions. The grants represent half of the NIH funding allotment from the federal economic stimulus package enacted earlier this year. Collectively, the grants are “the single largest boost to biomedical research in history,” President Barack Obama said at the NIH Wednesday.

Mark your calendars to attend the Montana Conference for Exceptional Children Conference on April 13-15th in Billings, Montana. Scholarships are available for this event (see below). The Theme this year is: Special Education in the 21st Century: Tools for the Future If you are interested in presenting at this conference, visit http://www.mtcec.org/conference Click here to download the Scholarship Application (PDF) A limited number of scholarships are available on a first come, first serve basis for residents of Region IV consisting of the following counties:  Park, Gallatin, Meagher, Broadwater, Lewis and Clark, Jefferson, Madison, Powell, Granite, Silverbow and Beaverhead Scholarships are available to use for registration costs up to $400.00 per school/organization. Scholarships will be awarded to teams attending one of the listed conferences. Teams should include a combination of personnel such as General Educators, Special Educators, Paraeducators, Administrators, Related Service Personnel, Parent, and/or Agency Personnel.  Each team must attach a narrative identifying the school/organization goals and a description of how attending the specified conference will help the team make systemic changes to the school/organization. CEC (Council for Exceptional Students) Conference in Billings, April 13-15, 2011 MBI (Montana Behavior Initiative) Summer Institute in Bozeman, June 20-24, 2011 MEI (Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development) Conference in Helena, June 14-16, 2011 MASP (Montana Association of School Psychologists) Summer Institute in Billings, June 12-14, 2011 Scholarships will be awarded on a first come, first serve basis.  If interested send this form with required narrative to: Denielle M. Miller, Coordinator Region IV CSPD 3929 Baxter Lane Bozeman, MT  59718.  Or email as an attachment to dmiller@bridgeband.com

Through the Looking Glass and its National Center for Parents with Disabilities and their Families are pleased to announce new scholarships specifically for high school seniors and college students who have parents with disabilities. A total of ten $1000 scholarships will be given out Fall 2010. These scholarships are part of Through the Looking Glass' National Center for Parents with Disabilities and their Families. Please note that the 2010 awards have different application procedures than previous years.There are two separate scholarship awards, and each has separate eligibility requirements: High School Seniors - To be eligible, a student must be a high school graduate (or graduating senior) by Summer 2010, planning to attend a two-year or four-year college in Fall 2010 in pursuit of an AA, BA or BS degree, and have at least one parent with a disability. College Students - To be eligible, a student must be currently enrolled in a in a two-year or four-year college in Fall 2010 in pursuit of an AA, BA or BS degree, be 21 years of age or younger as of March 1, 2010,and have at least one parent with a disability.

The Alexander Graham Bell Association for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing (AG Bell) School-Age Financial Aid program is for students ages 6 to 21 years who are registered or currently enrolled in a parochial, independent or private school in a mainstream setting. Awards can be used to reduce educational costs such as tuition, room and board, books, equipment, auditory and speech language support services, academic tutoring, transportation, and other school-related expenses. This award is not applicable for students who are being homeschooled, or those who attend public school, or are in college.

The Alexander Graham Bell Association for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing (AG Bell) offers financial awards for students, ages 6 to 19, to participate in after school, weekend or summer programs focused on developing skills in the arts or sciences. Programs can be offered through museums, nature centers, art or music centers, zoological parks, space and science camps, dance and theater studios, martial arts studios or any other program with a focus on the arts or sciences.

For more information on the Ready 2 Read early literacy initiative, visit http://ready2readmontana.org or contact Sara Groves at (406) 444-5357 or at sgroves@mt.gov. (HELENA) --- The Montana State Library (MSL) is pleased to announce that it has received $45,000 in grant funds from two separate Montana foundations. The First Interstate BancSystem Foundation, based in Billings, awarded the State Library $35,000, and the Dennis and Phyllis Washington Foundation, based in Missoula, awarded the State Library $10,000. The money will be used to expand the Montana State Library’s statewide early literacy initiative, Ready 2 Read. Launched in 2009, the Ready 2 Read program is an effort to help parents and caregivers understand the value of sharing language and literacy with their children. The program has provided collections of high-quality children’s books to libraries, early childhood training to librarians, and extensive information and training to parents and caregivers on the importance of sharing books with children from birth forward. “New research suggests that there is no greater investment than in early childhood education,” said Darlene Staffeldt, Montana State Librarian. “Montana libraries have evolved to meet the challenge of providing programs, services, and materials for our youngest library patrons – children from birth to three years old. We look forward to working with the First Interstate BancSystem and Washington Foundations to expand our offerings even further.” Funding from First Interstate BancSystem Foundation will be used to support training of librarians to further their expertise in early literacy and early childhood education.

Plan family involvement events for February 7–13, 2010, and apply for an $1,897 Award to support your PTA in opening school doors to all families.

The National Institutes of Health has awarded more than 50 autism research grants, totaling more than $65 million, which will be supported with American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funds. These grants are the result of the largest funding opportunity for research on autism spectrum disorders (ASD) to date

Click here to register for this event What: Social inclusion occurs when individuals and entire communities of people have access to rights, opportunities, and resources that are usually available to members of American society. People with mental health and substance use problems are more  likely to fully recover and rebuild their lives when they have access not only to care and services, but also to social, economic, educational, recreational, and cultural opportunities that most citizens take for granted.  A socially inclusive society also provides opportunities for individuals in recovery to contribute to their communities as peers, employees, parents, residents, students, volunteers, teachers, and active citizens. Social inclusion provides a policy framework to make this vision a reality.  The SAMHSA ADS Center invites you to a FREE teleconference training to learn about three innovative community programs that are improving lives, changing communities, and transforming systems through social inclusion practices. The training will highlight the promising practices of the 2010 Campaign for Social Inclusion Award recipients, including:  SC SHARE’s Dream Team, which is reaching thousands of young people throughout South Carolina through partnerships with key government, faith, and community leaders. The Dream Team uses lived experience to show that there is hope; that a full, productive life can be the expectation; and that recovery is possible.  Heartland Consumer Network’s Poetry for Personal Power, which is changing lives and influencing educational systems by bringing open mic spoken poetry competitions to colleges throughout Missouri. This program is offering young people with mental health and substance use problems the chance to use personal experience and creativity to inspire others.     Advocacy Unlimited, Inc., which developed a 30-minute documentary titled Shining Stars – Young Adults in Recovery to give a voice to young people with mental health and substance use problems who teach about what recovery looks like and the important role all of us play in supporting each other. This program will be featured during a public viewing of the documentary in June at the State Legislative Office Building in Connecticut.    These SAMHSA-supported community-based efforts will demonstrate how social inclusion programs improve lives, communities, and systems. Participants will also learn how they can apply for the 2011 Campaign for Social Inclusion Awards and become a pioneer for building a socially inclusive America.   Date and Time Monday, May 9, 2011 1 p.m. – 2:30 p.m. Mountain

Miss Montana Alexis Wineman of Cut Bank has been extremely busy the last few days - namely, appearing in the Miss America pageant in Las Vegas on Saturday and being seen by millions of people across the world. Although she didn't walk away with the crown, Alexis did win big by earning the "People's Choice" award via online voting. Alexis visited MTN affiliate KRTV in Great Falls on her way back home to Cut Bank from Las Vegas on Tuesday, sharing some of the highlights of her journey and even providing a small sample of her pageant talent: stand-up comedy.

Academy Award winning director Steven Spielberg recently admitted to having dyslexia -- the first time he has publicly talked about it. "It was the last puzzle part in a tremendous mystery that I've kept to myself all these years," says the director in an interview on friendsofquinn.com. Diagnosed five years ago, Spielberg learned to read two years later than his classmates, who bullied him so much that he dreaded going to school.