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Click here to register for this webinar What: This presentation examines how students who are at greater risk for suspension, expulsion and referral to the juvenile justice system because of behaviors associated with their disabilities, are targeted by school push-out policies and practices that systemically exclude these most vulnerable students from school and deny them their education. Our presenters will describe the array of such policies and practices - retention, academic sanctions, ineffective interventions, including those used for bullying and harassment, abusive use of zero tolerance, criminalization of disability related behavior and referral to law enforcement. Presenters will also identify and discuss concrete strategies for parents and advocates to use to help students protect their rights to remain in school and receive a high quality education. Time is provided for questions from participants. When: 12:00 pm - 1:30 pm MT

What: This presentation examines how students who are at greater risk for suspension, expulsion and referral to the juvenile justice system because of behaviors associated with their disabilities, are targeted by school push-out policies and practices that systemically exclude these most vulnerable students from school and deny them their education. Our presenters will describe the array of such policies and practices - retention, academic sanctions, ineffective interventions, including those used for bullying and harassment, abusive use of zero tolerance, criminalization of disability related behavior and referral to law enforcement. Presenters will also identify and discuss concrete strategies for parents and advocates to use to help students protect their rights to remain in school and receive a high quality education. Time is provided for questions from participants. When: 12:00 pm - 1:30 pm MT

Narrowing the Achievement Gap by Expanding Time in School: What Educators Need to Consider What: Expanding the school day or year is one strategy educators are employing to try to narrow the achievement gap. How schools use that time, experts say, should be tailored to meet the needs of individual schools. At the same time, though, there are proven policies and practices schools need to adopt to reach their goals. Finding that balance is tricky. Some schools have succeeded; others have failed. As more schools move toward expanded learning time using state or federal funding, what kinds of model designs should they choose, what tools are out there to help them, and what should their expectations be? Join us for a webinar that explores what educators should consider when implementing an expanded learning time model. When: Wednesday, August 10, 2011 11:30am - 12:30 pm Mountain Also available "on demand" any time 24 hours after the event Guests: Jennifer Davis, Co-Founder & President, National Center for Time and Learning. Emily McCann, president, Citizens Schools. Free registration is now open.

Click here to register for this event What: Ensuring School Readiness will explore how and why smooth transitions among early learning environments are critical for school readiness and are the first step toward preparing students for success in college and career. Presenters will focus on what it takes to foster continuity as children move from early learning programs to preschool to kindergarten, and will discuss the specific roles of early learning programs, schools, and families in preparing young children to enter school ready for success. This webinar will highlight innovative practices, explore the range of supports and services offered to young children and their families, and emphasize how to help families understand how to remain involved in their child’s education as the child moves into the early school grades. Jacqueline Jones from the U.S. Department of Education will discuss the importance of successful early transitions to education reform. Sharon Ritchie from FirstSchool, a research-based preK–3rd grade initiative, will discuss “seamless education” and how to use data to improve practice. Judith Jerald from Save the Children will talk about developing early childhood programming with an eye toward facilitating transitions. And Whitcomb Hayslip will discuss how a Los Angeles-based transitional kindergarten initiative uses deliberate collaboration between teachers and families to prepare children for school success. When: April 14, 2011 12:00 - 1:30 p.m. Mountain Featured speakers include: Moderator: Tom Schultz, Project Director for Early Childhood Initiatives, Council of Chief State School Officers Jacqueline Jones, Senior Advisor to the Secretary for Early Learning, U.S. Department of Education Sharon Ritchie, Senior Scientist, FPG Child Development Institute, University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill Judith Jerald, Early Childhood Advisor, Save the Children Whitcomb Hayslip, Early Childhood Education Consultant and Former Assistant Superintendent, Los Angeles Unified School District Click here to view the webinar archive for this event series

There's something funny about learning that a successful CEO or politician received bad grades in school. We're amused to hear that Steve Jobs earned C's on his way to a 2.6 GPA in high school-- before creating the most profitable company on Earth. But what if stories like these say more about the quality of our schools than we think? Indeed, statistics show that schools in the United States may not be fostering the skills needed to succeed in life after high school. A shocking number of high school graduates require remediation when they get to college. In New York City - which, unlike most other districts, is tracking the data and attempting to do something about it - more than half of high school graduates aren't prepared for coursework in in community college. Naturally, cities and states (and the authors of the Common Core Standards) have begun adjusting their approach, shifting focus to higher level skills like problem-solving, critical thinking, and even creativity. It's time we took a similar approach to the education of students with learning differences and learning disabilities.

Although there are a variety of school-based services available for children with learning, emotional, and social disabilities, one critical need often goes unfulfilled: providing guidance and strategies that instill self-advocacy.       Most students have only a superficial notion of the reasons they receive these special accommodations, and many children are completely uninformed. Resource teachers and specialists do not generally have the authority to label and enlighten students about their disabilities, the foundation for building self-advocacy. If children are to learn how to become better consumers of educational resources, especially as they grow older, someone must take the lead.      Parents of children with disabilities can fill this role by doing the following: Introduce children’s diagnoses to them in elementary school so that they can make sense out of their struggles Use a matter-of-fact tone of voice when explaining to children that they learn/behave/relate differently from other students and, therefore, need extra help to ensure that they can succeed just like their classmates Don’t leave out the disability label—such as writing disability, ADHD, or Aspergers Syndrome—since labels are a reality of their educational life Emphasize that the teachers and special staff at school who help them will be aware of this label and prepared to help in certain ways to make school a fairer place for them to learn and grow      It’s important to review with children the ways in which their school must provide special help and services. Emphasize that these accommodations are rules the school must follow. “You have the responsibility to do your best job, and teachers must follow the learning/behavior/friendship helping rules that make things fair for you,” is one way to put it. Explain how extra time on assessments, decreased homework, or social skills groups are examples of the helping rules that schools must follow. Discuss how there is a written promise called the individualized education plan (IEP), which includes all the helping rules and makes all of this clear.      Find child-friendly resources—such as books, websites, and videos—that explain in detail their specific disability and the ways other children have learned to cope and achieve despite these limitations. Use these materials as a springboard for deeper discussion about past times when their disability created significant stress or barriers to success. Reassure them that this was before their problem was known and that there is so much that can be done to build a plan for success now that it has been identified.      Point out that one of their most important responsibilities is to be able to discuss their disability with teachers and ask for extra help and accommodation when struggles are too great. Make sure that these discussions take place before middle school, when developmental factors make it harder to get such discussions started. Ensure that they know what practical steps are in their IEP at each grade so that they can respectfully remind teaching staff if necessary.      Having a disability is like having to wear glasses; students with glasses have accepted this fact as necessary to seeing clearly.

Click here for more information!What:Highly interactive training that will include: Representatives from Montana's Office of Public Instruction, Special Educations Division, presenting to both agency and school personnel, detailing transition activities as required by law. Networking lunch (provided) Facilitated round table discussion with school personnel to more deeply explore how school should design and implement transition programs. Speakers:Dale Anderson was a special education teacher for many years in Billings Public Schools. After he retired, the Montana Office of Public Instruction asked him to participate in a variety of projects such as the Montana Behavioral Initiative. He has provided technical assistance in the areas of secondary transition, special education monitoring, and compliance to special education rules and procedures. Margaret Tryon has been a special education teacher for 17 years, special education director 15 years, and school psychologist 9 years. She also works part time for the Office of Public Instruction providing technical assistance and monitoring for compliance in special education. She has been involved with transition projects for many years. She is currently working part time at Yellowstone Boys and Girls Ranch, Office of Public Instruction, and Custer Public Schools.When:February 28, 20128:00 am - 3:00 pmWhere:MSU Billings CampusCollege of Ed Bldg Rm 122Contact:Debra Miller Phone: (406) 657-2027Email: dmiller@msubillings.edu

Click here to register!What:The focus of this year's conference is to explore school mental health work within a 3-tiered context; we will take a strategic look at how our work can be understood as a multi-tiered system of support.  We will examine how existing support structures such as High-Fidelity Wraparound, Montana Behavioral Initiative (MBI), Montana School Counseling Program, and Comprehensive School and Community Treatment, framed within the three tiers, could provide a continuum of academic and positive behavior supports.  Nationally recognized speakers Dr. Lucille Eber and Dr. John VanDenBerg will share their expertise.If you are interested in sharing your good work at the state conference, please apply to present!  Three 75-minute presentations will be selected and showcased during the second day of the conference.  We are looking for presentations that address the mental health needs of students within the 3-tiers and/or focuses on meeting student need within one specific tier.Click here if you are interested in presenting!Whether you can attend the conference or not, we ask you to contribute to this work by taking this brief survey about the provision of mental health services in your school.  This survey has been given each year and we use the data to inform statewide planning concerning school mental health.  Your perspective is critical, so please take this survey and pass it on to others in your school community who may offer additional insights.  Thank you for taking this survey today. Click here to take the survey!When:March 1-2, 2012Where:Red Lion Colonial Hotel Helena, MTContact:Susan Bailey-AndersonPhone: 406-444-2046Email: sbanderson@mt.govWebsite: www.opi.mt.gov

The Connecticut classroom of the future may not be limited by a traditional school year, the four walls of a classroom, or even the standard progression of grades, based on a proposed package of unusually bold changes that are being advanced by the state’s school superintendents. Instead, the current system would be replaced by a “learner-centered” education program that would begin at age 3; offer parents a menu of options, including charter schools and magnet schools; and provide assessments when an individual child is ready to be tested, rather than having all children tested in a class at the same time. The superintendents’ recommendations also promote the long-resisted idea of consolidating some of the state’s 165 school districts, 21 of which consist of only one school.

There are many ways teachers can help children with learning and attention issues succeed in school. Here are some common accommodations and modifications to discuss with the school as possible options for your child.

There are many ways teachers can help children with learning and attention issues succeed in school. Here are some common accommodations and modifications to discuss with the school as possible options for your child.