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What: The annual Montana Mentor Institute 2011 – the Art and Science of Teacher Mentoring is scheduled for August 8-10, 2011, at the Best Western GranTree Inn in Bozeman. This year the institute will have a novice strand for mentors new to the teacher mentoring process and a skilled strand for teacher mentors who have previously attended a mentor institute. The structure for the institute includes two days of skills and concept training, and a half day of team planning and resources available to support instruction. Districts that have developed teacher mentor programs in Montana consistently report that providing high-quality training to the mentors is a challenge. The Mentor Institute is a great place to have your teacher mentors trained. The institute aligns with Montana correlates in the following areas: Academic Performance – Instruction, and Learning Environment – Professional Growth and Development. The institute will provide renewal units, and graduate credit (for an additional cost). Registration information for the Montana Mentor Institute 2011 can be found at: http://www.opi.mt.gov/pdf/SpecED/Mentor/11MentorInstitute.pdf When: August 8-10, 2011 Where: Best Western GranTree Inn Bozeman, MT

Academic achievement is a strong predictor of high school graduation and is critical to long-term success in college, work, and life. A sixth grader who fails math or English, has unsatisfactory behavior, or poor attendance has a 75% likelihood of dropping out.

a student living with Asperger's syndrome, a high-functioning form of autism, the everyday social interactions of college life can be awkward. Heim is part of a new influx of kids with autism who are heading off to college, creating a new demand for college services to help students with autism fit in, graduate and find jobs.

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

The Anne Ford and Allegra Ford Scholarships offer financial assistance to two graduating seniors with documented learning disabilities (LD) who are pursuing post-secondary education.  The Anne Ford Scholarship was first awarded in 2002; in 2009, with a generous donation from Anne’s daughter, Allegra, the award was renamed the Anne Ford and Allegra Ford Scholarship and granted to two students.Beginning 2012, we are offering two separate scholarships, the Anne Ford Scholarship and Allegra Ford Scholarship. To be considered, your complete application must be postmarked by December 31, 2011.

We now know that some people, like Jerry Pinkney, can be geniuses just in a different type of intelligence, and probably have a condition that makes it difficult to concentrate for periods of time on certain types of learning, such as reading. Despite these learning differences, he actually graduated with honors, but had to put in much more effort due to his learning challenges.

In the next 15 years, an estimated 500,000 autistic children like Dana will graduate out of school systems in the U.S. and into the unknown. Meaningful programs for them are scarce, and funding even scarcer. “We’re at the moment of truth to address the numbers of children aging into adulthood,” says autism activist Linda Walder Fiddle. “Their lives are hanging over a cliff, and we must not let them fall.”

This spring I graduated from college, along with thousands of students across the country. But my academic journey was a little different than most. I am a non-visual learner, and I have AD/HD and components of Asperger’s Syndrome. For those of you preparing for college with a learning disability: I understand. I’ve been there.

Neuroscience may seem like an advanced subject of study, perhaps best reserved for college or even graduate school. Two researchers from Temple University in Philadelphia propose that it be taught earlier, however—much earlier. As in first grade.