 |
A bi-weekly e-brief of the DEC Children's Action Network
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Want to see more emails like this?
|
|
|
  |
|
WHAT'S
HAPPENING
IN
WASHINGTON
|
★ The U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) published its report about the state of flexibility waivers and how this information could inform future state and federal planning in K-12 Education: Education's Experience with Flexibility Waivers Could Inform Efforts to Assist States with New Requirements. The report found that of the 43 states that received waivers between 2012-2015, 12 states experienced challenges related to implementation during one or more of several points of the process. The GAO recommends that state and federal agencies evaluate and reflect on lessons learned to plan for the new requirements of Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA).
|
|
★
A case study involving four states produced for the Department of Education and released this month focuses on the early implementation process of kindergarten entry assessments (KEAs). The report, Case Studies of the Early Implementation of Kindergarten Entry Assessments, found that these four states had experienced some measure of success in working together with stakeholders to develop developmentally appropriate tools that were psychometrically valid, and that were developed to be administered in ways that would reduce the time burden placed on teachers. A common challenge was supporting young children with disabilites or English as a Second Language (ELL), with many teacher reporting they were not sure how to accomate such children or ensure unbiased or accurate results. Other concerns involved how to use KEAs to inform instruction as well as how to share the data with families. Additional training and supports are being considered in thesee states to address these issues.
★ The Department of Education released the FACT SHEET: Expanding Access to High-Quality Early Learning on August 1st. From the fact sheet: "The report comes from the annual performance reviews for the 20 states who have received Early Learning Challenge grants since 2011. These reports capture the successes achieved and obstacles overcome by states in the last year. . . The Early Learning Challenge is a historic federal investment launched in 2011 that supports states in building strong systems of early learning and development to ensure that underserved children - including children from low-income and vulnerable families, as well as children with disabilities and English learners - have equitable access to high-quality programs. Forty states applied for grants, but because of limited funding, only 20 states received awards. . . These grantees are working to align, coordinate and improve the quality of existing early learning programs across multiple funding streams that support children from birth through age 5".
★ With the presidential nominations now complete, there are four candidates for president with widespread access to state ballots who are polling above 1%. The views of Secretary Hillary Clinton (D), Businessman Donald Trump (R), Governor Gary Johnson (L), and Dr. Jill Stein (G) vary considerably, including on issues related to education and early childhood. (Please note that as of August 1st, there were officially 1,817 declared candidates for President in the U.S.; however, many of these candidates are on limited state ballots or may be write-in candidates only. The following candidates are currently on more than 5% of state ballots: Rocky De La Fuente (D); Keith Russell Judd (D), Willie Wilson (D); and John Wolfe (D).) To learn more about the 2016 election candidates, as well as issues related to how to register to vote, where to vote, and how to cover the election in the classroom, head over to the DEC policy page for the 2016 elections. While you are there, if you have any suggestions for additional non-partisan resources you believe would be helpful for DEC members during this season, don't hesitate to email CAN Coordinator Ashley Lyons at anlyons@kent.edu.
WHAT YOU CAN DO:
-
-
Consider reaching out to candidates in the 2016 election, including those for local, state, and federal office, by asking them targeted questions about their views and plans for early childhood. Check out the
Save the Children Action Network for ideas and prompts you can use.
|
| |
|
|
|
|
DEC
NEWS
|
If you haven't already be sure to register for the 2016 DEC Conference. The Early Bird 2 Rate ends September 1st; by the 2nd, the rates will climb $65.
There will be a number of policy and/or advocacy specific sessions available, including the popular What's Happening in Washington, several listening sessions hosted by the Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP), and many other interesting opportunities that will be posted for you to peruse soon. To register,
visit the DEC Conference site.
Also, we continue to seek new members who are interested in supporting our work. New members to the Council will be considered "at-large" and will shadow existing members to ensure a smooth transition. If you want to stay up-to-date about what is happening in the field and within DEC and would like to lend your voice, please complete
our new application survey so we can match you to opportunities that fit best with your interest, experience, and availability.
|
Children's Action Network
|
|
UPCOMING DEC POLICY & ADVOCACY EVENTS
|
- What: Follow up from the 32nd Annual International DEC Conference on Young Children with Disabilities and Their Families
- When: Friday, October 28th at 4 to 5pm ET
- Where: GoToTraining
- How to attend: Register for the webinar at
https://attendee.gototraining.com/r/4068884992105638914
After registering you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the training.
|
|
TELL US
THINK
|
|
|
★
Will you attend the next webinar?
★
Will your Subdivision engage in action planning for your CAN network?
★
Are you interested in attending a Policy and Advocacy session at DEC's 2016 Conference?
|
U
|
|
Want to see more emails like this?
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
