A bi-weekly e-brief of the DEC Children's Action Network
 
QUICK FIND:
 
NOTE:  Due to a technicality, the e-Brief has not reached our audience this past month. To that end, this issue of YES DEC CAN! is larger than usual. The technical issue has been addressed and bi-weekly e-Briefs will resume at their usual frequency. The next issue of YES DEC CAN! will come out the week of July 11th.
washington
WHAT'S
HAPPENING
IN
WASHINGTON
★  The U.S. Department of Education is seeking public comment via the Federal Register on proposed regulations regarding the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA). Public comments must be submitted on or before August 1st. For more information, read the Department of Education's blog on the matter. 





★   A Politico article this month highlights the significant pay gap between preschool teachers and other educators of young children. In specific, 13 states pay preschool teachers less than half the annual wages of kindergarten teachers, and in six states, annual wages are below the poverty threshold for a family of four. 

★  The Mental Health Reform Act of 2016 seeks to provide appropriate services for people with mental health needs. The legislation includes supports for children of all ages, including infants and toddlers. To learn more about the provisions for infants/toddlers, read the article by Zero to Three .

★  The New York Times published an article detailing the critical need for more high-quality education options for children ages 0-3.  

★  In some states, education professionals are working to create flexible accountability systems to replace the current standards-based testing model. You can read about a pilot program in New Hampshire on the Ed.gov blog. 


★   On May 13th, the Obama administration instructed public schools to allow students to use the bathrooms that conform to their gender identity. School districts that don't comply by the rules will be in violation of Title IX anti-discrimination laws and may lose federal funding. The US Department of Education and the US Department of Justice issued a joint statement on the law. You can read that statement here. 

 
★  Other updates, courtesy of the Council for Exceptional Children:
WHAT YOU CAN DO:
news
DEC
POLICY 
&
ADVOCACY
NEWS
We are seeking 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 member application survey so we can match you to opportunities that fit best with your interest, experience, and availability.
Children's Action Network
events
UPCOMING DEC POLICY & ADVOCACY EVENTS
1 - DEC Advocacy Webinar
  • What: Webinar focused on action planning, particularly in regard to State Subdivision Children's Action Network (CAN)
  • When: Monday, July 18th at 11am ET
  • Where: GoToTraining
  • How to attend: Please register for DEC Advocacy Webinar on Monday, July 18, 2016 11:00 AM - 12:00 PM EDT at: https://attendee.gototraining.com/r/4788159108712740609
Registration instructions will be provided via email after sign-up. 
Be sure to complete the Subdivision needs assessment provided during the April webinar. If you were not in attendance or need a copy, contact anlyons@kent.edu. 
telluswhatyouthink
TELL US
WHAT
YOU
THINK
 
★ Do you plan to participate in the advocacy webinar on July 18th? 

YES              NO            

 
★ What time of day works best for you in terms of webinars or other events? 

MORNING       AFTERNOON     

★ 
If you could submit a policy or advocacy story in bullet format instead of in full, and the Policy & Advocacy Council put it in written format and gave you credit, would you be more likely to share a story for a future eBrief? 

YES               NO              

★
Would you be interested in future webinars that highlight articles from JEI to specific advocacy and policy issues or actions (e.g., bridging the research to practice to policy gap)?  
 
     YES             NO             
UNSURE   
 U
Have an early childhood special education policy or advocacy story you would like to share?  Whether you are a Subdivision leader/member or just an interested DEC member unaffiliated with a Subdivision, contact brittany@dec-sped.org or DEC CAN Coordinator anlyons@kent.edu to share what's happening in your state or Subdivision or just to bring awareness to an important policy or advocacy issue relevant to DEC.  Your story will be shared in a future issue of YES DEC CAN!