Consider This...
Things to Consider in September 2020 from RTSC
In this Month:
  • September Articles
  • Useful Tips and Resources
  • Upcoming Federation Events
Click titles for full articles
News and information about education, research, and support for SESPs; adoptive, foster, and kinship caregivers; and child welfare and education professionals helping children with trauma and other special needs get the most from their education.
Greetings!

The Federation would like to thank Heather Hegedus and Boston 25 News for their PSA about the Federation and our Virtual Gala! Heather is also the emcee for this event. Join us on October 17th at 7:30.
Registration is free!
By Mary-Beth Landy, Training, Recruitment, and Support Specialist
I don’t know about you but I like to have a plan. It doesn’t have to be a highly structured plan, with every minute accounted for, but I like to know where I am going, so to speak. I do this when I travel somewhere, planning the best route and allowing enough time to get to point B with ease. WAZE is a great app to help me with this as it will tell me what time I need to leave to get to my destination on time. Unfortunately we don’t have an app to get us through these current times. But wouldn’t that be great? An app that can look at the current situations and forecast for us the best way to traverse the landscape of “what’s next?” In Massachusetts alone we have the pandemic and the unknown impact it has on our student’s academically and emotionally, as well as an unbalanced budget, which means funding cuts throughout the state agencies. Read More
How often are parents and Special Education Surrogate Parents (SESPs) asked and expected to work collaboratively and in a timely manner with school districts. The recent article by the Boston Globe speaks to the issue that many educational decision makers (EDM) faced this past semester, sign a waiver of timelines in order to hold a meeting with the school. It was reported that 25 districts had complaints filed against them for violating students’ rights to federally protected timelines. These districts asked the EDM to sign a waiver to these timelines in order to hold a meeting with the district.
Jennifer Curran with her son, Seth, during one of his summer school classes. She has two children in special education at Granby public schools. SUZANNE KREITER/GLOBE STAFF
As most people know, teacher burnout is a real thing. More and more personal time and money is spent developing the strategies needed for the teacher’s skills to be effective. One principle from Nashville, Tennessee speaks to how his prioritizing of professional development as a normal part of the teaching day has shifted the atmosphere for teachers and students alike. By creating a master schedule that “values collaboration and preparation,” it allows the teachers time for their work during the school day while giving students enrichment classes such as engineering and art.

One only has to look at the front page of a newspaper or the opening of the evening news to know that there are race issues being brought to the forefront of today’s society. Conversations about race and racism are topics that most white people have struggled with over the years. Even in literature class. The author, Andrew Simmons, talks about strategies he has used to encourage conversations about race especially in the classroom. “I try to give White kids the education I needed—a jump-start for a lifelong process of action, listening, reflection, and evolution.”
Wondering how the school’s new ‘norm’ will look? How can schools, which are gathering places for students, require social distancing? The goal is to “drive as much of the risk down as you can,” said Mario Ramirez, the managing director of Opportunity Labs. Education Week speaks to the experts and suggests strategies for a “safer” reopening of schools. Take a look.

You might have heard me or one of my colleagues speak about resilience when talking about students with trauma backgrounds. But what is resilience really, and how does one know if they have it? Can it be developed or are you born with it? “Resilience is typically defined as the capacity to recover from difficult life events,” says Katie Hurley, LCSW. This article explains, not only the resilience theory, but looks at ways to build and increase it in oneself and help those around you build it as well.
Like most of us, this pandemic has been difficult for parents and their children. But for one group of parents it has been especially challenging, families with children in the juvenile justice system or the Department of Youth Services (DYS). Not only are they struggling with their children being in detention during the pandemic, but many found themselves stumbling through the new technological means of communication with their kids. Virtual visits became the means by which they could communicated with their kids. But help was there for these families through Parent Professional Advocacy League’s (PPAL) JJ Family Voice Project. Through this new program a family can get the support of a Family Support Specialist, someone who has personal experience and specialized knowledge in DYS.
The research is clear that attaining post-secondary education is a key factor in a student’s ability to achieve increase earning and overall self-sufficiency in their adult life. Students involved in the foster care system are less likely to achieve that accomplishment. The Conrad N. Hilton Foundation’s Foster Youth Strategic Initiative analyzes and identifies opportunities, challenges, and strategies to improve post-secondary outcomes for transition aged foster care youth.
Useful Tips and Resources
So your student has an IEP meeting coming up and they want to be there. Why not let them work on their advocacy skills and LEAD the meeting! This easy to read and informative tip sheet can help them find their voice by taking the lead in their IEP meeting.
Looking to learn more about virtual learning? Take a look at these TED Talks to get some inspiration for the upcoming year.
As we begin planning our fall semester, many students and their educational decision makers struggle with remote learning. The structure, environment, access and learning platforms are all new and different experiences for many. Education Week gives some tips on making things a little easier on everyone.
Working with your student on transition services? Take a look at this tip sheet on Transition Services put together by the University of Massachusetts Medical School.
Upcoming Federation Events
Tuesday - September 15th at 12:30 PM

Presented by: Eileen Sandberg of the Federation’s Pathways for Parents and Recruitment, Training and Support Center Projects.
Thursday, September 17, 2020 @ 10:30 am - 12:30 pm
Join us for a FREE Network Series Network Series. The Networking Series is a collaborative effort of the Recruitment, Training and Support Center (RTSC), Parent Consultant Training Institute (PCTI), and MassPAC projects of the Federation for Children with Special Needs. The Networking Series is provided exclusively for SESPs, PCTI Graduates and SEPAC Chairpersons. Monthly Networking Meetings will be held on the 3rd Thursday of each month from September through June. The format will alternate between a Speaker Series and Case Rounds.
Save the Date! - Registration Opening Soon
RTSC's 9th Annual Making a Difference Conference
Tuesday, November 17, 2020
The Making a Difference conference will be held as a virtual conference this year. This annual event provides a wonderful opportunity for Special Education Surrogate Parents (SESPs), Foster/ Adoptive and Kinship Caregivers, Educators, Child Welfare Providers, and other Community Partners to experience a full day of high quality education and networking. You will come away with an invaluable amount of information and resources.
Free Upcoming Orientations
9/19/20 - Online Orientation
9/23/20 - Online Orientation
9/29/20 - Online Orientation
10/07/20 - Online Orientation
10/15/20 - Online Orientation
10/24/20 - Online Orientation
Quick Access to RTSC Resources... 
For more information on becoming a Special Education Surrogate Parent

Visit: RTSC Website
Federation for Children with Special Needs
fcsn.org/rtsc | (617) 236-7210 | info@fcsn.org