 This week the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights (OCR) issued guidance clarifying the obligation of schools to provide students with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) with equal educational opportunity under Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973.
“On this 26th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act, I am pleased to honor Congress’ promise with guidance clarifying the rights of students with ADHD in our nation’s schools,” said Catherine E. Lhamon, Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights. “The Department will continue to work with the education community to ensure that students with ADHD, and all students, are provided with equal access to education.”
In addition to the guidance, the Department also released a Know Your Rights document that provides a brief overview of schools’ obligations to students with ADHD.
|
Message from Ruth Ryder, Acting Director
 Hello Leaders!
The July heat has been unrelenting and so have we-- OSEP, the Department, and all of you, our partners in the field, continue to work tirelessly toward improving outcomes for children with disabilities. We are particularly excited to work toward this goal at this year's Project Director's Conference, to be held August 1-3, 2016 at the Marriott Wardman Park Hotel in Washington, DC. I can't wait to see project directors and many others very soon!
We are also looking forward to the Improving Outcomes, Improving Data Conference taking place next month in New Orleans, LA. This early childhood data conference will bring together Part C and Section 619 coordinators, data managers, national technical assistance providers, and others working on early childhood data systems, Part C/619 outcomes, and improving service systems and practices for state TA providers and families. Both conferences are bound to be very productive!
|
 RDA is underway!
FFY 2015 Differentiated Monitoring and Support (DMS) activities are being implemented across the Part B programs. While
most DMS activities are virtual, OSEP will be onsite in NY, IL, OH, and NM
between now and the end of September. As a reminder, OSEP will issue FFY
2016 DMS notices for all Part B and Part C programs in September 2016, with FFY
2016 DMS activities taking place between October 2016 and September 2017.
|
 |
 The
National Academies of Medicine has released a new consensus study, “Parenting Matters: Supporting Parents of
Children Ages 0-8". This study, by an ad hoc committee of
experts, examines the state of the research on parenting and family engagement
-- including parental knowledge, attitudes, and practices that support positive parent-child interactions and healthy
child development -- and delineates a set of policy recommendations regarding
future research and ways that states, communities, schools, and early learning
centers can effectively engage and support families.
The study also examines barriers and facilitators to strengthening parenting capacity and
parents’ participation in effective programs and services; and gaps in research
on parenting. The report is intended to serve as a roadmap for the future of
parenting and family support policies, practices, and research in the United
States. The report is sponsored by the US Departments of Education and Health and Human Services, as well as a consortia of philanthropy.
|
 |
On
June 30, the Departments of Labor and Education made publicly available final rules to implement the Workforce
Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA). The regulations deliver on the
need to modernize the education and workforce system and represent a more
integrated, job-driven approach to support communities and expand job
growth. They reflect input from stakeholders -- including employers and
other community leaders -- and detail what the goals of an agile and effective
education and workforce should be and how partners can work to achieve those
goals. Watch this video on what WIOA means
for you and how to access available services. |
|
 |
OSEP announced the following grant opportunity:
National Technical Assistance Center to Increase the Participation and Improve the Performance of Students with Disabilities on State and Districtwide Assessments
(CFDA Number 84.373A and 84.326G)
-
Publication Date/Application Available: Thursday, July 21, 2016.
-
Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: Monday, August 22, 2016.
TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE:
Learning to Teach: Practice-Based Preparation in Education
This Special Issues Brief, from the Collaboration for Effective Educator Development, Accountability and Reform (CEEDAR Center) and the Center on Great Teachers and Leaders (GTL Center), outlines essential features for providing high-quality, structured, and sequenced opportunities to practice within teacher preparation programs. This brief is intended to support states, districts, and educator preparation programs that are striving to prepare and support excellent teachers.
 The Department has issued several new documents related to the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA).
New Resources:
Assessment NPRMs:
For an overview of the two Assessment NPRMs:
Powerpoint | Audio (July 19, 2016)
The comment period will close on September 9, 2016.
|
 -
After the release of the WIOA final rules, Secretaries of Labor and Education, Tom Perez and John King collaborated to provide more information on the regulations: 5 Things You Should Know about WIOA
|
ED on Instagram @usedgov
 The US Department of Education is now on Instagram! Follow us @usedgov, where we're sharing the amazing stories of educators and learners across these United States!
|
Follow us on Twitter @Ed_Sped_Rehab
 OSERS is on Twitter with the latest from special education advocates, educators, families and students. Follow us @Ed_Sped_Rehab and tell your friends. We'll see you in the Twittersphere!
|
Catch our Snaps!
 What's "My Story" today? ED's Office of Communication and Outreach now features different initiatives and events on our new Snapchat account. Add us at @usedgov!!
|
 Send Us Your Feedback and Comments
 We want to hear from you! Do you have suggestions for TA opportunities? Parent resources? Webinar topics? Ideas for things to include in future newsletters? Send them to Charlotte Stein at charlotte.stein@ed.gov.
|
If
you know someone who would like to subscribe to the OSEP newsletter, encourage them
to sign up HERE!
|
