In order to help school-based health centers articulate the connection between good health and academic outcomes and promote the Healthy Learners Alliance, the National Assembly on School-Based Health Care has created materials and compiled resources to aid educators in making the case for SBHCs in their schools. This toolkit includes factsheets, a PowerPoint presentation, and a video series geared towards helping school mental health stakeholders develop messages about the connection between school mental health and academic outcomes that will resonate with school administrators.

Each year, the ADS Center conducts approximately six training teleconferences that are free of charge and open to the general public. These educational events are designed to help participants enhance mental health consumer independence and community participation by relating the most up-to-date research and information about programs within the United States and beyond that are working to reduce discrimination and increase social inclusion of persons with mental health problems. In addition to featuring two or more formal presentations on social inclusion and related topics, each teleconference includes a thirty-minute open forum.  Audios, transcripts, and slides are included.  ...

The National Accessible Reading Assessment Projects have been conducting research to identify ways to increase the accessibility of reading assessments.  This document is the culmination of one of NARAP’s goals -- to develop evidence-based principles for making large scale assessments of reading proficiency more accessible for students who have disabilities that affect reading, while maintaining a high level of validity for all students taking the assessments.  Some of the principles clarify and underscore the importance of well-accepted and widely used practices in designing reading assessments.  Other principles have been developed from theory to respond to the needs of ...

The goal of the Addressing Accessibility in Mathematics Project is to develop professional development models and materials that  enable mathematics and special education teachers to make middle school mathematics more accessible to a wide range of students, including those with special needs.  Three  papers may be downloaded: (a) Accessibility Strategies to Consider; (b) Guiding Questions for Accessibility Strategies; and (c) the Accessibility Tool List.  Free sign-in.  (Addressing Accessibility in Mathematics is a project of the Education Development Center Inc, Newton, Massachusetts, with funding from the National Science Foundation.)

Easter Seals Project ACTION offers free learning opportunities through a series of distance learning events.  These audio conferences and webinars feature guest speakers who are experts on various aspects of accessible public transportation.  This series began in 2005 and continues to the present. (Funded through a cooperative agreement with the U.S. Department of Transportationâ?s Federal Transit Administration, Easter Seals Project ACTION promotes cooperation between the transportation industry and the disability community to increase mobility for people with disabilities under the Americans with Disabilities Act and beyond.)

Two curricula were developed by NCAC researchers to provide support to educators interested in learning about policies and practices related to improved access to the general curriculum.  Curriculum 1 on Effective Classroom Practices (6 parts) is written to provide the reader with a definition and description of essential features and attributes.  Evidence of effectiveness is presented based on foundational and current research. The applications of each practice to the general education setting are addressed, and links to more information are provided.  Curriculum 2 on Curriculum Enhancements (7 parts) conveys a number of promising responses to barriers to the general curriculum ...

Here you can listen to ten webinar recordings on various aspects of including students with disabilities in the general curriculum, and you can also download the accompanying PowerPoints.  Topics cover (a) reading and literacy strategies; (b) math strategies; (c) collaborative teaching; (d) differentiated instruction; (e) making abstract core curriculum accessible; (f) science as inquiry; (g) learning strategies; and others. (The Access Center was operated by American Institutes for Research in Washington DC, with funding from the Office of Special Education Programs, U.S. Department of Education.)

The IRIS Center has developed nine modules on accommodations for instruction and assessment.  The modules address (a) access to the general education curriculum for students with disabilities; (b) accommodations for students with visual impairments (c) accommodations for high-stakes testing; (d) connecting standards-based curriculum the with design of instruction to ensure that students meet content standards; (e) culturally responsive teaching; (f) prefererral procedures to reduce inappropriate referrals to special education; (g) how to apply the principles of Universal Design for Learning -- and more. Case studies, activities, and InfoBriefs on accommodations are also available.   ...

Harvard’s Achievement Gap initiative offers a very extensive collection of videos on issues and solutions relevant to the achievement gap.  Some videos are accompanied by PowerPoints.   Among the many topics are (a) identifying and addressing racial and ethnic disparities; (b) race and socioeconomic differences in school behavior, engagement, and time on homework; (c) building capacity to serve English language learners; (d) the impact of school and teacher quality; (e) cultural factors; (f) vernacular languages; (g) school reform; (h) roles of families; (i) complementary learning and out-of-school time -- and many, many more.  (The Achievement Gap Initiative is a university-wide ...

Adaptations are Essential is a series of three resource guides written for teachers and other service providers who work with students with mild disabilities. The guides describe strategies for aligning students' individualized education programs (IEPs) with the state of Washington's essential academic learning requirements. Separate resource guides have been developed for reading, writing and mathematics. Each guide includes the following components: a) general information about adapting learning and assessment and why such adaptations are essential; b) a decision-making model for adapting instruction and assessment; c) suggestions for adapting assessments using materials from the Washington Assessment ...

This paper describes the adolescent literacy problem (grades 4 to 12), its consequences, and contributing factors.  Guiding principles for assessment, instruction, and professional development, as well as recommendations for short-term and future consideration, are also addressed.  (Founded in 1975, the National Joint Committee on Learning Disabilities is a national committee of representatives of organizations committed to the education and welfare of individuals with learning disabilities.  LD Online serves as the official website for NJCLD.)

It is extremely important that content area teachers, adopt instructional practices and strategies that can be used within their existing curricula to improve the literacy levels of the struggling readers. This research-based information will be your support and encouragement for a district/school adolescent literacy plan. The guide includes (a) tiered instruction in reading for 21st century learning and instruction in all content areas; (b) adolescent reading program components; (c) literacy leadership team; (d) creating a culture of literacy; (d) assessments; (e) instruction and intervention; (f) webcasts; and (g) resources.

The Adolescent Literacy KnowledgeBase provides ways to integrate literacy and content area instruction across grades 4 through 12. The KnowledgeBase supports content teachers with resources to make their teaching more effective.  The four elements in this KnowledgeBase are (a) Nature of Adolescence; (b) Adolescent Literacy Concepts; (c) School and Community Context; and (d) Literacy and Content Area Instruction Integration. (Located at the University of Oklahoma, the Mid-Continent Comprehensive Center is a regional technical assistance center funded by the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Elementary and Secondary Education.)

Use these webcasts as the centerpiece of staff development workshops or watch them for your own professional development whenever you have time.  Each webcast features a 60-minute video program that you view from the AdLit.org website.  The webcasts include recommended readings and suggested discussion questions.  You can also sign up for email alerts about upcoming webcasts.  (AdLit is a national multimedia project of WETA Public Television and Radio, Washington DC, and is funded by the Ann B. and Thomas L. Friedman Family Foundation and the Carnegie Corporation of New York.)

This guide, designed to help principals monitor and support adolescent literacy instruction in their schools more effectively, can be used at the late elementary school level, in content-area classes in middle and high school, and with intervention groups or classes.  It provides a scaffold to build principals' understanding of scientifically based reading instruction, as a means for a principal to gather information about the quality of literacy and reading intervention instruction in a school, and as a data collection guide for planning targeted professional development and resource allocation. It includes examples of what a principal might expect to see in a classroom as well as templates ...

The AFCARS Toolkit provides both new and experienced State child welfare program and system staff with an orientation to the Adoption and Foster Care Analysis and Reporting System.  The Toolkit provides links to key materials and documents related to the collection of quality data that can be used to address policy development and program management issues at the State and Federal level.  (The National Resource Center for Child Welfare Data and Technology in Arlington, Virginia, is funded by the Children’s Bureau, Administration for Children and Families, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.)

The National Center for Technology Innovation offers videos that educate and inspire, including video coverage from the NCTI Technology Innovators Conference.  Also included is the “I Can Soar” series of videos and accompanying materials that illustrate the power of assistive technology in the lives of four students.  In all, 21 videos are currently available.  (Funded by the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Special Education Programs, NCTI is a project of the American Institutes for Research, Washington DC.)

In order to comply with the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act of 2004, States must collect valid data as needed to report annually to the Secretary of Education.  The purpose of this guide is to discuss several factors that have caused difficulties with States’ data collection on dropout and graduation indicators, and suggest some practical solutions.  The content is designed for State education agency personnel, including special education directors, data managers, and program developers.  (Located at Clemson University in South Carolina, the National Dropout Prevention Center for Students with Disabilities is funded by the U.S. Department of Education’s Office ...

The Afterschool Investments Project provides technical assistance to Child Care and Development Fund grantees and other State and local leaders supporting afterschool efforts.  Webinars and audio conferences on afterschool topics are freely available, including recordings and transcripts.  Many are accompanied by PDFs and other materials.  These events are available from 2005 to the present. (The AfterSchool Investments Project is an initiative of The Finance Project, Washington DC, and is funded by the Child Care Bureau, Administration for Children and Families, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.)

Use this toolkit to build your afterschool program, in professional development settings, for activities and ideas, and as a research base in effective afterschool programming.  The topics are (a) literacy; (b) math; (c) science; (d) arts, (e) technology; and (f) homework.   Each subject area is filled with standards-based multi-media resources including: research-based practices, sample lessons, interactive activities, and video segments taken from afterschool programs across the country.  The web site demonstrates different ways to use the toolkit to promote staff development and support collegial learning.  (The primary contactor of this collaborative project, SEDL, ...