Curriculum & Instruction

• Memoir writing encourages self-awareness among students
  The most meaningful writing students can do is to write their memoirs, notes Greg Graham, who teaches writing at the University of Central Arkansas. "Putting a narrative frame on our past -- especially our struggles -- promotes perspective and self-awareness that are otherwise out of reach for most people," he writes. The benefits of memoir writing are demonstrated through the movie "Precious," Graham writes, in which an abused teenage girl is able to make headway in life through writing. Education Week Teacher (premium article access compliments of EdWeek.org) (1/29)     

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Educational Leadership

• How PLCs can improve instruction schoolwide
  Principal Jonathan VanderEls writes in this blog post how his school used professional learning communities to improve students' literacy skills. Staff implemented a K-8 continuum for assessing writing and learned how to provide targeted interventions. "The key was getting all staff to understand what this focus was, include them as participants in the process of determining our needs as we moved forward as a school, and make the commitment to assess our work and respond in a timely manner," VanderEls writes. Connected Principals blog (2/1)     

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Hot Topics

Top five news stories selected by CEC SmartBrief readers in the past week.

• How students view co-teachers in inclusive classrooms (MiddleWeb)

• Wash. focuses on addressing effects of "toxic stress" (Education Week (premium article access compliments of EdWeek.org))

• High schools take new approaches to help stressed students (The Washington Post)

• How one teacher uses iPads with her students with autism (eSchool News (free registration))

• AutisMate app helps those with autism build sentences visually (All Things D)

• Results based on number of times each story was clicked by readers.

Technology Trends

• Mitsubishi adds classroom projector that doesn't need a PC
  Mitsubishi has introduced the WD390U-EST projector, which has a built-in thin client, enabling it to access content in the computing cloud or on nearby servers. "Teachers have a unique set of issues when they present in the classroom and shouldn't have to worry about technical problems when uploading their lessons or run late because of technical difficulties," said Mitsubishi's Wayne Kozuki. The projector is expected to go on sale in March; pricing has not yet been stated. T.H.E. Journal (1/29)     

Policy News

• Ind. pilot program helps children get needed mental-health services
  Ind. state agencies have referred 19 children for mental-health services in a pilot program designed to get these children help before they end up in the court system. The program aims to help children get services through Medicaid, the Department of Child Services or community partners, depending on their needs and whether they can get some services paid for through Medicaid or private insurance. The Times (Munster-Hammond-Merrillville-Valparaiso, Ind.) (2/3)     

• School safety depends on mental-health services -- not guns
  As debate continues on matters of school safety following the tragic shooting in Newtown, Conn., Patrick Larkin, assistant superintendent for learning for Burlington Public Schools in Massachusetts, writes in this blog post that the focus should be on mental-health services -- not guns. "If we orchestrated a plan where our children and their communities had access to the comprehensive support they need to deal with their particular social problems, we would be in a different position," he writes. SmartBrief/SmartBlog on Education (1/30)     

• Other News

• Ohio governor proposes $85M gifted education
  The Columbus Dispatch (Ohio) (2/2)     

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Eye on Exceptionalities

• Ga. district seeks to provide equal opportunity in athletics
  School officials in Richmond County, Ga., say their district is "on target" for meeting nondiscrimination requirements in school athletics. Adejah Nesbitt, 15, who has autism, offers one example. While she does not perform the more acrobatic moves as a junior-varsity cheerleader at T.W. Josey Comprehensive High School in Augusta, she has a place on the squad where she enhances the routines performed by the other girls. The Augusta Chronicle (Ga.) (2/4)     

• Other News

• S.C. projects bring athletes of all abilities together on the field
  Aiken Standard (S.C.) (2/2)     

CEC Spotlight

• CEC Webinar: IEP development and coordination with transition plans for youth with EBD
  Part two of a three-part webinar series, this session will cover IEP decision making and strategies focused on social/emotional goal development, behavior intervention plans and the articulation of transition-specific experiences that support linkages across systems. Participate in this webinar to learn how to improve the transition programming at your school and to better meet the needs of youth with EBD. Register today!     

• Charmelle on Reality 101: Self-Advocacy, Part Two
  Charmelle continues to self-advocate, but is also exploring how she can better help her students advocate for themselves. What resources has she found? Read all about it at Reality 101, CEC's blog for new teachers.     

Position Title Company Name Location Assistant Superintendent for Special Education Services Greenville County Schools Greenville, SC Assistant Professor of Special Education UW - Stevens Point Stevens Point, WI Director of Learning Support Rockdale County Public Schools Conyers, GA $125,000 Salary for Special Education Teacher TEP Charter School New York, NY Asst/Assoc/Full Professor of Biological, Behavioral Communication or Learning University of Nebraska - Lincoln Lincoln, NE Assistant Director, Student Services, Academic Services Government of Bermuda Nationwide, Bermuda Assistant Professor in Special Education College of Education, Florida State University US - FL - Tallahassee Director of Research and Professional Development Shafallah Center for Children with Special Needs QAT - Nationwide

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SmartQuote

To attain knowledge, add things every day. To attain wisdom, subtract things every day." --Laozi, Chinese philosopher