Curriculum & Instruction

• Ohio elementary students who are gifted learn about Japan
  Elementary students in the gifted and talented program in the Ashtabula Area City Schools District in Ohio studied Japanese language, literature, culture and history through hands-on projects. The unit included a recent trip to the Ashtabula Arts Center, where students attended a traditional Japanese tea ceremony and made artwork, such paper lanterns and dolls. Star Beacon (Ashtabula, Ohio) (3/3)     

	Perkins eLearning: Online Professional Development Perkins is a leading source of online training for educators whose students are blind and deafblind. Be a part of our teacher community. Earn professional development credits online via: 1) participating in a variety of online learning activities OR 2) contributing instructional strategies and activities to our interactive websites! Learn More

Educational Leadership

• Colo. educators receive PD for teaching literacy
  The Boulder Valley School District in Colorado is giving professional-development opportunities -- such as coaching, collaboration or learning laboratories -- to learn best practices for literacy instruction. The district, which has been teaching students to read through writing and the emergent publishing method, created a "primary teacher lab," in which kindergarten teachers received training on emerging readers and writers, and then tried out new strategies with rising kindergartners attending half-day courses for three weeks before the start of school. Daily Camera (Boulder, Colo.) (3/3)     

Hot Topics

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

• Some apps help students communicate, learn emotions (USA Today)

• Study: Girls' genes makes them less vulnerable to autism (Disability Scoop)

• Miss. fitness program gives students "burst breaks" for exercise (DeSoto Times-Tribune (Hernando, Miss.))

• Commentary: Helping teachers see behavior as communication (Education Week (premium article access compliments of EdWeek.org))

• Miss. schools address dyslexia in early-elementary grades (Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal (Tupelo, Miss.))

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

Technology Trends

• How do iPads affect learning?
  Researchers studying the use of iPads in classrooms in California's Encinitas Union School District say the devices generally are favored by students and parents. In the district, where every student in grades 3 to 6 has an iPad, 90% of students said the technology has helped them learn -- especially when used in math lessons. However, some parents say they want to ensure the technology does not replace hands-on learning, and teachers say the iPads can be distracting for students if not managed properly. The Coast News (Encinitas, Calif.) (3/1)     

• Other News

• Google chat app adds permanent-window feature for sign-language interpreters
  Business Insider (3/2)     

Policy News

• Minn. districts adjust budgets due to soaring cost of special education
  School districts in the Minneapolis area are cutting art and music programs or asking voters for new taxes to cover the rising costs to educate students with disabilities. Some districts have built separate, state-of-the-art centers and, sometimes, separate classrooms to house only one student to address the complexity of their disabilities, a move called "a good investment" by Maplewood School District superintendent Connie Hayes. "Think about the cost to our community if we didn't make an investment like that. That's really the essence of why we moved handicapped individuals out of institutions back in the '70s,' Hayes said. Star Tribune (Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minn.) (3/3)     

• Utah bill would allow publication of performance data for teachers
  The average student test scores of each Utah teacher would be made public under a bill cleared by the state Senate Education Committee on Friday. Proponents of the bill say that parents ought to have the information to better serve students. However, opponents of the bill fear the data will be presented out of context and discourage teachers from instructing certain students, such as those who have learning disabilities or who are English-language learners. The Salt Lake Tribune (Utah) (3/4)     

• Other News

• Rules proposed to stop Calif. insurers from denying behavioral therapies for autism
  Los Angeles Times (tiered subscription model) (2/28)     

	The Buzz(CORPORATE ANNOUNCEMENTS) In her new DVD, Moving into Math Stations, K-2, Debbie Diller builds on her best-selling book Math Work Stations, bringing your staff into two real classrooms to see how to use manipulatives, manage time & space, incorporate whole-group instruction, encourage meaningful math talk, and more. View a 7-minute segment online! Interested in learning more about advertising in CEC SmartBrief? Contact Joe Riddle at (202) 407-7857 or jriddle@smartbrief.com.

Eye on Exceptionalities

• Ill. program teaches literacy skills to individuals with Down syndrome
  GiGi's Playhouse, a 2-year-old program in Machesney Park, Ill., teaches children and adults with Down syndrome how to communicate through mobile devices and sign language, social and self-care skills, and how to read at no cost to the 175 families who participate in the program. Ben Lenell, 18, who has several developmental disabilities, learned how to communicate using an iPad application at the center. "Learning sign language, and the socialization that GiGi's offers, has been a real blessing," said his mother, Lynn Lenell. Rockford Register Star (Ill.) (3/2)     

CEC Spotlight

• Honor the Best of the Best at CEC's Teacher of the Year Brunch
  The CEC Teacher of the Year Brunch, to be held April 6 as part of the CEC 2013 Convention & Expo, will honor several truly remarkable special educators. Have brunch and wrap up your convention experience with colleagues while helping congratulate CEC's 2013 Clarissa Hug Teacher of the Year Ashlie Abercrombie Allardyce, who will give a keynote address. Learn more and purchase your ticket today!     

• Here's your Tool of the Week
  This week's tool, "Communications Skills Checklist," comes from "Collaborate Smart: Practical Strategies and Tools for Educators" and helps teachers identify areas of strength and needs in communication skills that are important components for successful teaming. Subscribe to Tool of the Week, and you'll find a free tool in your inbox every Monday morning. Get your Tool of the Week.     

Position Title Company Name Location Learning Coordinator - Highschool University of Chicago Laboratory Schools, University High School Chicago, IL Assistant Professor Special Education Louisiana Tech University Ruston, LA Assistant Professor Special Education University of Evansville Evansville, IN $125,000 Salary for Special Education Teacher TEP Charter School New York, NY Deaf Educator Grand Island Public Schools Grand Island, NE Special Education Teacher The Piedmont School of Atlanta US - GA - Atlanta

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SmartQuote

The man who insists upon seeing with perfect clearness before he decides, never decides. Accept life, and you must accept regret." --Henri Frédéric Amiel, Swiss philosopher, poet and critic