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Navigating Excellence - Parent Center Assistance & Collaboration Team
Region A E-News
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“When you rise in the morning, give thanks for the light, for your life, for your strength. Give thanks for your food and for the joy of living.” ~Tecumseh |
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Message From Diana & Michele |
As Native American Heritage Month comes to an end, and we return to work after Thanksgiving/the National Day of Mourning (for many indigenous people), we share this quote from Tecumseh, a Shawnee chief and warrior who promoted resistance to the expansion of the US territory into Native American lands. We are thankful for all of you - for your passion, commitment, expertise, creativity, generosity, and friendship. We are so privileged to work with you! We would be happy to help you create a land acknowledgement statement to acknowledge the reality that North America was inhabited before the Europeans arrived and claimed it for themselves. The process of developing a land acknowledgement statement could be an opportunity to develop relationships with the Nations in your state/territory.
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SPAN Parent Advocacy Network: SPAN Parent Advocacy Network is pleased to announce its 35th Anniversary Gala on December 12, 2022 at the Pines Manor in Edison, NJ. Join us as we celebrate the thousands of families and family-supporting professionals we have served, the amazing staff who have dedicated themselves to our mission, recognize the contributions of Diana Autin to SPAN’s growth and development, and welcome Carolyn Hayer as SPAN’s new Executive Director!
For tickets, sponsorships and details, visit Eventbrite.
Maine Parent Federation Presents Resources on Restraint & Seclusion for Maine Schools: Join the MPF as they host Dr. Ross Greene, the Founding Director of Lives in the Balance. He will discuss how the Collaborative and Proactive Solutions (CPS) model works to help schools reduce their use of restraint and seclusion, how Lives in the Balance collaborates with schools, and how schools can learn about and access this free resource. Find out more here.
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Upcoming Events/Dates to Remember |
Region A Drop-In Call: The December Drop-in call will take place on Tuesday, December 6th, 10:00 am - 12:00 pm, EST. Our featured technical assistance presenter will be Joann Morris and Judy Wiley who will share their expertise on outreach and relationship building with Native American families. The NE-PACT Drop-in calls are on the first Tuesday of every month. Please note that we will no longer be hosting the monthly COVID drop-in calls (due to popular demand!). Check your calendar invite for additional details. Please let us know if you have any agenda items. Click here to join.
OSEP Discipline & Behavior Guidance Webinar: Part 2: Please join OSEP staff on December 7, 2022 at 3pm (EST) for a follow up discussion regarding the Department’s recently released Guidance to Help Schools Support Children with Disabilities and Avoid Disparities In the Use of Discipline. During the December 7th session, OSEP staff will review and respond to questions related to the guidance package. You are invited to submit questions that are related to the guidance package, including IDEA's discipline and behavior requirements. Please click on the registration form to submit any questions by November 30, 2022. This webinar is only for Parent Centers. Register here!
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Non-Profit Management Resources |
How to Develop Yourself as a Non-Profit Leader: Check out these Bridgespan tips on how to develop yourself as an effective non profit leader.
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Family-Centered Services Resources |
Strategies for Outreach to All Families: The Administration on Children and Families’ National Center on Parent, Family, and Community Engagement developed this guide on how child care programs can reach all families in their catchment area, including families who are often called “hard to reach.” The guide is divided into 3 sections: Building a Shared Understanding of Outreach, which offers a definition of outreach and provides examples of outreach at the family, program, community, and State/Territory/Tribal levels; Understanding the Factors that Influence Families’ Access to and Use of Resources, which explores research findings to inform how we approach outreach and defines terms to strengthen our understanding of outreach; and Creating an Effective Approach to Outreach, which highlights research-informed strategies that can enhance your approach to outreach. Read the guide. |
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Youth-Centered Services Resources |
Tips for Youth when Working with Adult Allies: Working with adult allies is moving towards a partnership. A youth-adult partnership is a step-by-step framework to encourage youth to be at the table with professionals. Find out more here. |
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Staff Development Resources |
Developing Employees for Future Success: Check out this resource on key strategies to develop employees for future success.
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Student absenteeism skyrocketed in the pandemic as test scores plunged: Chronic absenteeism in public schools surged during the pandemic, which experts say helps explain a historic plunge in student test scores. Read more here.
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Supporting Dual Language Learners: The U.S. Department of Education’s Office of English Language Acquisition provides national leadership to help ensure that English learners and immigrant students attain English proficiency and achieve academic success. Information about education research, practices, and policies for English learners can be found at the National Clearinghouse for English Language Acquisition.
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How to Prevent Cyberbullying, A guide for Parents, Caregivers, and Youth: This guide helps parents, caregivers, and youth learn ways to identify, prevent, and address cyberbullying. Find it here.
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Child Welfare/Foster Care |
La adopción de hijastros (Stepparent Adoption): Hojas Informativas Para las Familias (Factsheets for Families) Child Welfare Information Gateway (August 2022). Find this Spanish language document here.
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Choice/Charter Schools/Virtual Schools/Voucher Programs |
School Choice Programs: The US Department of Education offers web-based information on public school choice definitions and options. Check it out here.
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Conscious & Unconscious Biases in Health Care: The Institute of Medicine’s (IOM's) landmark study, Unequal Treatment, brought national attention to the critical need to address racial and ethnic health disparities in the U.S. healthcare system. Numerous public policy initiatives have been launched to address health disparities at the local, state, and national levels. Learn more here.
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Organizing and Analyzing your Data: Tips for Conducting Program Evaluation: Check out these tips for organizing and analyzing program evaluation data.
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Discipline & Positive Behavior Supports |
The Nurtured Heart Approach Goes Mainstream: Research and Experience Support “Celebrating Greatness in Every Kid”: In a world increasingly bent on labeling children of high intensity with Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and trying to mute that intensity with drugs, Nurtured Heart Approach (NHA) takes an entirely different tack. When kids act out, they’re encouraged to “reset.” When they do something positive, they’re recognized. Read about NHA here. |
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Improving Dispute Resolution Practices for Diverse Families of Children with Disabilities: To provide relief for families who disagree with their child’s educational program, the IDEA provides three types of dispute resolution: mediation, written state complaints, and due process hearings. While these options support constructive conflict engagement, many families find these processes difficult to understand and navigate. This is especially true for culturally and linguistically diverse (CLD) families of students with disabilities. Read more here. |
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AI and Big Data Deployed to Prevent School Dropout: The software, based on artificial intelligence (AI), is set for pilot testing next year, with the aim to help school managers and teachers identify and address the needs of students at risk. Read about it here. |
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Early Childhood/Early Intervention |
Start Early: Champions for Early Learning: Parents are a child’s first and best teacher. That’s why Start Early assembles resources from our experts that give parents tools to help their children thrive. Check out the Start Early website for parenting tips and activities from STEM for toddlers to the importance of imaginative play.
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Executive Order on Guaranteeing an Educational Environment Free from Discrimination on the Basis of Sex, Including Sexual Orientation or Gender Identity: Read President Bidens executive order here. |
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K-12 EDUCATION: Department of Education Should Provide Information on Equity and Safety in School Dress Codes: Families are frustrated when the dress code policy seem culturally biased when a student is not allowed to wear a head covering or coerced to cut their hair because it seems “unkempt”. This report examines (1) the characteristics of K-12 dress codes across school districts nationwide, and how the Department of Education supports the design of equitable and safe dress codes; and (2) the enforcement of dress codes, and how Education supports equitable dress code enforcement. Click here to read the report.
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Child Welfare Information Gateway Podcast Series: Episode 76: Building Parenting Skills to Address Trauma, Grief, and Mental Health: This episode of the podcast series explores the National Training and Development Curriculum (NTDC) for Foster and Adoptive Parents. NTDC was developed to provide free curriculum and resources for potential foster or adoptive parents so they will have the information and tools needed to parent a child who has experienced trauma, separation, or loss. Listen to the podcast here. |
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Grandparents as Caregivers |
5 Ways to Be an Awesome Grandparent to Your Autistic Child: Grandparents can be a source of love, guidance, encouragement, and support for their grandchild with an autism diagnosis. It takes a village to raise a child, and as a grandparent, you can play a supportive role in the proper upbringing of your autistic child. Although rewarding, raising an autistic grandchild comes with its challenges. Here are some tips to be an awesome grandparent to your autistic child.
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School-Based Health Care: Where Health and Education Intersect: Check out core competencies, models, performance measures, and literature on school-based health care from the School-Based Health Alliance.
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Young and Homeless in Rural America: Most social services come through the school but it can be impossible to get to them. In many districts the homeless liaison is often overlooked. Homeless students have the worst educational outcomes of any group, the lowest attendance, lowest scores on standardized tests, lowest graduation rates, etc. They all face the same cruel paradox. Students who do not have a stable place to live are unable to attend school regularly, and failing to graduate from high school is the single greatest risk factor for future homelessness. Listen to the NY Times podcast here. |
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Letter to State Directors of Special Education on Ensuring a High-Quality Education for Highly Mobile Children: U.S. Department of Education OSERS, November 10, 2022. This letter and list of resources provides guidance and describes several important principles that states, school districts, school staff, parents, families, and others may find helpful in ensuring that highly mobile children with disabilities receive required special education and related services designed to meet their unique needs in a timely manner. Find it here. It includes:
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Challenges that young immigrants face with U.S. public schools: Many migrants, especially unaccompanied youth, face uncertain paths in detention and after their release in local communities. Schools are often the first and sometimes the only places they can turn for resources. Learn more here.
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Comprehensive Inclusive Education: General Education & the Inclusive IEP: The IEP is intended to support a student’s progress in general education curriculum and routines, as well as other essential skills that support a student’s independence or interdependence across school, home, and other community environments. A comprehensive inclusive education program based upon these principles is important because without that focus, a student’s learning opportunities and school and post-school outcomes are diminished. In order to create an effective comprehensive inclusive education program, collaboration between general educators, special educators, and families is needed. Get resources here.
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Juvenile Delinquency/Juvenile Justice |
Racial disparities in juvenile justice start with how Black and Latino youth are arrested, report finds: “Black teenagers in Massachusetts are four times more likely to be physically arrested than white teens who are also facing legal trouble, according to a new report released Tuesday by the state's Juvenile Justice Policy and Data Board. Latino youth are almost three times more likely to experience that kind of arrest than white youth, in a state where 64% of all 12 to 17 year-olds are white.” Read the report here.
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Gender Expression & the Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System: Identifying and Addressing Vulnerable Student Health Risks: Gender-expansive youth whose gender expression is nonconforming face increased risk for negative health risks, including victimization and negative behavioral health outcomes (suicide, drug use). Identifying gender-expansive youth is the first step to addressing health risks. Read more here.
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Mental Health Toolkit- Explore resources for fostering a mentally healthy workplace: Recent challenges, including the COVID-19 pandemic, coupled with an increased understanding of the prevalence of mental health conditions, are prompting many employers to consider strategies they can use to support their employees’ mental health. Learn more here.
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Military Families & Youth |
Some military families sleep in cars between moves. We owe them more: The financial hardship is compounded by the stress on family stability as children change schools, spouses leave jobs and everyone leaves friends. Right now, military families are not getting enough financial assistance in coping with the cost of constant moves. The situation is particularly dire given the turmoil in the housing market and the challenge of finding affordable places to live. The Pentagon has begun to take some steps in alleviating the burden, but much more needs to be done — and not only by the Defense Department. Read more here.
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3 Ways to Teach Young Children About Thanksgiving – An Indigenous Perspective: Although we are a few days past Thanksgiving, it is never too late to show gratitude to Native Americans for their contributions to this country. Sharing these resources, created by Native Americans, is a great way to honor them.
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Parent/Family Engagement (and Youth!) |
Evaluating Initiatives to Develop Parent Leadership: Measuring What Matters The Parent Leadership Development Indicators Framework: An “indicator” is a way to measure what is happening in any given area of interest. The parent leadership indicators framework tells us what qualities to look out for in initiatives or programs that develop parents as leaders. The framework also lists what changes we should measure as a result of a high-quality parent leadership development initiative. These changes may occur in individual parents; groups of parents working collectively to make change; public officials and community leaders; and the community at large. Accordingly, the framework has five levels of indicators: 1) initiative; 2) personal transformation; 3) collective action; 4) public officials and community leaders; and 5) civic climate. Under each level, there is a list of indicators. Under each indicator is a list of “what this may look like.” These lists do not include everything parent leadership initiatives do, nor should every parent leadership initiative be expected to do everything on the list. They simply serve as examples that we frequently have seen in studying initiatives that develop parent leadership. Learn more here.
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Poverty, Racism and the Public Health Crisis in America: This article discusses poverty as a multidimensional factor influencing health (and other aspects of life). The article explores how racism contributes to and perpetuates the economic and financial inequality that diminishes prospects for population health improvement among marginalized racial and ethnic groups. The US has one of the highest rates of poverty in the developed world, despite its collective wealth, and the burden falls disproportionately on communities of color. Find out more here.
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Remote Learning/School Reopening |
Statement by U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona on Nation’s Report Card: (October 24, 2022) Since Day One, the Biden-Harris Administration has worked aggressively to safely reopen schools, help students recover academically, and support their mental health. The National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) results should be a rallying cry to local, state, and national leaders to redouble their efforts to support learning recovery. Read more here.
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What are restraint and seclusion? 5 things to know about the controversial practices used in U.S. schools: Never heard of restraint or seclusion being used in a classroom? You’re not alone. Many parents aren’t aware of these practices, and sometimes they don’t learn about it until it happens to their child. Teachers sometimes don’t know colleagues are using the techniques in nearby classrooms. How restraint and seclusion are used on U.S. schoolchildren. |
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Social-Emotional Learning |
Childhood Social-Emotional Development a Concern as Students Return to In-Person Learning: A pediatrician and Medical Director of Loyola Medicine at North Riverside, said that signs a student is struggling with social emotional wellbeing can be subtle, such as a change in grades and a lack of interest in activities they once previously enjoyed. There are ways that caregivers and teachers can support students’ social emotional wellbeing. Watch the recording here.
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How to make web accessibility a part of digital marketing efforts: Accessibility experts share tips for digital marketing teams on how to make campaigns more accessible to people with disabilities. Learn more here.
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Transition to Adult Life/Youth |
"How To Be An Ally": People With Disabilities And Disability Advocates Are Sharing How We Can Make Work More Inclusive: People with disabilities can face a variety of challenges in workplaces that aren't designed for them, but accommodations and awareness can make a huge difference. October was Disability Employment Awareness Month, but we should all work year-round to make sure our workplaces are safe, accessible, and anti-ableist. Read more here.
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When Schools Cause Trauma: The Summer 2019 issue of Learning for Justice magazine addresses what happens when schools themselves cause trauma. A 2018 study showed that children living in poverty, children of color, and LGBTQ children tend to have more child- and household-centered Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs). But childhood trauma resulting specifically from racism, homophobia, or other systemic injustices that weren’t articulated when the 10 ACEs were established more than 20 years ago still go uncounted in a student’s “ACEs score.” The next logical step, ACEs centered on society, was never established. The common disconnect between a student’s ACE score and that student’s lived experiences outside and inside a school is vast. Read the issue here.
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ABOUT THE REGION A PARENT TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE CENTER
The Navigating Excellence-Parent Assistance and Collaboration Team (NE-PACT), the Region A Technical Assistance Center, provides technical assistance to federally-funded parent centers -- Parent Training and Information Centers (PTIs) and Community Parent Resource Centers (CPRCs) - NEPACT Logolocated in the states of CT-AFCAMP, CT-CPAC, DC-AJE, DE-PIC, MD-PPMD, ME-MPF, MA-FCSN, NH-PIC, NJ-SPAN, NJ-ASCF, NY-AFC, NY-CIDA, NY-LIAC, NY-UWS, NY-Starbridge, NY-INCLUDEnyc, NY-Sinergia, NY-PNWNY, PA-HUNE, PA- ME, PA-PEAL, PR-APNI, RI-RIPIN, VI-DRVI and VT-VFN. These Parent Centers are independent non-profit organizations. We also provide support to emerging parent centers and parent organizations serving families of children with or at risk of being identified as having disabilities. In addition, we work with early intervention and education agencies (local, state and federal level) seeking information regarding best practices in involving parents of children with disabilities in systems improvement.
The center activities are specifically designed to:
- Enhance the capacity of parent centers to provide effective services to families of children with special needs and to work effectively with their states to improve special education and early intervention systems; and,
- Facilitate their connections to the larger technical assistance network that supports research-based training, including educating parents about effective practices that improve results for children with disabilities. For more information click here.
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