SPED LIFE CEBU

New REAP Job Openings

noreply@blogger.com (Mark A. Satorre) — Wed, 04 May 2011 13:36:00 +0000

Dear Reap Applicant,

   We are pleased to announce that there are new job openings in one or more of the categories in which you have expressed an interest.

   Each job description has a link identified by the words, "Click Here to View Details," to allow you see the actual job listing in REAP. The job details will be displayed in your web browser, and you can respond to the job from there.

   Tip: After reading the details of the first job, minimize (don't close) your browser when you are ready to return to this message. Then click on the next job in this message. This will allow you to use your browser's "Back" button to retrieve your last job.

   But act fast, these jobs tend to fill quickly!

Note: If you are no longer interested in receiving these notifications, please update your REAP Application:
If you are no longer seeking employment, place your REAP Application on "Hold."

Otherwise, update the "Job Preferences" section of your REAP Application to indicate whether you wish to receive email notifications.

Help is available at the REAP Help Desk: (800) 288-8115.

The following jobs have been posted since our last message:

District Name: Carlsbad Municipal Schools
Position Type: Instructional Support Positions
Position Name: All Other Positions
Preferred Category: Special Education
Description (partial): Sign Language Interpreter. Must have or be eligible for New Mexico licensure. Salary based on education, training
Click Here to View Details

New REAP Job Openings

noreply@blogger.com (Mark A. Satorre) — Thu, 14 Apr 2011 06:10:00 +0000

Dear Reap Applicant,

   We are pleased to announce that there are new job openings in one or more of the categories in which you have expressed an interest.

   Each job description has a link identified by the words, "Click Here to View Details," to allow you see the actual job listing in REAP. The job details will be displayed in your web browser, and you can respond to the job from there.

   Tip: After reading the details of the first job, minimize (don't close) your browser when you are ready to return to this message. Then click on the next job in this message. This will allow you to use your browser's "Back" button to retrieve your last job.

   But act fast, these jobs tend to fill quickly!

Note: If you are no longer interested in receiving these notifications, please update your REAP Application:
If you are no longer seeking employment, place your REAP Application on "Hold."

Otherwise, update the "Job Preferences" section of your REAP Application to indicate whether you wish to receive email notifications.

Help is available at the REAP Help Desk: (800) 288-8115.

The following jobs have been posted since our last message:

District Name: Gallup McKinley County Schools
Position Type: Teaching Positions
Position Name: Classroom Teacher
Subject Name: Special Education
Preferred Category: Special Education
Description (partial): To provide educational services and carry out programs to average and gifted students, students with physical and
Click Here to View Details

District Name: Gallup McKinley County Schools
Position Type: Instructional Support Positions
Position Name: Speech-Language Therapist / Pathologist
Preferred Category: Special Education
Description (partial): To facilitate reduction or elimination of speech, language and aural impairments that interfere with the individual
Click Here to View Details

District Name: Gallup McKinley County Schools
Position Type: Instructional Support Positions
Position Name: Psychologist
Preferred Category: Special Education
Description (partial): To provide psychological services by evaluating the needs of children within the Gallup-McKinley County School
Click Here to View Details

District Name: Gallup McKinley County Schools
Position Type: Instructional Support Positions
Position Name: Hearing Therapist
Preferred Category: Special Education
Description (partial): Teacher of the Deaf/Hard of Hearing Instructs students and teachers in various forms of communication
Click Here to View Details

District Name: Gallup McKinley County Schools
Position Type: Instructional Support Positions
Position Name: Vision Therapist
Preferred Category: Special Education
Description (partial): Teacher of the Visually Impaired, Provide direct and indirect services to students who are
Click Here to View Details

New Mexico Reap Hiring As of March 01, 2011

noreply@blogger.com (Mark A. Satorre) — Thu, 03 Mar 2011 01:55:00 +0000

Source: NMReap

Challenge Day

noreply@blogger.com (Mark A. Satorre) — Tue, 15 Feb 2011 20:57:00 +0000

Challenge Day is a 501 c(3)non-profit organization that helps people learn to connect through powerful, life-changing programs in their schools and communities. The day-long, interactive Challenge Day program provides teens and adults with tools to tear down the walls of separation, and inspires participants to live, study, and work in an encouraging environment of acceptance, love, and respect.

Using highly interactive and energetic activities, Challenge Day Leaders guide participants through a carefully designed exploration of the ways people separate from each other, and model tools for creating connection and building community.

Challenge Day programs increase self-esteem, help shift dangerous peer pressure to positive peer support, and reduce the acceptability of teasing, oppression, and all forms of violence. Our programs inspire youth and communities to Be the Change they wish to see in the world, and challenge others to do the same.

Source: Challenge Day

Challenge Day Org

New REAP Job Openings

noreply@blogger.com (Mark A. Satorre) — Wed, 02 Feb 2011 14:46:00 +0000

Dear Reap Applicant,

   We are pleased to announce that there are new job openings in one or more of the categories in which you have expressed an interest.

   Each job description has a link identified by the words, "Click Here to View Details," to allow you see the actual job listing in REAP. The job details will be displayed in your web browser, and you can respond to the job from there.

   Tip: After reading the details of the first job, minimize (don't close) your browser when you are ready to return to this message. Then click on the next job in this message. This will allow you to use your browser's "Back" button to retrieve your last job.

   But act fast, these jobs tend to fill quickly!

Note: If you are no longer interested in receiving these notifications, please update your REAP Application:
If you are no longer seeking employment, place your REAP Application on "Hold."

Otherwise, update the "Job Preferences" section of your REAP Application to indicate whether you wish to receive email notifications.

Help is available at the REAP Help Desk: (800) 288-8115.

The following jobs have been posted since our last message:

District Name: Espanola Public School District #55
Position Type: Teaching Positions
Position Name: Classroom Teacher
Subject Name: Special Education
Preferred Category: Special Education
Description (partial): This position is teaching behavior and Emotional Disorrder students K-6 and 7-8. Must possess a NMPED Special
Click Here to View Details

District Name: Taos Municipal Schools
Position Type: Teaching Positions
Position Name: Classroom Teacher
Subject Name: Special Education
Preferred Category: Special Education
Description (partial): Certified Special Education Teacher licensed by the NMPED to provide special education services in a secondary
Click Here to View Details

District Name: Taos Municipal Schools
Position Type: Instructional Support Positions
Position Name: Speech-Language Therapist / Pathologist
Preferred Category: Special Education
Description (partial): Minimum of MA Degree from accredited college/university with current New Mexico Public Education Department
Click Here to View Details

Spelling City

noreply@blogger.com (Mark A. Satorre) — Tue, 30 Nov 2010 22:50:00 +0000

Spellingcity.com is a free spelling website that makes teaching spelling exciting. SpellingCity provides students a simple online way to take a practice spelling test. But that is only the beginning.

With SpellingCity's online spelling games, simplicity of creating and saving lists, activities that teach word meaning and writing skills, and ease and fun of use, your students will learn their weekly spelling words with unprecedented enthusiasm. Want to see how it works?

IPad Opens World to a Disabled Boy

noreply@blogger.com (Mark A. Satorre) — Tue, 09 Nov 2010 22:29:00 +0000

FIRST TIME Owen Cain in August with his new iPad. His mother, Ellen Goldstein, and brother, Nathaniel, helped.

OWEN CAIN depends on a respirator and struggles to make even the slightest movements — he has had a debilitating motor-neuron disease since infancy.

Owen, 7, does not have the strength to maneuver a computer mouse, but when a nurse propped her boyfriend’siPad within reach in June, he did something his mother had never seen before.

He aimed his left pointer finger at an icon on the screen, touched it — just barely — and opened the application Gravitarium, which plays music as users create landscapes of stars on the screen. Over the years, Owen’s parents had tried several computerized communications contraptions to give him an escape from his disability, but the iPad was the first that worked on the first try.

“We have spent all this time keeping him alive, and now we owe him more than that,” said his mother, Ellen Goldstein, a vice president at the Times Square Alliance business association. “I see his ability to communicate and to learn as a big part of that challenge — not all of it, but a big part of it. And so, that’s my responsibility.”

Since its debut in April, the iPad has become a popular therapeutic tool for people with disabilities of all kinds, though no one keeps track of how many are used this way, and studies are just getting under way to test its effectiveness, which varies widely depending on diagnosis.

A speech pathologist at Walter Reed Army Medical Center uses text-to-speech applications to give patients a voice. Christopher Bulger, a 16-year-old in Chicago who injured his spine in a car accident, used an iPad to surf the Internet during the early stages of his rehabilitation, when his hands were clenched into fists. “It was nice because you progressed from the knuckle to the finger to using more than one knuckle on the screen,” he said.

Parents of autistic children are using applications to teach them basic skills, like brushing teeth and communicating better.

For a mainstream technological device like the iPad to have been instantly embraced by the disabled is unusual. It is far more common for items designed for disabled people to be adapted for general use, like closed-captioning on televisions in gyms or GPS devices in cars that announce directions. Also, most mainstream devices do not come with built-ins like the iPad’s closed-captioning, magnification and audible readout functions — which were intended to keep it simple for all users, but also help disabled people.

“Making things less complicated can actually make a lot of money,” said Gregg C. Vanderheiden, an engineering professor at the University of Wisconsin at Madison who has worked on accessibility issues for decades.

Representative Edward J. Markey, a Massachusetts Democrat, who wrote recently enacted legislation that will require mobile devices to be more accessible to users with disabilities, said approximately three-fourths of communications and video devices need to be adapted for blind and deaf people. “Apple,” he said in a statement, “is an outlier when it comes to devices that are accessible out of the box.”

The iPad is also, generally speaking, less expensive than computers and other gadgets specifically designed to help disabled people speak, read or write. While insurers usually do not cover the cost of mobile devices like the iPad because they are not medical equipment, in some cases they will pay for the applications that run on them.

In Owen’s case, his grandmother bought him a $600 iPad in August, and his parents have invested about $200 more in software. One day this summer, his finger dangled over the title page of “Alice in Wonderland” on his iPad while his mother hovered over his shoulder in their Brooklyn home. Then, with the tiniest of movements, and thanks to the sensitivity of the iPad’s touch screen, Owen began to turn the pages of the book. “You are reading a book on your own, Owen!” Ms. Goldstein, 44, exclaimed. “That is completely wonderful.”

But while the sensitivity of the iPad’s touch screen makes it promising for Owen, it can be problematic for others, like Glenda Watson Hyatt, a blogger in Surrey, British Columbia, who has cerebral palsy. “When ‘flipping’ screens, sometimes I flip more than one screen,” Ms. Hyatt wrote in an interview conducted by e-mail. “Or I touch what I didn’t intend to.”

Still, Ms. Hyatt said that when she was having trouble chatting with friends at a bar recently, she pulled out her iPad to help communicate and felt normal. “People were drawn to it because it was a ‘recognized’ or ‘known’ piece of technology,” she wrote in a blog post reviewing the device.

At the Shepherd Center, a spinal cord rehabilitation clinic in Atlanta, some teenage quadriplegics have received iPads as gifts, but they do not work well for those who rely on a mouse stick — basically a long pen controlled by mouth.

“It wants to see a finger,” said John Anschutz, the manager of the assistive technology program at Shepherd. “It really requires the quality of skin and body mass to operate.”

For Owen Cain, whose disease is physical, not mental, the iPad has limitations, too. Moving his finger all the way across the keypad remains a challenge, and makes writing difficult. Ms. Goldstein said its versatility and affordability, though, were a boon. He has been experimenting with a variety of applications — Proloquo2Go, which allows him to touch an icon that prompts the device to speak things like, “I need to go to the bathroom”; Math Magic, which helps him practice arithmetic; and Animal Match, a memory game.

“If all you’re worrying about is ‘I can try this program, or I can try that program, I can buy that app or I can buy this app,’ and the investment is so much lower,” his mother said, “then our ability to explore or experiment with different things is so much bigger.”

When Owen was about 8 weeks old, his mother noticed his right arm drooping. It led to a crushing diagnosis: the motor-neuron disease known as spinal muscular atrophy Type 1. A 2003 New York Times article about spinal muscular atrophy said his parents had been told Owen would be “paralyzed for his life, which doctors predicted would last no more than about two years.”

Owen will turn 8 on Nov. 11. While his condition is not expected to worsen, he is extremely sensitive to infection and once nearly died of pneumonia; three specialized therapists and a nurse help keep him alive.

Though he cannot speak, his parents have taught him to read, write and do math. He has an impish sense of humor and a love of “Star Wars.” “He’s a normal child trapped in a not normal body,” said his father, Hamilton Cain, 45, a book editor.

Since he received the iPad, Owen has been trying to read books, and playing around with apps like Air Guitar. And, one day, he typed out on the keypad, “I want to be Han Solo for Halloween.”

Source: NY Times IPad Opens World to a Disabled Boy

Discovery: Puzzlemaker!

noreply@blogger.com (Mark A. Satorre) — Wed, 03 Nov 2010 18:45:00 +0000

Puzzlemaker!Puzzlemaker is a puzzle generation tool for teachers, students and parents. Create and print customized word search, criss-cross, math puzzles, and more—using your own word lists

Source: Discovery PuzzleMaker

Khan Academy

noreply@blogger.com (Mark A. Satorre) — Mon, 27 Sep 2010 19:09:00 +0000

The Khan Academy is all about using video to explain the world, so what better way to explain the Khan Academy than through videos. If you watch four or five of the videos below, you should have a pretty good idea of how we got started and how we hope to empower everyone, everywhere with a free, world-class education. If you don't have a broadband connection or aren't someplace nice to watch a video, try out theFrequently Asked Questions tab to better understand our motivations.

Source: Khan Academy

Shortage of special-education teachers felt in New Mexico

noreply@blogger.com (Mark A. Satorre) — Tue, 21 Sep 2010 19:53:00 +0000

Parents urged to demand special education services

By Christine Rogel crogel@lcsun-news.com

Posted: 09/20/2010 12:04:53 AM MDT

LAS CRUCES - Christina Parra's 2-year-old son was diagnosed with autism in Albuquerque earlier this year. When she returned to Las Cruces, there were few resources to turn to for help, she said.

"We really felt like there was no where for us to go," Parra said.

"If parents have a gut feeling that something is going on with their child, be persistent, and don't let professionals brush them off and say they will grow out of it. I hear that a lot," Parra said. "If parents and grandparents are concerned, find someone who will listen."

By federal law, the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act of 2004 requires that special education services are provided at no cost to families. Approximately 10 percent of students in the U.S. are identified as having a disability and a majority of these 6.5 million students receive instruction in general education classroom settings with the assistance of specially trained teachers, said Anne Gallegos, department head of New Mexico State University's Special Education and Communication Disorders program.

Where are the teachers?

Despite the critical needs of students receiving special education services, there is a dramatic shortage of qualified teachers in the field and nationwide; 98 percent of U.S. schools report shortages of special education teachers, with the greatest demand being in low-income and rural regions, Gallegos said.

The U.S. Department of Education lists special education and bilingual

education as the two most significant areas of teacher shortages nationwide for the 2010-2011 school year, a problem that has persisted in New Mexico for the past 10 years.

In New Mexico, there are nearly 200 vacancies for personnel positions, which includes speech language pathologists, physical therapists, occupational therapists, counselors and school psychologists, according to Gallegos' research.

In Las Cruces, classes are under way, yet the district is in need of 16 special education teachers, including 11 who are speech and language pathologists, Jim Nesbitt, LCPS human resources director, said.

While the district scouts for these teachers, students receive compensatory services, where they take summer classes to make up for services they missed during the school year, Nesbitt said.

"They get the services they need, just not during the regular school time," he said.

Nesbitt said the district has broadened its recruitment methods and four recent hires for speech pathologists were from Spain and the Philippines. Additionally, LCPS contracts with 14 private practice speech pathologists. Though it's more costly, the district has few other options, Nesbitt said.

"We can't compete with the salaries that the private industry pays - hospitals, rehab centers - we can't touch them. They almost double our pay," Nesbitt said. "So that's a big stumbling block, too, we just can't pay them enough."

Shortages are caused by high turnover rates, heavy workload, significant paperwork demands, and the wide variety of job roles given to teachers and therapists, Gallegos said.

High turnover, high cost

The annual attrition rate for special educators is nearly twice that of other educators. In a three-year period, more than 20 percent of special education teachers will likely leave their jobs, according to an April report of the Council for Exceptional Children, an international organization working to improve education for individuals with disabilities or gifted students.

Additionally, Gallegos said the issue is compounded by the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB), the law that governs elementary and secondary education in the U.S., which requires that all teachers are "highly qualified" in the content areas they teach. For individuals preparing to become special education teachers, the law requires that they pass certification exams in both special education and elementary or secondary education content and methodologies, she said.

For most teacher candidates in special education, this means earning a double major, which is both more timely and more expensive, Gallegos said. And around 45,000 special educators nationwide are not recognized as highly qualified teachers as mandated by NCLB, the Council for Exceptional Children said.

School districts can hire individuals wanting to become special education teachers and who have a bachelor's degree outside of education on the condition that they complete an alternative licensure program in special education within three years, she said. And while the alternative program quickly places more teachers in classrooms, the turnover rate in classes for students with multiple or severe disabilities is high.

Austin Milbourn, a senior at Mayfield High School with autism, has taken compensatory summer classes æsince middle school, his father, Gary Milbourn, said. In addition, Austin takes speech therapy classes at Mayfield and at the Edgar R. Garrett Speech and Hearing Center at New Mexico State University.

In high school, Austin takes both special education classes and standard high school classes. A full-time aide goes to class with him to review discussions as understanding conversational language presents a challenge for his son, Gary Milbourn said.

The school district provides the service as part of his Individualized Educational Program (IEP), which details special education services a student receives under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act.

Milbourn said these services are absolutely critical to his son's education.

"With budgeting issues it's something you frankly have to make sure is in place, if you just left it up to the system there's a good chance he wouldn't get an aid and he'd be relegated to special ed only type of curriculum," Milbourn said. "It's incumbent upon parents to make sure the services and assistance's are in place for their kids. There are a lot of parents who don't know what their rights are for this kids."

Christine Rogel can be reached at (575) 541-5424.

By the numbers

LCPS special education students:

•Gifted: 1,791 students

•Speech language: 1,555 students

•Specific learning disability: 1,237 students

•Other health impaired (Example, ADD or ADHA): 321 students

•Emotionally disturbed: 219 students

•Autistic: 109 students

•Mentally retarded: 103 students

•Hearing impaired: 53 students

•Multiple disabled: 49 students

•Developmentally delayed: 45 students

•Other impairments with medical diagnosis: 28 students

•Traumatic brain injury: 17 students

•Visually impaired: 12 students

•Total students, including gifted: 5,539

•Male students: 3,355 students

•Female: 2,184 students

•Total special education teachers: 273

•Total LCPS enrollment: 24,926

Source: Las Cruces Public Schools

Resources for parents and educators

•Asperger's Lunch Brunch Support Group: noon to 1 p.m. every Monday through Nov. 8. Focuses on issues from handwriting to aggression. Discussions are guided by the book "Parenting a Child with Aspergers" by Brenda Boyd. To register, call Lori Comallie-Caplan (575) 527-5918.

•The Edgar R. Garrett Speech and Hearing Center, on NMSU's campus: charges minimal fees for therapy and provides year-round services in English and Spanish. For appointments call: (575) 646-3906

•The Early Childhood Developmentally Delayed Program: a family oriented program offering social services, family counseling and parental involvement for families of 3 and 4 year-old children with developmental delays. LCPS Special Education Department: (575) 527-5901

•Aprendamos, an early intervention service that identifies children with disabilities ages birth to 3, and assists families. Call for information: (575) 526-6682

•Sensory Kids of New Mexico: provides resources and support for families with autism, sensory processing and other developmental challenges. Call Christina Parra: (575) 635-9481

•The Family Infant Toddler Program of the Department of Health: an early intervention program for children from birth to three years old. At no cost to the families, the FIT program provides therapies, service coordination, and special instruction through three providers in Dona Ana County. For more information visit: www.trescoinc.org and/or www.fitprogram.org For more information and additional resources visit: http://www.lcps.k12.nm.us/departments/SPED/index.shtml

Source

My Online Education Plan

noreply@blogger.com (Mark A. Satorre) — Fri, 06 Aug 2010 00:25:00 +0000

This is a Literacy website with a 5 day lesson plan , and 2 weeks activity plan. I made this website for the students to use if they want to check-out the lesson online.

This type of activity is very interesting for the students, they can go online and do the online activities and it will expose them to the use of the Internet.

I based this from the book we are using in the classroom Glencoe's Social Studies- Economics "Principles and Practices"

Webspiration

noreply@blogger.com (Mark A. Satorre) — Fri, 06 Aug 2010 00:19:00 +0000

Introducing Webspiration®, the online visual thinking, learning and collaboration tool for students, teachers, and thinkers everywhere. Brainstorm ideas, visualize concepts, organize information and collaborate with others anytime, anywhere. With Webspiration, assignments and work are always available, automatically saved, and stored online. Collaboration and peer review are easy. Everyone you invite creates, edits and comments on the same document. Whether working individually or with a group, Webspiration is the perfect tool for visual thinking, writing, studying and learning.

Source: http://mywebspiration.com/

Picturetrail

noreply@blogger.com (Mark A. Satorre) — Fri, 06 Aug 2010 00:13:00 +0000

Another website that you can use in your classroom. Picturetrail is best use to create wonderful slideshow presentations and picture examples that you can show in your class.

It is not only easy to use but there are a lot of templates that you can choose from while making your slideshow presentation.

Here below is a sample slideshow on how you can use Picturetrail.

That Quiz

noreply@blogger.com (Mark A. Satorre) — Fri, 06 Aug 2010 00:02:00 +0000

This is probably one of the best teaching tool website that I have found here. http://www.thatquiz.org/ is truly a website that you can use in your classes to teach children different subject areas such as Math, English, Geography and Vocabulary.

You can also personalized your own exams by signing up with your own account and create quiz for the whole class. Try it now and you can enjoy the benefits of this wonderful website.

Source: Thatquiz.org

HOW DO I APPLY FOR MY SPECIAL EDUCATION CREDENTIAL?

noreply@blogger.com (Mark A. Satorre) — Wed, 21 Apr 2010 17:39:00 +0000

You may apply directly to the Commission for your initial credential by submitting an application packet consisting of all of the following:
A completed application [PDF]

Completed Livescan receipt [PDF], if not previously submitted to the Commission. Out-of-state residents (with out-of-state addresses) have the option of submitting two fingerprint cards (FD-258), in lieu of a LiveScan receipt. If submitting fingerprint cards, current fingerprint processing fees must accompany the application packet. Fingerprint cards may be ordered by sending an e-mail to the Commission at credentials@ctc.ca.gov.

Application processing fee [PDF]

Official transcripts, letters of experience, photocopies of out-of-state credentials, verification of completion of the basic skills requirement, and performance evaluations as required by the option you apply under. California has three options for qualifying out-of-state prepared teachers. Review each option to determine which is best for you.

Source: CTC

Movie: Precious (2009)

noreply@blogger.com (Mark A. Satorre) — Wed, 21 Apr 2010 17:29:00 +0000

Synopsis: Lee Daniels’s PRECIOUS: BASED ON THE NOVEL “PUSH” BY SAPPHIRE is a vibrant, honest and resoundingly hopeful film about the human capacity to grow and overcome. Set in Harlem in 1987, it is...
Set in Harlem in 1987, it is the story of Claireece “Precious” Jones (Gabourey Sidibe), a sixteen-year-old African-American girl born into a life no one would want. She’s pregnant for the second time by her absent father; at home, she must wait hand and foot on her mother (Mo’Nique), a poisonously angry woman who abuses her emotionally and physically. School is a place of chaos, and Precious has reached the ninth grade with good marks and an awful secret: she can neither read nor write.
Precious may sometimes be down, but she is never out. Beneath her impassive expression is a watchful, curious young woman with an inchoate but unshakeable sense that other possibilities exist for her. Threatened with expulsion, Precious is offered the chance to transfer to an alternative school, Each One/Teach One. Precious doesn’t know the meaning of “alternative,” but her instincts tell her this is the chance she has been waiting for. In the literacy workshop taught by the patient yet firm Ms. Rain (Paula Patton), Precious begins a journey that will lead her from darkness, pain and powerlessness to light, love and self-determination.
In Official Selection at the 2009 Cannes Film Festival - Un Certain Regard, and winner of three awards at the 2009 Sundance Film Festival including the Grand Jury Prize and Audience Award in the U.S. Dramatic Competition, PRECIOUS: BASED ON THE NOVEL ‘PUSH’ BY SAPPHIRE stars Mo’Nique, Paula Patton, Mariah Carey, Sherri Shepherd, Lenny Kravitz and introducing Gabourey Sidibe.
Lionsgate in association with Oprah Winfrey and Tyler Perry present A Lee Daniels Entertainment / Smokewood Entertainment Group Production of PRECIOUS: BASED ON THE NOVEL ‘PUSH’ BY SAPPHIRE, directed by Lee Daniels from a screenplay by Geoffrey Fletcher based on the novel Push by Sapphire. --© Lionsgate

California Subject Examinations for Teachers Multiple or Single Subject

noreply@blogger.com (Mark A. Satorre) — Sat, 06 Mar 2010 23:36:00 +0000

The California Subject Examinations for Teachers® (CSET®) have been developed by the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing (CTC) for prospective teachers who choose to or are required to meet specific requirements for certification by taking examinations. The CTC contracted the Evaluation Systems group of Pearson to assist in the development, administration, and scoring of the CSET. The CSET program includes examinations designed to help candidates meet the following certification requirements:

Basic skills requirement. Candidates may satisfy all components of the state basic skills requirement by passing all three subtests of CSET: Multiple Subjects and the CSET: Writing Skills test.
Subject matter competence requirement. All candidates who need to meet the subject matter competence requirement for a Multiple Subject Teaching Credential must earn passing scores on CSET: Multiple Subjects. Candidates applying for a Single Subject Teaching Credential or an Education Specialist Instruction Credential may pass the appropiate examination(s) of the CSET as one method of satisfying the subject matter competence requirement.
No Child Left Behind (NCLB) subject matter requirement. For candidates who need to satisfy the NCLB subject matter requirement, candidates for a Multiple Subject Teaching Credential must use CSET: Multiple Subjects and candidates for a Single Subject Teaching Credential may use CSET: Single Subjects.
Educational technology requirement. CSET: Preliminary Educational Technology is the current approved examination that candidates may use to fulfill the basic educational technology requirement for Multiple Subject and Single Subject Teaching Credentials and Education Specialist Instruction Credentials.
Competence requirement for effective teaching of English Learners. CSET: Languages Other Than English (LOTE) may be used in conjunction with other valid examinations to demonstrate competence in the knowledge and skill areas necessary for effective teaching of English Learners and for the purpose of earning a Bilingual Authorization. Specific CSET: LOTE subtests have replaced the Bilingual, Crosscultural, Language and Academic Development (BCLAD™) Examinations as the required credential tests for this purpose.

For more information about certification requirements and the examinations of the CSET, see "Certification Requirements."

Source:

CSET

Spedlifecebu

New Special Education Clear Credential Reforms for 2010

noreply@blogger.com (Mark A. Satorre) — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 05:22:00 +0000

Special Education Clear Credential
Frequently Asked Questions

Current Level I/Level II Credentials
1. In the current Level II program, who can recommend for a Level II-Education Specialist Credential?
Only an approved program sponsor program may recommend a candidate for the Level II Education Specialist credential. This must be an institution of higher education (IHE)or a district or county sponsored Education Specialist Internship.

2. Can an IHE recommend online for the Level I Education Specialist credential instead of the Certificate of Eligibility without verification of employment?
Yes, the individual has a choice to apply for the Level I Education Specialist credential even if not employed. See the ‘Education Specialist Credential - Certificate of Eligibility’ section of Coded Correspondence 03-0020 at http://www.ctc.ca.gov/notices/coded/030020/030020.pdf.

3. Will the two years of experience to earn the Level II credential still be required?
Yes, the experience remains a requirement for the Level II Education Specialist credential. To assist program sponsors and employing agencies, the proposed regulations include a clarification on the type of experience that is acceptable.

New Clear Credentials
4. Is the Certificate of Eligibility going away? Will candidates earn a preliminary?
The Certificate of Eligibility will not be issued to individuals who complete the new preliminary Education Specialist Credential programs. Instead, a five-year preliminary credential will be issued.

5. Does this also include the Administrative Services Credential Certificates of Eligibility?
No change has been made to the Administrative Services Credential option to obtain a Certificate of Eligibility.

6. Will an individual with an Education Specialist Certificate of Eligibility have to activate their Level I credential before they are enrolled in an induction program for the clear credential?
Yes, an individual will need to apply for the Level I Education Specialist credential. The candidate will submit a completed application form 41-4, the original Certificate of Eligibility, and one-half of the current application fee. The candidate will receive a Level I Education Specialist Teaching Credential valid for five years and may enroll in a special education induction program.

7. Will the two years of teaching experience be required for the new clear credential?
No, the two years of experience will not be a requirement to earn the new clear Education Specialist Credential.

8. When the new programs go into effect, how long will candidates have to earn a clear credential after their preliminary credential is issued?
Five years from date of issuance of the Preliminary Education Specialist Credential.

9. Will coursework in the Individualized Induction Plan (IIP) count toward a Masters degree?
The decision whether to accept the coursework towards a Masters degree for coursework taken for the clear Education Specialist credential rests with the institution of higher education.

10. Teachers have been informed that they no longer will need to complete ANY university courses to earn a clear Education Specialist credential. Is that correct?
Candidates must complete an approved Education Specialist clear credential induction program which may be offered by a BTSA program or a college or university. The new clear programs may include no more than 12 semester units of coursework. This is an option and an individual may not need to complete any coursework, may opt to complete some, or complete up to 12 semester units of coursework at a college or university.

If an individual holds the Level I Education Specialist credential (1997 standards), he or she must complete the content required by the 1997 Level II Education Specialist program. Should a candidate decide to wait for the new clear Education Specialist credential program (2008-09 Standards), the program sponsor will need to assure through the IIP that the teacher completed the content addressed in the 1997 Level II credential content. Content previously included in the Level II program has been moved to the new preliminary Education Specialist programs program including, but not limited to, transition, technology, and more on behavioral, emotional and environmental supports. It is highly likely that the individual would need to complete coursework at a college or university to satisfy the requirements of the 1997 Level II Education Specialist credential. (See Level I content lists for each of the 6 content areas.)

11. How would you advise the holder of a Level I Education Specialist whose credential expires in 2 years? Should they finish their Level I program at a college or university or should they wait so they can complete the new clear Education Specialist induction program?
This is a decision that the candidate must make depending on the expiration date of their Level I credential and the availability of the new clear Induction Programs. Candidates are strongly encouraged to finish the current Level II credential program for the Education Specialist credential. However, should a candidate decide to wait for the new clear Education Specialist credential Induction program, the program sponsor will need to assure through the IIP that the teacher has learned and has completed the 1997 Level II credential content that has been moved to the new preliminary education specialist program including, but not limited to, transition, technology, and more on behavioral, emotional and environmental supports. (See Level I content lists for each of the 6 content areas.) The candidate will also need to hold a valid Education Specialist Credential before enrolling in the induction program.

12. What about the lack of BTSA Induction Programs and/or support providers for Education Specialists in rural areas?
When the regulations are final and there are approved induction program for the clear Education Specialist Credential, t he holder of a Level I or the new preliminary Education Specialist Credential has the option to select an approved clear Education Specialist program sponsored by either an institution of higher education or a BTSA Induction program.. In addition, the holder of a Level I credential may complete the Level II program at an approved institution of higher education.

13. There are many multiple subject credential holders who did not find a job and are finishing a special education credential program. How will that work with induction?
When the regulations are final, an individual may concurrently complete one induction program for both general and special education. However, the induction program must have both a Commission-approved general and special education induction program.

14. Several induction candidates are demanding to be cleared for both general and special education. Can a BTSA induction program clear both special education and general education credentials now?
No not currently. Once the regulations are final and the program has received Commission approval for both programs, this will be a possibility.

15. Can an induction program require verification of employment?
Not for the special education induction program.

16. If a candidate has more than one specialty area on his or her Education Specialist Teaching Credential, can the individual complete only one induction program or does he or she have to complete requirements for each specialty area?
Under the new special education induction programs, it is possible. The IIP needs to address all specialty areas listed on the individual’s Education Specialist Credential.

17. How does the holder of both a preliminary general education and preliminary special education credential complete both induction programs if they are only employed in either general or special education?
Employment is not a criteria for concurrently completing the clear education specialist credential.

18. What does an individual who already holds a clear general education credential earned by completing induction have to complete for their clear education specialist credential?
The individual will need to develop an IIP that will include the completion of the extra components required in the special education induction program.

Glossary

Definition
Beginning Teacher Support and Assessment (BTSA) BTSA is a state-funded program designed to support the professional development of beginning teachers. It is one option to earn a clear multiple or single subject credential if the individual was enrolled in the program prior to 1/1/2004. It is required for all individuals who earn their initial preliminary multiple or single subject credential on or after 8/30/2004 based on completion of an SB 2042 teacher education program. Following approval of regulations, it will also be an option for individuals to earn a clear Education Specialist Teaching Credential.

Clear Education Specialist Teaching Credential Starting in 2010, this is the advanced level Education Specialist Credential issued for five years following completion of a Commission-approved induction program.
Individualized Induction Plan Participants in an approved induction program must have an induction plan that is developed cooperatively with the candidate and the support provider in order to guide the professional development of the beginning teacher during the induction period.

Induction Program Sponsor An induction program sponsor is an institution or agency that operates a Commission-approved induction program and is responsible for the recommendation for a credential when the approved program is completed. All induction programs participate in the Commission’s accreditation system.
Level I Education Specialist Teaching Credential Starting in 1997, this is the entry level Education Specialist Credential issued for five years following completion of a specific set of requirements including but not limited to bachelor’s degree, special education preparation program including student teaching, and specific content coursework.

Level II Education Specialist Teaching Credential Starting in 1997, this is the advanced level Education Specialist Credential issued for five years following completion of a Commission-approved program at a college or university and two years of teaching experience.

Preliminary Education Specialist Teaching Credential Starting in 2010, this is the entry level Education Specialist Credential issued for five years following completion of a specific set of requirements including but not limited to bachelor’s degree, special education preparation program including student teaching, and specific content coursework.

Special Education Induction Program Induction is a program of support and formative assessment. This is the route to earn a clear credential (advanced certification) for Level I and preliminary Education Specialist Credential holders when regulations are completed.

Transition Plan The preliminary Education Specialist preparation program must develop a Transition Plan with each candidate prior to the completion of the preliminary program. The transition plan will guide and assist the developers of the Individualized Induction Plan (IIP) for the clear credential.

Source California Credential Commission
http://www.ctc.ca.gov/credentials/FAQ/faq-special-ed.html

Five In-Demand Careers That Make a Difference

noreply@blogger.com (Mark A. Satorre) — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 05:16:00 +0000

by Jessica Hanley, FindtheRightSchool.com

If you're contemplating a career change, you may be interested in seeking work that makes a difference in peoples' lives. And many careers that give you opportunities to help others also offer job security in fast-growing fields.

Online education and other training options can prepare you for a career you feel good about, without forcing you to sacrifice your current income. Here are five such careers that are expected to grow faster than average in the next several years.

1. Special Education Teacher

Special education teachers teach students with cognitive, emotional, and physical disabilities. With school enrollment of special needs students rising, the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) expects employment of special education teachers to rise by 17 percent from 2008 to 2018. In 2008, special education teachers in elementary schools earned an average of $52,970; those in high schools earned an average of $55,050.

State licensing for special education teachers generally requires a bachelor's degree in special education or completion of a state-approved licensing program. A master's degree in special education may be required. Several on-campus and online degree programs can help you prepare for this rewarding, in-demand career.

2. Occupational Therapist Assistant

Occupational therapists help people with physical and mental disabilities navigate everyday life and work. These therapists depend on their assistants to help patients perform exercises and to monitor patient activity and progress. In 2008, the average salary for occupational therapist assistants was $48,440, and the BLS expects the field to grow by 30 percent through 2018.

Occupational therapist assistants are required to earn an associate's degree in occupational therapy and pass a national licensing exam before beginning work. Associate's degree programs in occupational therapy take approximately two years to complete and include basic anatomy, health, and physiology courses, in addition to clinical experience.

3. Registered Nurse

Registered nurses work in hospitals, care centers, and medical offices to help evaluate and care for patients. According to the BLS, nurses earned an average of $65,130 in 2008, and employment is expected to grow by 22 percent from 2008 to 2018.

Registered nurses must be licensed by their state, and most prepare for licensing by earning either an associate's degree in nursing or a bachelor's of science in nursing from an accredited nursing school. Online degree programs in nursing are becoming more abundant and allow you to work toward a degree without giving up your current job.

4. Pharmacy Technician

Pharmacy technicians work with licensed pharmacists to fill prescriptions, assist customers, and stock the shelves of pharmacies. Pharmacy technicians earned an average of $28,500 in 2008, and the BLS expects their employment to increase by 31 percent through 2018.

Pharmacy technicians don't have strict educational requirements, but many employers prefer to hire technicians who have completed high school and a formal pharmacy technician education program. These programs range from six months to two years in length and ensure basic pharmaceutical knowledge and laboratory skills.

5. Mental Health Counselor

Mental health counselors work with individuals, families, and groups to improve overall mental health. Many patients of mental health counselors suffer from depression, anxiety, addiction, or stress, and counselors use a variety of therapeutic techniques to address these problems. The BLS expects employment of mental health counselors to increase by 24 percent from 2008 to 2018. In 2008, mental health counselors earned an average of $40,270.

Though licensing requirements vary by state, most mental health counselors are required to have a master's degree in psychology or clinical mental health counseling. Most mental health master's degree programs take between two and three years to complete and include a period of supervised clinical experience. Online degree programs in psychology allow you to work toward a master's degree without leaving your current job.

Making a Difference

Helping other people could be a way to help yourself to a more rewarding career. If you have compassion, dedication, and a desire to make the world a better place, seek out training centers, local colleges, and online degree programs that can help you make a transition.

Source Yahoo

http://hotjobs.yahoo.com/career-articles-five_in_demand_careers_that_make_a_difference-1127

New Mexico REAP Job Openings

noreply@blogger.com (Mark A. Satorre) — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 20:57:00 +0000

EAP System: www.nmreap.net
From: REAP Administrator

Dear Reap Applicant,
We are pleased to announce that there are new job openings in one or more of the categories in which you have expressed an interest.
Each job description has a link identified by the words, "Click Here to View Details," to allow you see the actual job listing in REAP. The job details will be displayed in your web browser, and you can respond to the job from there.
Tip: After reading the details of the first job, minimize (don't close) your browser when you are ready to return to this message. Then click on the next job in this message. This will allow you to use your browser's "Back" button to retrieve your last job.
But act fast, these jobs tend to fill quickly!

Note: If you are no longer interested in receiving these notifications, please update your REAP Application:
If you are no longer seeking employment, place your REAP Application on "Hold."
Otherwise, update the "Job Preferences" section of your REAP Application to indicate whether you wish to receive email notifications.
Help is available at the REAP Help Desk: (800) 288-8115.

The following jobs have been posted since our last message:
District Name: Alamogordo Public Schools
Position Type: Teaching Positions
Position Name: Classroom Teacher
Subject Name: Special Education
Preferred Category: Special Education
Description (partial): SPECIAL ED TEACHER - Sacramento Elementary School. QUALIFICATIONS: Current NM Educator's License;
Click Here to View Details

Spedlifecebu

Source

VIF Program is seeking Mathematics, Science and Special Education teachers for Summer 2010

noreply@blogger.com (Mark A. Satorre) — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 20:50:00 +0000

VIF Program is seeking Mathematics, Science and Special Education teachers for Summer 2010

Program Requirements
Before you complete an application, make sure you meet our minimum requirements:

The equivalent of a U.S. Bachelor’s degree with completion of a University teacher preparation program
3 or more years of experience teaching either Mathematics, Science or Special Education
English language proficiency
Valid Non-Professional or Professional driver’s license issued prior to August 2008.

We are currently searching for teachers in a variety of subject areas and considering applications for the 2010-11 school year for positions starting in August 2010. Your registration indicated that you teach one of the following subjects: Mathematics, Science or Special Education.

Application Process
If you meet the minimum Program Requirements and are interested in an international teaching experience in the U.S., we invite you to submit an application using the link provided. If your application is accepted, a VIF representative will contact you to speak further about this opportunity and schedule a phone interview.

The VIF Program upholds a very high standard for selection and considers a variety of factors when determining a teacher’s eligibility and compatibility with our program. To learn more about our application process and program requirements, visit http://www.vifprogram.com/apply/faqs.html.

Thank you for your interest in teaching with the VIF Program. We look forward to hearing from you.

VIF Program | PO BOX 3566 | Chapel Hill, NC, 27515 USA
Privacy Policy

Spedlifecebu

Source

Cebu Pacific faces flak over discrimination issue

noreply@blogger.com (Mark A. Satorre) — Sat, 09 Jan 2010 16:58:00 +0000

MANILA, Philippines – Legislators and cause-oriented groups scored Cebu Pacific for discriminating against special children on board a Manila-bound flight.

Two parents with special children publicly complained that the crew of the Gokongwei-led airline tried to bump them off before the flight departed from Hong Kong last December 23.

Marites Alcantara, mother of a 14-year old child with Global Development Delay, a development disorder, and Estella Santos, mother of a 4-year old child with Down Syndrome, individually recounted to ABS-CBN the trauma they experienced from the efforts of the flight crew to deplane them.

The crew members and the pilot misunderstood an aviation safety policy that disallows having two passengers with mental conditions on the same flight. The policy, however, was not intended for special children.

The airline has admitted the fault and apologized for it. Liability

“The incident exemplifies how various forms of discrimination against persons with disabilities persist in our society and how much work needs to be done to rectify these,” Sen. Pia Cayetano, the principal author of Republic Act 7277, or the Magna Carta on Disabled Persons, said in a statement.

Sen. Cayetano, however, welcomed the airline’s apology and stressed the importance for “all airlines and transport facilities to review their respective policies on conveying people with disabilities.”

She cited section 34 of RA 7277, which states that “any franchisees, operators or personnel of sea, land and air transportation facilities” are considered to be discriminating against special children when these “refuse to convey a passenger by reason of his or her disability."

For his part, Sen. Ramon Revilla Jr. warned about the possibility of revoking the franchise of Cebu Pacific.

The airline industry in the Philippines remains a highly regulated business with air routes for privately held airlines, like Cebu Pacific, still limited by bilateral or multi-lateral air services.

In a statement, Sen. Revilla Jr., who chairs the Senate committee on public services, said Cebu Pacific could lose its franchise for disallowing more than one special child on board.

"Their policy might be a ground for the revocation of their franchise," Sen. Revilla said, citing the law on Special Protection of Children Against Abuse.

“What Cebu Pacific did was highly humiliating to the mother, much more to the child." Sen. Revilla added. Awareness

The incident highlights the need for more information and awareness campaigns on the rights of children and persons with special disabilities, according to Gwen Pimentel, president of the Association of Child-Caring Agencies of the Philippines.

In a statement on Friday, Pimentel said, “The airline crew should have been more considerate towards Mrs. Alcantara and her son. Special children should be treated with sensitivity and compassion by society because of their difficult condition.”

She specifically cited section 34 on public transportation of the Magna Carta for Disabled Persons (Republic Act 7277) which provides: "It shall be considered discrimination for the franchisees or operators and personnel of sea, land and air transportation to charge higher fare or to refuse to convey a passenger, his orthopedic devices, personal effects, and merchandise by reason of his disability."

She said, while the reported public apology of airline management is welcomed, the incident should prod the Cebu Pacific and other aviation firms to review their respective policies in accommodating persons with disabilities and ensure that their rights and dignity as human beings are not disregarded or undermined.

http://ph.news.yahoo.com/abs/20100109/tph-cebu-pacific-faces-flak-over-discrim-85c5a6c.html

Spedlifecebu

Teacher loses fight to keep job Judge gives L.A. Unified permission to terminate Matthew Kim, who has done no work for seven years.

noreply@blogger.com (Mark A. Satorre) — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 23:06:00 +0000

By Jason Song
July 14, 2009

A Los Angeles County Superior Court judge has given school district officials the go-ahead to fire a special education teacher seven years after they decided he did not belong in a classroom because of alleged sexual harassment.

In his decision made public Monday, Judge David P. Yaffe sharply criticized the state panel that oversees contested teacher firings for disregarding earlier judicial orders. The commission's decisions show their "profound contempt for, and disrespect of, the judgments and orders of the courts of this state," Yaffe wrote.

The ruling involves Matthew Kim, who was accused of touching co-workers' breasts and making improper advances toward students. He was featured in a Times article last spring as an example of the district's inability to act swiftly against teachers accused of egregious or immoral acts.

The decision is a result of years of legal wrangling before a state board that oversees contested teacher firings as well as Superior Court and appellate judges. All told, the Los Angeles Unified School District has spent nearly $2 million, including Kim's pay and benefits while he was barred from the classroom.

Known as a "housed" employee, he and about 160 others reported every day to administrative offices, where they were assigned no work.

Kim was born with cerebral palsy and uses a wheelchair; he has argued that any touching was involuntary, an assertion he made again Monday in an e-mail. "I have not touched anybody intentionally," Kim said.

After he was fired by the school board in 2003, Kim appealed to the state Commission on Professional Competence, which unanimously found that some of Kim's actions could have been considered sexual harassment but ruled that he should not be fired. The district appealed the decision and a higher court ordered the commission to rehear the case.

Late last year, without considering any new evidence, the same three-member panel again ordered that Kim be retained. The district appealed and Yaffe ruled in its favor.

Supt. Ramon C. Cortines said Monday that he would order the district to stop paying Kim, a move that the teacher's attorney opposes.

"I hope [the decision] sends a message that we need to do more to protect children and other employees," he said.

Kim, who was reassigned from a district office to his home last spring, plans to appeal. "I'm sure it'll work out my way," wrote Kim, who received his undergraduate degree in physics from UC Berkeley but said he became a teacher because he wanted to help disabled students.

Yaffe also criticized the state commission for changing its findings. In its second decision, the commission reversed itself and did not determine that his actions constituted sexual harassment.

"What the commission has done . . . is to try to change the facts of the case to support its prior decision, instead of changing its prior decision to one that is supported by the facts of the case," Yaffe wrote.

He also questioned why the commission did not consider -- as ordered -- the consequences of returning Kim to the classroom, especially because he required a full-time aide while teaching.

"Should the women who are hired [to work with Kim] be told that they must submit to 'non-volitional arm movements' by Kim that touch their breasts, in order to accommodate his disability?" Yaffe wrote.

Officials with the Department of General Services, which oversees the state panels, declined to comment because the case is still technically active. The district must still respond to Yaffe's order before it is finalized.

In 2002, while his case wound through the firing process, Kim was placed on administrative leave. He received his full annual salary of up to $68,000 and benefits.

Kim was one of about 160 district employees who were housed in district offices while allegations against them were investigated. Cases can take years to resolve and officials say they are prohibited from assigning the employees chores such as filing or answering telephones because of a clause in the teachers union contract.

The Times found that other school districts finish their investigations faster and give their employees work while they are reassigned.

Kim's case was featured in a Times story in May about the practice. He declined to comment for the original story but after it was published, he asked for an interview to say that he had never willfully touched anyone and that he was the victim of discrimination.

In commission and court documents, a co-worker said Kim touched her breast with his left hand, the only one over which he has some control. Another co-worker made similar allegations. A student said he asked her if she had a boyfriend and if she was a virgin and another said Kim stared at her and urged her not to change her hair color, documents showed. Over a one-year period at Grant High School in Van Nuys, he was accused four times of sexual harassment, according to a court document.

Kim's attorney, Lawrence Trygstad, said the judge's directives to the commission were unclear and that his client was eager to return to work.

"He wants to go back to the classroom," Trygstad said.

jason.song@latimes.com

source http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-teachers-kim14-2009jul14,0,3479234.story

Spedlifecebu

1 million California children who qualify for free breakfast at school go without

noreply@blogger.com (Mark A. Satorre) — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 23:01:00 +0000

December 11, 2009 | 12:30 pm

More than 1 million low-income California children who receive for free or reduced-price school lunches do not get breakfast at school even though they would qualify, and about a fifth of the schools in the state do not even offer breakfast, according to two reports from the Food Research and Action Center.

California ranked 33rd in low-income-student participation in the School Breakfast Program for 2008-09, the same ranking it received a year earlier. In terms of the number of schools that offer breakfast, California’s ranking fell from 35th to 40th, the Washington-based group said.

In the 2008-09 school year, 8,756 schools that took part in the National School Lunch Program also offered breakfast, compared with 8,922 schools the previous year. Nationally, fewer than half of the eligible children receive breakfast at school, according to the reports released Monday.

In 2008-09, 8.8 million children took part in the breakfast program on an average day; the lunch program served 18.9 million children.

“The program is seriously underutilized,” center president James Weill said Monday.

Children have consistently increased their participation since the early 1990s, but “it’s not across the board, and it’s not fast enough,” Weill said.

“We really think of the School Breakfast Program as a modest miracle of good public policy,” he said.

The program, which began as a pilot project in 1966 and became permanent in 1975, helps alleviate hunger, improves student achievement and reduces levels of absenteeism, the group said. One way to improve participation is to “fit the program to the actual lives of children in schools," Weill said.

"When you serve breakfast only in the cafeteria, 30 to 40 to 50 minutes before school starts, too many kids don’t get there on their school bus or public transportation or they understandably want” to be with their friends rather than in the cafeteria, he said.

Solutions include serving breakfast in class and providing carts from which students can grab a bagged or boxed meal. About 1 million low-income California children took advantage of the breakfast program in 2008-09, compared with 2.4 million for the lunch program, according to the center’s research.

In the Los Angeles Unified School District, all schools serve breakfast, and all but 250 of the 711 schools offer a “second-chance” breakfast, which is served during a break, said Laura Benavidez, deputy director in charge of operations for the district’s food services.

The portion of students who qualify for free or reduced-price lunches is on the rise in this difficult economy, from about 76% a few years ago to 80% to 82% this year, Benavidez said.

In one report, the research group looked at 25 urban school districts. The San Diego Unified School District increased the share of low-income students participating in school breakfast and lunch in 2008-09 to 51.2% from 38.4% the previous year.

L.A. Unified’s gain was 0.9 percentage points, while the Oakland Unified School District’s participation fell by 1.5 percentage points.

In addition to nutrition and hunger issues, the lack of participation in the breakfast program represented a lost opportunity to bring in more federal dollars — because the federal government reimburses the state for meals eaten under the programs, advocates said.

For California, if 60 of every 100 children who ate free or reduced-price lunch also had breakfast, the state would receive nearly $98 million more in federal reimbursements, the food research center said.

-- Mary MacVean

Photo: L.A. Times file

Source http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2009/12/1-million-california-children-who-qualify-for-free-breakfast-at-school-go-without.html

Spedlifecebu.com

Langley Resource Teachers Speak Out

noreply@blogger.com (Mark A. Satorre) — Sat, 05 Dec 2009 21:28:00 +0000

Langley teachers, members of the Langley Teachers' Association and the British Columbia Teachers' Federation - speak out about the lack of resources for children with special needs in the Langley system.

Source: Youtube