United States Department of Education links http://www.ed.gov United States Department of Education: Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services http://www.ed.gov/osers IDEA '97 Regulations (Individuals with Disabilities Education Act) http://www.ed.gov/offices/OSERS/Policy/IDEA/regs.html Publications from the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services Overview ­ IDEA'97 Final Regulations Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP), U.S. Department of Education. MS Word [132K] http://www.ed.gov/offices/OSERS/Policy/IDEA/OVERVIEW.DOC IDEA '97 General Overview Questions & Answers Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP), U.S. Department of Education, 1999. http://www.ed.gov/offices/OSERS/Policy/IDEA/overview.html IDEA'97 Provisions of Special Interest to Parents -- Topic Brief http://www.ed.gov/policy/speced/leg/idea/brief12.html A Guide to the Individualized Education Program http://www.ed.gov/parents/needs/speced/iepguide/index.html Clarification of the Role of the IEP Team in Selecting Individual Accommodations, Modifications in Administration, and Alternate Assessments for State and District-wide Assessments of Student Achievement http://www.dssc.org/frc/fed/JointAssessmentMemo.final.doc ADHD - Identifying and Treating Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder: A Resource for School And Home This resource guide designed for families and educators provides information on how attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is identified and treated. The resource includes sections on legal requirements, treatment options and helpful hints on how to improve the quality of life at home and at school, for a child identified with ADHD. http://www.ed.gov/teachers/needs/speced/adhd/adhd-resource-pt1.doc ADHD - Teaching Children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder: Instructional Strategies and Practices. The report, designed for teachers, other school staff, and families, describes an overall strategy for successfully instructing students with ADHD. Suggestions of research-based academic instruction, behavioral interventions and classroom accommodations are provided. http://www.ed.gov/teachers/needs/speced/adhd/adhd-resource-pt2.doc Children with ADD/ADHD ­ Topic Brief http://www.ed.gov/policy/speced/leg/idea/brief6.html Educating Children with Autism National Academy Press; (2001, 300pp.) Catherine Lord and James P. McGee, editors, Committee on Educational Interventions for Children with Autism, National Research Council http://www.nap.edu/books/0309072697/html/ Functional Behavioral Assessment ­ Fact Sheet PDF [88K] http://www.ideapractices.org/resources/files/fba.pdf Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports ­ Fact Sheet PDF [88K] http://www.ideapractices.org/resources/files/pbis.pdf Keys to Successful Learning: A National Summit on Research in Learning Disabilities A videocast from Keys to Successful Learning: A National Summit on Research in Learning Disabilities, held May 6-9, 1999; National Center on Learning Disabilities in partnership with The Office of Special Education Programs, U.S. Department of Education, and the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, National Institutes of Health. (This is a video. You will need to download and install and RealMedia G2 Player, available on the same page.) http://www.connectlive.com/events/learningsummit/ "Learning to Read/Reading to Learn" Learning To Read/Reading To Learn Campaign; Helping Children with Learning Disabilities to Succeed. Office of Special Education Programs ­ National Center to Improve the Tools of Educators July 9, 1996. http://idea.uoregon.edu/~ncite/programs/read.html Questions and Answers on Mediation(PDF) http://www.directionservice.org/cadre/vet_QAonmediation.cfm Questions and Answers about Provisions in the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act Amendments of 1997 Related to Students with Disabilities and State and District-wide Assessments http://www.dssc.org/frc/AssessmentQ&A.pdf Schoolwide Approaches to Behavior ­ Fact Sheet http://www.ideapractices.org/resources/files/schoolwideapproach.pdf Regular Education Teachers as IEP Team Members -- Topic Brief Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP), U.S. Department of Education, 1999. http://www.ed.gov/policy/speced/leg/idea/brief3.html Use of "Developmental Delay" by States and LEAs-- Topic Brief http://www.ed.gov/policy/speced/leg/idea/brief7.html Publications of General Interest from the United States Department of Education You can order many of these materials by contacting EDPubs, the Department of Education's publications distribution center. Most are available in English and Spanish. Please see the website to determine which are available in print and which are available only on line. http://www.ed.gov/parents/academic/help/tools-for-success/index.html Online-http://www.ed.gov/pubs/edpubs.html Email-edpubs@inet.ed.gov Telephone-1-877-4-ED-PUBS FAX-1-301-470-1244 TTY/TDD-1-877-576-7734 Mail-ED Pubs, P.O. Box 1398, Jessup, Md. 20794-1398 No Child Left Behind: A Parents Guide summarizes the No Child Left Behind Act. It answers common questions about the law, explains what the law does for parents, and tells where to find additional resources. http://www.ed.gov/parents/academic/involve/nclbguide/parentsguide.html Questions Parents Ask About Schools provides answers to commonly asked questions on topics such as Getting Ready for School, Monitoring School Work, Helping with Reading, and Working with Schools and Teachers. http://www.ed.gov/parents/academic/help/questions/index.html Helping Your Child Become a Reader: Other than helping your children to grow up healthy and happy, the most important thing that you can do for them is to help them develop their reading skills. This booklet offers pointers on how to build the language skills of young children, and includes a list of typical language accomplishments for different age groups, suggestions for books, and resources for children with reading problems or learning disabilities. http://www.ed.gov/parents/academic/help/reader/index.html Helping Your Child With Homework: Homework can help children to develop positive study skills and habits, improve their thinking and memory abilities, and encourage them to use time well, learn independently, and take responsibility for their work. This booklet helps parents of elementary and junior high school students understand why homework is important and makes suggestions for helping children complete assignments successfully. http://www.ed.gov/parents/academic/help/homework/index.html Helping Your Preschool Child: How well children will learn and develop and how well they will do in school depends on a number of things, including their health and physical well-being, social and emotional preparation, and language skills and general knowledge of the world. This booklet highlights techniques parents can use to encourage their children to develop the skills necessary for success in school and life by focusing on activities that make learning fun. http://www.ed.gov/parents/earlychild/ready/preschool/part.html Helping Your Child Succeed in School: Every child has the power to succeed in school and in life and every parent, family member and caregiver can help. This booklet provides parents with information, tools and activities they can use in the home to help their child develop the skills critical to academic success. http://www.ed.gov/parents/academic/help/succeed/index.html Helping Your Child Learn Mathematics: Our increasingly technological world demands strong skills in mathematics, not only in the workforce but also in everyday life, and these demands will only increase over the lifetimes of our children. The major portion of this booklet is made up of fun activities that parents can use with children from preschool age through grade 5 to strengthen their math skills and build strong positive attitudes toward math. http://www.ed.gov/parents/academic/help/math/index.html Helping Your Child Learn Science Every day is filled with opportunities to learn science-without expensive chemistry sets or books. Parents don't need degrees in chemistry or physics to help their children learn science. All that is needed is a willingness to observe and learn with them, and, above all, to make an effort and take the time to nurture their natural curiosity. This booklet provides parents of children ages 3 through 10 with information, tools and activities they can use in the home and community to help their child develop an interest in the sciences and learn about the world around them. http://www.ed.gov/parents/academic/help/science/index.html Reading Tips for Parents: Addresses topics such as: How Can I Help My Child Be Ready to Read and Ready to Learn? Includes How Do I Know a Good Early Reading Program When I See One? Simple Strategies for Creating Strong Readers; and The Five Essential Components of Reading. http://www.ed.gov/parents/read/resources/readingtips/index.html Homework Tips for Parents: Homework has been a part of students' lives since the beginning of formal schooling in the United States. However, the practice has sometimes been accepted and other times rejected, both by educators and parents. This has happened because homework can have both positive and negative effects on children's learning and attitudes toward school. Contains tips for reading and math homework. http://www.ed.gov/parents/academic/involve/homework/part.html Put Reading First: Helping Your Child Learn to Read: This brochure, designed for parents of young children, describes the kinds of early literacy activities that should take place at school and at home to help children learn to read successfully. It is based on the findings of the National Reading Panel. http://www.nifl.gov/partnershipforreading/publications/reading_first2.html Put Reading First: The Research Building Blocks for Teaching Children to Read: This booklet summarizes for teachers what researchers have discovered about how to teach children to read successfully. It describes the findings of the National Reading Panel Report and provides analysis and discussion in five areas of reading instruction: phonemic awareness; phonics; fluency; vocabulary; and text comprehension. Each section suggests implications for classroom instruction as well as other information. http://www.nifl.gov/partnershipforreading/publications/reading_first1.html Ten Facts Every Parent Should Know About the No Child Left Behind Act: Quick facts for parents explaining how the historic No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 can help their children. (In English and Spanish.) http://www.ed.gov/nclb/choice/help/tenfacts/index.html Teaching Our Youngest-A Guide for Preschool Teachers & Child Care & Family Providers: This booklet draws from scientifically based research about what you can do to help children to develop their language abilities, increase their knowledge, become familiar with books and other printed materials, learn letters and sounds, recognize numbers, and learn to count. Many examples of strategies you can use for teaching these skills are included here. Also included are examples of ways to create an environment in your preschool classrooms that will nurture children's natural curiosity and their zest for learning. http://www.ed.gov/teachers/how/early/teachingouryoungest/index.html