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- Can video games help students with disabilities learn geometry?
Educator Brian Kenney at Centennial High School in Corona, Calif., is using commercial video games, such as Minecraft, to teach math concepts to students with disabilities. Students with disabilities are paired with peers from Kenney's video game design class to work on building virtual homes with blocks, a process Kenney says helps them learn geometry. While research on the effectiveness of the approach, teachers and students are enthusiastic, with Kenney saying, "They actually come in on Saturdays and they can't get enough of it." The Press-Enterprise (Riverside, Calif.) (free registration)
(11/29)     
 | SmartSummit: When teachers succeed, students succeed
Join Kahului Elementary School principal Sue Forbes and academic coach Stacey Hankinson on April 25 to hear how their teacher support program enabled their students to thrive amid the pandemic, despite extreme staff shortages and chronic absenteeism. The pair will also discuss why teachers are at the center of their student growth model and more.
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| Educational Leadership | | |
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- What makes a good teacher team?
 Strong teams can help educators feel connected to their colleagues and build emotional resilience in a job that is getting tougher to do, transformational leadership coach Elena Aguilar writes. In this blog post, Aguilar shares five ideas about what makes a good team such as creating a "safe space" for professional learning. "There are many reasons for which those of us working in schools might gather in a team but I believe that all of those reasons should contain opportunities for learning with and from each other," she writes. Edutopia.org/Elena Aguilar's blog
(11/28)
| Technology Trends | | |
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- How technology creates more opportunities for inclusion
The increasing variety and affordability of assistive technology devices is making it easier for people with disabilities to participate more fully in life, Stephen Bennett, CEO of United Cerebral Palsy, writes in this blog post. Offering examples of devices and software developed by UCP, Bennett writes about how a man with cerebral palsy uses a $199 software program to write books and poetry. "Technology has increased this independence, helping to build bridges toward an inclusive society," Bennett writes. The Huffington Post/The Blog
(11/29)
| Policy News | | |
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- Some states' graduation rates lower with new calculations
The U.S. Department of Education used a common metric to calculate graduation rates for all states and the District of Columbia for the 2010-11 school year -- the first time it has done so. The statistics, released Monday, show the rate at which first-time ninth-graders earn a high-school diploma within four years. Arkansas had the highest graduation rate for students with disabilities at 75%, while Mississippi and Nevada had the lowest at 23%. Many states reported lower graduation rates than revealed in past calculations, and the data also show gaps in achievement among students. Education Week/Politics K-12 blog
(11/26), The Huffington Post
(11/26), Education Week/Politics K-12 blog data chart
(11/26)
| Eye on Exceptionalities | | |
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- Danish company builds on strengths of adults with autism
The unusual talents of focus displayed by his son, Lars, who has autism, lead Thorkil Sonne of Ringsted, Denmark, to started a company to employ people with autism as technical consultants. Employees of Specialisterne often perform data entry and software testing, areas which require focus and attention to detail. Sonne's company has prompted five similar startups, and he will soon start hiring for the company's U.S. headquarters in Delaware. The New York Times (tiered subscription model)/Magazine
(11/29)
| CEC Spotlight | | |
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Registration now open for the CEC 2013 Convention & Expo
Join us April 3-6, 2013, in San Antonio for the CEC 2013 Convention & Expo, the largest professional development event dedicated to special and gifted education. Educators from around the world will discuss the most pressing issues in special and gifted education and share information in areas such as common core state standards, autism spectrum disorders, policy, technology and response to intervention. Register today!
| SmartQuote | | |
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 | The robbed that smiles, steals something from the thief."
--William Shakespeare,
British playwright
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| | Recent CEC SmartBrief Issues:
- Thursday, November 29, 2012
- Wednesday, November 28, 2012
- Tuesday, November 27, 2012
- Monday, November 26, 2012
- Wednesday, November 21, 2012
| | | Lead Editor: Melissa Greenwood
Contributing Editor: Katharine Haber
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