E-News—Issue 8, Number 3

Welcome to the March 2005 issue of E-News!

E-News is designed to keep individuals informed of new developments in urban education and inclusive schooling practices in urban schools. In particular, E-News includes brief items of interest around the work of the National Institute and other organizations engaged in similar work, current research, upcoming conferences and events, new online and off-line products and resources, and other news happening in the field.

Features this month:

• Publication Highlight: Creating an Inclusive School
• News Brief: New Latino Caucus on Child Development
• Events: Differentiating Instruction and Understanding by Design (June 28-30); LASER (September 22-24)
• Resources: "Racial Disproportionality in School Disciplinary Practices"
• NIUSI Support Desk

NIUSI Update

Creating an Inclusive School, 2nd Edition
Richard A. Villa & Jacqueline S. Thousand

In this book, experts on inclusion share their wisdom and daily practices, including classroom and school-wide strategies for providing the best educational opportunities for all students. Learn the impact of the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) legislation on students with special needs, and explore promising curricular and instructional practices that foster inclusive education, including cooperative learning, teaming, multi-age grouping, multicultural education, social skills training, and technology applications. Personal stories about students with special needs, parents, and educators vividly portray the challenges and benefits that come with an inclusive approach to schooling.

For more information, visit http://shop.ascd.org/productdisplay.cfm?productid=10501

News Brief

New Latino Caucus on Child Development

The National Center for Latino Child and Family Research (NCLCFR), in collaboration with several other key Latino researchers, is excited to announce the launch of a new Latino Caucus within the structure of the Society for Research on Child Development (SRCD).

As the premier forum for child development research, the establishment of a Latino Caucus within SRCD will create a visible mechanism to more systematically and effectively address the importance of Latino issues within the broader child development research, program, and policy communities.

NCLCFR encourages those interested in joining the caucus to contact Executive Director Michael Lopez. In order to ensure long-term sustainability, the organization is seeking financial assistance. Tax-deductible donations are currently being accepted.

For more information, please contact Dr. Lopez at milopez@earthlink.net or 301-537-6552, or visit the center’s Web site: http://www.LatinoChildResearch.org

Events

Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development
Differentiating Instruction and Understanding by Design: Powerful Keys to Student Learning
June 28-30, 2005 • New York, NY

Discover how two of education's most powerful frameworks can team up to provide your school with a comprehensive, in-depth approach to ensure that all students are learning at maximum levels. Leading experts on Differentiated Instruction and Understanding by Design, including Carol Ann Tomlinson, Grant Wiggins, and Jay McTighe, will explain how to use the combined power of these two approaches to:
• Determine how to create multiple learning pathways to the big ideas in your curriculum
• Design curriculum units and lessons that can be differentiated in response to students' diverse readiness levels, abilities, and learning styles
• Focus instructional practice on diverse strategies for developing students' long-term retention and application of content
• Realize a vision of effective heterogeneous school communities where all students attain a deep understanding of subject matter and life skills

For more information, visit http://www.ascd.org/portal/site/ascd/index.jsp/

5th Annual LASER Urban Education Research Conference
September 22-24, 2005 • Tampa, FL

Linking Academic Scholars to Educational Resources (LASER), a five-year project of the U. S. Office of Special Education Programs, now in its final year, is pleased to offer free registration for this year’s conference. Presenters will include:
• Dr. Na'im Akbar, Florida State University
• Dr. Kathryn Au, University of Hawaii-Manoa
• Dr. Marilyn Cochran Smith, Boston College
• Dr. Ruben Donato, University of Colorado-Boulder
• Dr. Donna Ford, Vanderbilt University
• Dr. Gloria Ladson-Billings, University of Wisconsin-Madison

A pre-conference workshop on culturally responsive teaching is scheduled for September 21. Patterned after the recent spate of reality TV shows, this workshop actually shows teachers how to teach low-income children of diverse ethnic backgrounds in grades K-12, connect with their families, and get positive results.
For more information, please visit http://www.coedu.usf.edu/laser or contact LASER Project Coordinator Ms. Anh-Kay Pizano (apizano@coedu.usf.edu or 813-974-9890).

Resources

Racial Disproportionality in School Disciplinary Practices

This new practitioner brief from NIUSI's partner, the National Center for Culturally Responsive Educational Systems (NCCRESt), focuses on the disproportionate use of disciplinary practices with low-income, disabled, and culturally and linguistically diverse students. Research indicates that zero tolerance policies have increased in recent years despite the fact that these exclusionary policies and practices tend to result in further exclusion and more school failures and dropouts. This piece highlights alternative practices that have been proven to be effective, particularly school-wide Positive Behavior Support models that focus on prevention.

Free, downloadable copies may be obtained from NCCRESt's Web site: http://www.nccrest.org/publications.html

NIUSI Support Desk

If you have comments or questions about E-News, or have information you would like us to distribute to the list, please send all correspondence to:

Shelley Zion, Project Coordinator
NIUSI
1380 Lawrence Street, Suite 625
Denver, CO 80204
Phone: 303-556-3990
Fax: 303-556-6141
Email: shelley.zion@cudenver.edu