LD Links (LD News: October 2006)

Community Resources for Students Transitioning from High School to Adulthood
PACER Center's Project C3: Connecting Youth to Communities and Careers is a new web-based resource map for young people in transition from school to the adult world.   The resource map will soon be available at www.c3mn.org.

To order a free copy of a brief describing the process, benefits, and results of resource mapping, call the Parent Advocacy Coalition for Educational Rights (PACER) at 888-248-0822.

Traits of Resilient Children with LD Highlighted
Research suggests that learning disabilities can lead to negative outcomes in a child’s life, but it also shows that many individuals are resilient and have the ability to overcome this challenge. A number of "protective factors," such as goal orientation, establishment of realistic plans for the future, and supportive adults have been identified in these individuals and are discussed in this article from Schwab Learning. 

For a full article, click here.

Call for Proposals, Multiple Perspectives Conference
The Multiple Perspectives conference on Access, Inclusion, and Disability, to be held on April 3 and 4, 2007, is calling for presenters to submit their papers by October 31, 2006. Presenters are encouraged to consider the theme of this year's conference, "Rights, Responsibilities & Social Change," during their preparations.

For more information, click here.

Meeting of the Minds II:  National Adult Education Practitioner-Researcher Symposium
From November 30 - December 2, the California Department of Education, in collaboration with the American Institutes for Research, the California Adult Literacy Professional Development Project, and the National Center for the Study of Adult Learning and Literacy will host a national adult education practitioner-researcher conference in Sacramento, California where adult education researchers, educators, and administrators will discuss the enhancement of literacy practice.

For more on the symposium, click here.

Disproportionate Representation of Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Students in Special Education
This practitioner brief from the National Center for Culturally Responsive Educational Systems discusses the history, regulations, and calculation strategies of the disproportionality of culturally and linguistically diverse students. The brief attempts to synthesize conflicting schools of thought on the topic, but suggests that further work be done in the field before a compromise can be proposed.

To download the brief in PDF form (12 pages), click here.

Help Finding Accommodations for the GEDs
The national office of the General Education Development Testing Service (GEDTS) has developed a new brochure listing possible accommodations for the GED test and providing information on how to request them.

For more information, and to download a PDF of this brochure, click here.

New Adolescent Literacy Web Site
The Carnegie Corporation of New York has launched a new Web site on adolescent literacy that provides information for individuals with literacy problems and their educators, families, and peers.

To visit this site, click here.

Mentoring Is Beneficial, When Done Right
The most recent issue of the newsletter from the Education Commission of the States summarizes reports on the benefits of mentoring, as well as reports on how they can do more harm than good when not properly conducted.

To read the newsletter, click here.

The What Works Clearinghouse Improves Web Site
The What Works Clearinghouse (WWC) is an initiative of the United States Department of Education's Institute of Education Sciences that collects, screens, and identifies studies of educational programs, products, practices, and policies. The WWC has announced a series of new intervention reports on topics including Beginning Reading, Early Childhood Education, Character Education, English Language Learning, Elementary School Mathematics, and Dropout Prevention.

To visit the What Works Clearinghouse Web site, click here.