Many schools and communities are planning to use the back-to-school season to build partnerships to help improve student learning. Last year...

The Chamber of Commerce in Cartersville/Bartow County, Georgia -- in conjunction with local schools -- encouraged businesses to allow employees time off, either with pay or without penalty, so parents could accompany their children on the first day of school. Twenty-three businesses participated. One elementary school reported that normally it would have had 100 parents at the opening of school events, but 300 parents turned out as a result of the "First Day of School" project.

For more ideas, please see http://www.ed.gov/Family/agbts/

For information on Secretary Riley's August 27-30 back-to-school bus tour through rural communities along the Mississippi River, please see http://www.ed.gov/PressReleases/06-2000/0614.html

This week Secretary Riley announced grants to help 9 states and D.C. use scientifically based reading research to improve the reading skills of up to 1 million pre-K through grade 3 children -- particularly at-risk students. These states will now run grant competitions for eligible school districts.

Under the Reading Excellence Act program, schools are expected to help teachers use a balanced reading approach based on research, provide early intervention (such as one-on-one tutoring for children having trouble learning to read), and organize family literacy programs for parents to support children's learning to read. For details, please see http://www.ed.gov/offices/OESE/REA/awardees.html

The Department's 3 regional IAS conferences will be held September 18-20 in Sacramento, CA, October 2-4 in Louisville, KY, and December 13-15 in Washington, D.C. Teachers and principals, administrators and program managers, education officials and organizations, and others are invited to attend. Participants will learn how to integrate federal programs with local efforts and how to use Department-supported resources and technical assistance to pursue comprehensive school reform. The conferences will also help participants understand Department initiatives, recent research, and funding opportunities. State and local *teams* are encouraged to attend, and group discounts are available. For a detailed conference agenda and to register online, see http://www.ncbe.gwu.edu/iasconferences/index.htm

This week the Department marked the 10th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) by sending a letter to principals, superintendents, and college and university presidents reminding them that prompt action must be taken if harassment of a student based on disability interferes with the student's ability to participate or benefit from the school's program. http://www.ed.gov/PressReleases/07-2000/0726_2.html

Title II of the ADA prohibits discrimination based on disability by any public entity, including public schools, colleges, and universities. Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act prohibits discrimination based on disability by recipients of federal financial assistance, while the Individuals with Disabilities Act (IDEA) entitles students with disabilities to a free appropriate public education.

Also this week, the Presidential Task Force on Employment of Adults with Disabilities unveiled http://www.disability.gov, which provides one-stop access to resources, services, and information available throughout the federal government.

The Department offers a variety of publications for Spanish speakers and those who serve Hispanics, including...

• a brochure of toll-free numbers of Department offices with bilingual specialists -- !Aproveche! Servicios e informacion sobre la educacion
• a video kit that offers tips for parent involvement in early childhood, reading, math, and college preparation -- Vamos juntos a la escuela
• a booklet of tips on 50 ways to challenge young minds -- Desafie la mente de los jovenes 50 maneras de mejorar la educacion
• a booklet suggesting ways to help strengthen your child's academic future -- Ayude a fortalecer el futuro academico de su hijo.

For a complete list of these publications (and a link where they may be ordered online or by phone), please visit the Recursos en Espanol (Resources in Spanish) homepage at http://www.ed.gov/offices/OIIA/spanishresources/

For additional information on efforts to improve educational opportunities and achieve excellence in the education of Hispanics, please see the White House Initiative on Educational Excellence for Hispanic Americans website http://www.ed.gov/offices/OIIA/Hispanic/

This month Secretary Riley announced awards for 10 regional organizations to help states, districts, and schools improve math and science education. The grants, made under the Eisenhower Regional Mathematics and Science Education Consortia Program, will support efforts to provide exemplary instructional materials and provide technical assistance to schools and teachers. For example...

• The Appalachia Educational Laboratory's plan includes hosting an annual conference on closing the achievement gap for under served students and establishing web-based communities to provide continuous support for educators.
• The Mid-Atlantic Consortium's plan includes professional development workshops for more than 3,000 participants, leadership conferences, and the Middle School Math Project.

http://www.ed.gov/PressReleases/07-2000/0712.html

The bipartisan congressional Web-based Education Commission is inviting a range of experts to submit online "e-testimony" on public policies needed to help fulfill the educational promise of the Internet. The Commission wants to hear from individuals and organizations that have a stake in the future of education and that may be affected by the results of the Commission's efforts. Specifically, the Commission seeks concrete recommendations on a number of policy issues and questions related to access, professional development, distributive learning, assessment and accreditation, cost and financing, standards, intellectual property protection, online privacy, research and development, and marketplace forces. (The complete list of issues is at http://www.webcommission.org)

The deadline for submitting e-testimony is August 18. The Commission will review all e-testimony received by this date in developing preliminary findings. All e-testimony will be posted on the Commission's website.

To e-testify, it is necessary to contact the Commission via email at web.commission@ed.gov and request a user login, password, and instructions for submitting e-testimony. If email is not available, please call the Commission at (202) 502-7561. E-testimony may be submitted in a number of digital formats and may be supplemented by including an appropriate website URL.

"America's Children: Key National Indicators of Well-Being, 2000" tells that fewer children are living in poverty, there is less violent crime among young people, and the teen birthrate is the lowest it's been in at least 40 years. This annual report, compiled by the Federal Interagency Forum on Child and Family Statistics, looks at economic security, health, behavior and social environment, and education. http://childstats.gov

More than 400 education libraries and curriculum materials centers have been added to the Education Resource Organizations Directory (EROD). EROD is an online database you can use to identify libraries, assistance centers, and other organizations in your state that offer help on education challenges. http://www.ed.gov/Programs/EROD/

"Public Libraries in the United States: FY 1997" provides data on circulation, library visits, reference transactions, public service hours, interlibrary loans, children's program attendance and circulation of children's materials, staff, income, expenditures, and more. http://nces.ed.gov/pubsearch/pubsinfo.asp?pubid=2000316

"Practical Assessment, Research and Evaluation" is an online journal providing education professionals access to articles on assessment, research, evaluation, and teaching practice. http://ericae.net/pare/

"Digital Bridges: Video Conferencing for Teaching and Learning" looks at ways videoconferencing is being used for instruction, communication, and collaboration. http://www.netc.org/digitalbridges/index.html

"Building Your Baby's Brain: A Parent's Guide to the First 5 Years" tells how parents of young children can take advantage of recent findings from brain research in order to optimize young children's learning and development (PDF, available in English and Spanish). http://www.ed.gov/offices/OERI/ECI/publications.html

"The National Directory of Early Childhood Teacher Preparation Institutions" lists nearly 1,400 2- and 4-year colleges that offer programs for early childhood teachers. It was published by the National Center for Early Development and Learning (NCEDL) and the Council for Professional Recognition (CDA) and is available at http://www.cdacouncil.org For information about NCEDL -- which conducts research on enhancing the cognitive, social and emotional development of children from birth through age 8 -- please see http://www.fpg.unc.edu/~ncedl/

"Stepping Up to the Challenge: Case Studies of Educational Improvement and Title I in Secondary Schools" (July 2000) examines the role of Title I in 9 middle schools and 9 high schools that serve disadvantaged students, are engaged in comprehensive school improvement, and have high or improving student achievement. http://www.ed.gov/offices/OUS/PES/elem.html#stepping>

"Making Progress: An Update on State Implementation of Federal Education Laws Enacted in 1994" (June 2000) analyzes how state program administrators have continued to respond to the legislative framework enacted in 1994: the Improving America's Schools Act, the Goals 2000: Educate America Act, and the School to Work Opportunities Act. http://www.ed.gov/offices/OUS/PES/elem.html#making

ED Initiatives is made possible by many contributors, including Nicole Ashby, Jim Bradshaw, David Byer, Nick Cabiaiti, Dick Griffin, Peirce Hammond, Roberta Heine, Naomi Karp, Peter Kickbush, Loyd Little, Carol Rasco, Tracy Sisser, Irene Spero, Helen Stewart, David Thomas, Kim Watkins-Foote, and others.

Have a comment or suggestion on ED Initiatives? Please send it to Kirk Winters in the Office of the Under Secretary at kirk.winters@ed.gov.