$3.5 million grant funds new national center based at University of Oregon Mission: improve success of young adults with disabilities after they leave school.EUGENE, Ore. -- About 10 percent of American children and youth in schools have disabilities, and experts at the University of Oregon The University of Oregon is a public university located in Eugene, Oregon. The university was founded in 1876, graduating its first class two years later. The University of Oregon is one of 60 members of the Association of American Universities. College of Education are providing a new resource to help states track how well these students are prepared for the transition from school to adult life. The U.S. Department of Education's Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP OSEP Office of Special Education Programs OSEP Office of Scientific and Engineering Personnel (National Research Council) OSEP Office of Security and Emergency Preparedness OSEP Operations Standardization Evaluation Program ), has awarded a $3.5 million grant to the university to establish the National Post-School Outcomes Center (NPSO NPSO Native Plant Society of Oregon NPSO Nassau Pops Symphony Orchestra (New York) NPSO National Programme Support Office (Pakistan) NPSO North Penn Symphony Orchestra (Lansdale, PA) ). Research conducted at the center will identify how each of the 50 states and 10 federal jurisdictions is currently serving high school students with disabilities and provides technical assistance aimed at encouraging and implementing best practices. UO Professor of Special Education Michael Bullis will direct the center, which is located in the Riverfront riv·er·front n. The land or property along a river. Research Park near the UO campus. Caroline Moore, principal investigator Noun 1. principal investigator - the scientist in charge of an experiment or research project PI scientist - a person with advanced knowledge of one or more sciences for the OSEP grant, says the center's mission is to help states put systems in place that will, for the first time, provide a national overview of how young adults with disabilities fare after they leave school. "States are now required to collect and use data to track the postsecondary education and employment of young adults with disabilities," says Moore, director of Technical Assistance and Consulting Services Noun 1. consulting service - service provided by a professional advisor (e.g., a lawyer or doctor or CPA etc.) service - work done by one person or group that benefits another; "budget separately for goods and services" (TACS (Total Access Communication System) An analog cellular phone system deployed mostly in Europe. It was modeled after the AMPS system in the U.S. In the U.K., ETACS (Extended TACS) transmits in the 871-904/916-949 MHz band. ) at the UO College of Education. "While some states have such systems in place, others do not and are seeking guidance." Collecting information is the first step, but providing technical assistance for interpreting the new data is crucial in order to make informed decisions about how to improve programs for students with special needs, says Jane Falls, program coordinator for the new center. "We need to get a picture of what is happening with these young adults after they leave school so we can identify the services and programs that best prepare them for success," says Falls, a national expert on the transition of youth with disabilities from high school to adult life. Currently, about 40 percent of the states collect some form of data on students after they leave school, but there's no uniform standard for what data to collect or how to report it. "Many factors affect the employment prospects for these youth," Falls explains. "By determining how many actually find employment, identifying the services they have received, and examining how community conditions affect their progress, states will be able to improve supports and educational opportunities provided to transition-aged youth." Moore describes the new center as "a unique marriage" of the UO College of Education's top-rated researchers in special education and the college's technical assistance team. "From a research standpoint," Bullis says, "the goal is to zero in on the connection between what happens in school and what happens immediately afterward af·ter·ward also af·ter·wards adv. At a later time; subsequently. Adv. 1. afterward - happening at a time subsequent to a reference time; "he apologized subsequently"; "he's going to the store but he'll be back here ." The center partners with the OSEP, the National Dropout (1) On magnetic media, a bit that has lost its strength due to a surface defect or recording malfunction. If the bit is in an audio or video file, it might be detected by the error correction circuitry and either corrected or not, but if not, it is often not noticed by the human Prevention Center/Network, the National Dropout Prevention Center for Students with Disabilities, the State University of New York at Potsdam The State University of New York at Potsdam, also known as SUNY Potsdam, is a public university located in the Village of Potsdam in St. Lawrence County, New York. It is among the 100 oldest colleges in the United States. The institution began as St. , the National Association of State Directors of Special Education, and the Technical Assistance Alliance for Parent Centers. The 2006 edition of "America's Best Graduate Schools" ranks the UO special education program as third in the nation for the sixth straight year. Overall, U.S. News & World Report U.S. News & World Report Weekly newsmagazine published in Washington, D.C. U.S. News was founded in 1933 by David Lawrence (1888–1973) to cover important domestic events; he founded World Report in 1945 to treat world news. The two magazines were merged in 1948. consistently ranks the UO College of Education comfortably among the top 10 among public graduate institutions of education nationally. Photo: http://waddle.uoregon.edu/gallery/NewsImages/falls_bullis_001 National map: http://waddle.uoregon.edu/gallery/NewsImages/map_NPSO?full=1 Links: The National Post-School Outcome Center: http://psocenter.org OSEP: http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/osers/osep/index.html About Michael Bullis: http://education.uoregon.edu/faculty/bullis.htm About Jane Falls: http://education.uoregon.edu/faculty/falls.htm About Caroline Moore: http://education.uoregon.edu/faculty/moore.htm |
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