NEWS & UPDATES
National CEC Conference
National CEC Conference from April 2-5 in Boston, MA. There are some great sessions that are scheduled and one of the keynote speakers will be Henry Winkler, “the Fonz” from the old Happy Days television series. He will be speaking about his struggles in dealing with dyslexia. One of the highlights of the National Convention each year is the Texas Social. This year’s event is being planned and coordinated by Tammy Stephens, TCEC Vice-President. This is always a fun and well-attended event. WE hope to see you there.
Strategic Planning
This year the TCEC Board is developing a long-range strategic plan for the organization. The process was started with a retreat prior to the January 2008 Board meeting. Such areas as recruitment and retention of members, membership services, marketing, professional development, communication etc. are being examined. Two decisions that have been made are to revise the mission statement and the website for TCEC. The new TCEC mission statement adopted at the January Board meeting is:
The Mission of The Texas Council for Exceptional Children is to advocate for and support professionals who educate students with exceptionalities.
With an extended statement that says:
- Promote the development and use of research-based instruction and intervention for students with exceptional needs
- Promote collaboration with families and other professionals on behalf of persons with exceptionalities
- Sponsor and assist in developing professional development opportunities and resources for special educators
- Provide networking opportunities among professionals providing services to children and youth with exceptional needs
- Advocate for and provide awareness of issues impacting education and services to children and youth with special needs
- If you have any thoughts or comments on this please send them to any Board member.
New Chapter Rebate Policy
A membership rebate policy was recently adopted by the TCEC Board: TCEC will rebate active chapters with active members ($1 for each professional, joint, or premier member—does not include retired members or student members). For rebates, chapter presidents must complete a required form listing their activity and other information and also attach membership roster. Chapters will send the form and list to Membership Services who will verify the membership list (using the July 1st list) and send to the Treasurer for reimbursement to Chapters. Reimbursements will occur once annually. Request for reimbursement will begin for July 1, 2007 list and is not retroactive.
New Board Member
Dr. Smita Mehta, who has served so well as TCEC Publications Co-Chair, has asked to step down from the Board to concentrate on other responsibilities for a while. Kevin Callahan has been named to replace Smita on the Board as Publications Co-Chair. Kevin is an Associate Professor at the University of North Texas in the Department of Educational Psychology and Co-Director of the UNT’s Center for Autism Research and Education. We are excited about having Kevin’s background and expertise on our Board.
New Awards
At its January meeting the TCEC Board voted to establish two new awards. The as-yet unnamed awards will be awarded annually to a university professor who has supported TCEC and to a school administrator who has advanced the goals and purposes of TCEC. Details regarding these two awards will be further developed at the April Board meeting.
New Website on IDEA
The U.S. Department of Education Office of Special Education Programs has launched a new website, Building the Legacy: IDEA 2004, dedicated to helping interpret and implement the new IDEA regulations. Visitors can browse major topic areas, including highly qualified teachers, alignment with the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act, and private schools. Web site
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