NRCP News

Just in time for Christmas we would like a number of items available for purchase for your favorite paraeducator. To start off there are just a couple of logos, but we will be adding more in the future.

Visit the NRCP Paraeducator Store

From the store, there are a number of products available with the following designs:

Elona Hartjes has written a wonderful post about the importance of paraeducators in her classroom titled, Paraprofessionals and Teachers Work Together as a Team for the Benefit of Students.

From her opening paragraph:

I’ve been really fortunate to have worked with some wonderful paraprofessionals at different times in my teaching career. These men and women made a huge a difference to the lives of the students in my class. For that matter, they’ve made a huge difference to my life as well.

We are excited to officially announce a project that we have been working on for many months- a collection of online paraprofessional resources from each of the 50 US States. Stop by to see what paraprofessional resources are available from your state and let us know if we are missing anything.

In anticipation of a big front page announcement next week, we would like to announce a new resource to all of our blog readers. We have been working on this for awhile and some of you received a sneak peek at the conference. It is finally ready for some visitors (and your feedback). Without further ado, announcing...

The 2008 27th Annual National Resource Center for Paraprofessionals Conference will be held on April 16th-19th in Hartford, Connecticut at the Hartford Hilton Hotel. More information and Call for Papers coming soon, sign up for the NRCP Newsletter for updates (registration and State Leadership meeting on the 16th).
Mark your calendars and start planning your visit to New England today!

We have added a number of additional notes and presentations from the 2006 National Conference. There are now 18 presentations where you can view either the presentation or a conference handout.
2006 Conference Presentations.

Another new feature is a list of Frequently Asked Questions about paraprofessionals that we receive at the National Resource Center. If you have a question that you would like to ask, make sure you check out the list first!
Frequently Asked Questions.

The U.S. Department of Education Secretary Margaret Spellings announced the release of the final regulations to implement Part B of IDEA 2004. An official copy will be published in the Federal Register on August 14, 2006. The regulations will become effective 60 days after publication in the Federal Register.

From the the official press release:

Thirty years ago, America's students with disabilities were for the first time assured access to a free and appropriate public education thanks to a new law passed by Congress, now called IDEA," said Spellings. "Yet in those 30 years, too many students with disabilities have faced what President Bush calls 'the soft bigotry of low expectations." Students with disabilities can meet high standards, as long as we adults have high expectations and hold them to these standards. Thanks to the No Child Left Behind Act, we are holding ourselves accountable for making sure students receive the education they deserve. And with these final regulations for IDEA aligned with No Child Left Behind, we are ensuring that students with disabilities are challenged and prepared for successful lives."

For those of you who were unable to attend this year's National Conference, many of the presenters have made their presentations and handouts available to you through the new conference materials page. The following sessions are currently available:

You can now look at full schedule with all of the keynotes and breakout sessions for the the 25th annual National Resource Center for Paraprofessionals Conference.

The 25th annual National Resource Center for Paraprofessionals Conference will be held from May 11th through May 13th in Minneapolis, MN. The theme for this years conference is "Building the Future - One Student at a Time." Check out the Conference Page for more information.