I’ve posted this on the parents bb, but I do know many teachers who use this site. I just received this today from the Council for Exceptional Children.
Laurie
August 9, 2002
CEC Policy Alert!!!!
We Need You to Take Action Today!!!!
The President’s Commission on Excellence in Special Education is
Proposing to Stop Funding for the ERIC EC and ERIC/OSEP Special
Project!
Please Urge your Members of Congress and the U.S. Department of
Education to Support Continued Funding!!!
In its final report, “A New Era: Revitalizing Special Education for
Children and their Families,” the Commission recommends to discontinue
funding for the Educational Resources Information Center Clearinghouse
on Disabilities and Gifted Education (ERIC EC) and the ERIC/OSEP Special
Project. The Commission erroneously suggests that the material from
ERIC EC is largely redundant, “given the wide availability of other
library-based databases and search engines.” However, CEC knows of no
other entity that acquires, processes, synthesizes, and disseminates
information about special education and disabilities. In fact, other
library-based databases and search engines retrieve their information
from the source of these records, the ERIC database.
ACTION to TAKE:
1) Please contact your members of Congress TODAY, and urge them to
reject the recommendation of the President’s Commission on Excellence in
Special Education to discontinue funding for the Educational Resources
Information Center Clearinghouse on Disabilities and Gifted Education
(ERIC EC) and the ERIC/OSEP Special Project. Simply go to CEC’s
Legislative Action Center at
http://capwiz.com/cek/issues/alert/?alertid=383726&type=CO and type
in your zip code. The message will then be e-mailed to your members of
Congress.
2) Please contact Tom Irvin at the U.S. Department of Education’s
Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services (OSERS), and
urge the Department to reject the Commission’s proposal. Simply go to
CEC’s Legislative Action Center at
http://capwiz.com/cek/issues/alert/?alertid=384641&type=CU and click
on the “Take Action Now!” button.
If you have any questions about either action, you can contact CEC’s
Public Policy Unit at 703/264-9437, or e-mail Jacki Bootel at
[email protected]