Education+Commission+of+the+States+on+three+new+policy+briefs

The Education Commission of the States (ECS) has released three new policy briefs on promoting academic success in high school, specifically examining [|9th grade transitional year], [|parental involvement] and [|teacher preparation]. The 9th grade transitional year brief reviews current research indicating that the freshman year is a “make or break” year for many students and identifies successful approaches and policies to deal with the challenges. The second brief on parental involvement examines which types of parental support activities have the greatest impact on student success at the high school level. The third brief on teacher preparation highlights seven components to strengthen teacher professional development at the high school level and provides state policy options for each.

On December 9th, the U.S. Department of Education published in the Federal Register the [|Final regulations on the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act] (FERPA) which clarify and give schools greater flexibility in making determinations about disclosures of information from students’ education records in order to address threats to the health and safety of students and others. The final regulations are a result of public comments received from numerous organizations and individuals and also in response to the [|“Report to the President on Issues Raised by the Virginia Tech Tragedy].” The regulations will take effect January 8, 2009. For additional information on FERPA, [|click here].

The Independent Regulatory Review Commission (IRRC) this week approved the State Board of Education’s , which amends Chapter 14 Special Education Regulations. The amendment will align Chapter 14 with the Pennsylvania Association of Retarded Citizens (PARC) Consent Decree by correcting an overly broad reference to federal regulations. The regulation does not change existing reporting, record keeping or other paperwork requirements. The PARC Consent Decree, which has been in force since 1971, sets forth certain protections for students with mental retardation, limiting the circumstances under which they may be excluded from their educational placements without due process protections. Quibila A. Divine  Office of Parent and Family Services   **The School District of Philadelphia**   440 North Broad Street, Room 113   Philadelphia, PA 19130   215-400-6443   215-400-4048 (fax)   qadivine@philasd.org