News:

SCHOOL ADMINISTRATOR SERIES A HIT!

A high point of the past semester of Project Alliance programming was the three part School Safety Leadership Series. The series culminated on December 17th, with Rethinking Education- Past, Present and Future. For those who missed it, this forum included presentations by Thomas Hehir, EdD, the former Director of the U.S. Department of Education's Office of Special Education, and current Lecturer on Education and Director of the School Leadership Program and Pedro Noguera, PhD, the Judith K. Dimon Professor of Communities and Schools, both of the Harvard Graduate School of Education.

On the 17th, Dr. Hehir discussed changes in special education for children with severe disabilities over the past 25 years. He highlighted the challenges faced by school administrators related to behavior, discipline and learning. To address some of the current problems in today's special education system, Dr. Hehir suggested a top-down, governmental look at the efficiency of assessing needs for children, and using a wrap-around, multi-agency approach to allocating resources. Following Dr. Hehir, Dr. Noguera presented "Finding Safety Where You Least Expected It." He noted that the model of school safety, with metal detectors and armed guards, was the least likely to protect staff and students. Dr. Noguera stressed that many violent incidents that take place in and around schools, including the most severe, occur when students who are bullied or harassed respond with violence. Dr. Noguera added that students who have no connections to trusted adults and who have no faith that they can achieve in school, will fail precisely because they have no incentive to do otherwise. He urged schools to affirm positive values, not just enforce regulations.

In an effort to continue to meet the needs of administrators, and further expand on the themes of the 17th, this semester will offer two very special events tackling the complex issues of special education and IDEA. For more information on these forthcoming events, please see the two-part School Administrator Leadership Series being offered in February and April 2003.