Report on the Iowa Department of Education for the year ended June 30, 2009

Report on the Iowa Department of Education for the year ended June 30, 2009

Report of recommendations to the Iowa Department of Education, Division of Vocational Rehabilitation Services, June 30, 2009

Report on the Iowa Department of Education, Division of Vocational Rehabilitation Services for the year ended June 30, 2009

Placement of Students Ages 3-21 with Disabilities Under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA): A Policy Discussion, May 2010

The provision of free appropriate public education (FAPE), an Individualized Education Program (IEP), and the least restrictive environment (LRE) have been important cornerstones of educating students with disabilities since the enactment of the Education of All Handicapped Children Act (EAHCA), Public Law 94-142, in 1975, and its subsequent reauthorizations, the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) in 1990, 1997, and 2004. It is impossible to consider any one of these cornerstones without the others, when determining an appropriate educational placement for a student with a disability. The Iowa Department of Education has identified several practice issues regarding the interplay between FAPE, LRE, and the IEP in placement decisions for students with disabilities. To that end, this document will provide guidance for administrators of local education agencies (LEAs) and area education agencies (AEAs), as well as IEP teams (or other placement teams) within Iowa LEAs and AEAs when making placement decisions for eligible children with disabilities. This guidance will specifically discuss ten LRE and FAPE placement/program policy questions that have been identified by the Iowa Department of Education as needing attention. The policy discussions are consistent with the legal provisions of the 2004 reauthorization of IDEA (IDEA 2004) and its 2006 final federal implementing regulations issued by the U.S. Department of Education, Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP). This document is also consistent with the Iowa Administrative Rules of Special Education (2007) [hereinafter ���Iowa Rules���]. In addition, the term local education agency (LEA) is used interchangeably for school district throughout this document. Prior to the discussion of specific policy questions, a federal and state legal framework for providing FAPE for students with disabilities within the LRE is briefly outlined. Pertinent FAPE and LRE court decisions that impact Iowa LEAs and AEAs are also included within Section II.

Audit report on the Iowa Federal Family Education Loan Program Division, a Division of the Iowa College Student Aid Commission, for the year ended June 30, 2010

Audit report on the Iowa Federal Family Education Loan Program Division, a Division of the Iowa College Student Aid Commission, for the year ended June 30, 2010

Education Task Force Report, August 2008

The Rebuild Iowa Public Health and Health Care Task Force respectfully submits its report to the Rebuild Iowa Advisory Commission (RIAC) for its consideration of the impacts of the tornadoes, storms, and flooding on Iowans. As the RIAC fulfills its obligations to guide the recovery and reconstruction in Iowa, the impact on the health and well-being of Iowans should be of primary concern. With many areas of the state experiencing devastating damage to their communities, public health and health care are but one of the major challenges. There are critical immediate needs to address the health, safety, and well-being of affected Iowans. This report provides background information on the damages incurred in Iowa from the disasters and additional context for policy and rebuilding discussions. It also offers recommendations to the RIAC for steps that might be taken to address these significant and important challenges.

Education Task Force Report, August 2008

The Rebuild Iowa Education Task Force is composed of Iowans with experience and expertise related to the impact of the tornadoes, storms, and floods of 2008 on the educational system in Iowa. The massive damage greatly impacted educational facilities and enrollment, resulting in thousands of displaced students and significant long-term rebuilding needs. In addition, the education system is a ���community center,��� and in many ways acts as a first responder to Iowans experiencing the disasters. It is important to also recognize this role and the need for ���non-educational��� (and often non-quantifiable) supports as a part of the overall recovery effort. There are a few parts of the state that sustained significant structural and other damage as a result of the disasters. However, many school districts and educational institutions throughout the state experienced damage that resulted in re-allocating building usage, enrollment issues (because of housing and relocation issues in the community), or use of school facilities to assist in the recovery efforts (by housing displaced community agencies and providing temporary shelter for displaced Iowans). At this time, damage estimates are only estimates and numbers are revised often. Estimates of damage are being developed by multiple agencies, including FEMA, the Iowa Department of Education, insurance companies, and schools themselves, since there are many different types of damage to be assessed and repaired. In addition to structural damage, educational institutions and communities are trying to find ways to quantify sometimes unquantifiable data, such as future revenue capabilities, population declines, and impact on mental health in the long-term. The data provided in this report is preliminary and as up to date as possible; information is updated on a regular basis as assessments continue and damage estimates are finalized.

Supplemental Information to the August 2008 Education Task Force Report, August 2008

The Rebuild Iowa Education Task Force is composed of Iowans with experience and expertise related to the impact of the tornadoes, storms, and floods of 2008 on the educational system in Iowa. The massive damage greatly impacted educational facilities and enrollment, resulting in thousands of displaced students and significant long-term rebuilding needs. In addition, the education system is a ���community center,��� and in many ways acts as a first responder to Iowans experiencing the disasters. It is important to also recognize this role and the need for ���non-educational��� (and often non-quantifiable) supports as a part of the overall recovery effort. There are a few parts of the state that sustained significant structural and other damage as a result of the disasters. However, many school districts and educational institutions throughout the state experienced damage that resulted in re-allocating building usage, enrollment issues (because of housing and relocation issues in the community), or use of school facilities to assist in the recovery efforts (by housing displaced community agencies and providing temporary shelter for displaced Iowans). At this time, damage estimates are only estimates and numbers are revised often. Estimates of damage are being developed by multiple agencies, including FEMA, the Iowa Department of Education, insurance companies, and schools themselves, since there are many different types of damage to be assessed and repaired. In addition to structural damage, educational institutions and communities are trying to find ways to quantify sometimes unquantifiable data, such as future revenue capabilities, population declines, and impact on mental health in the long-term. The data provided in this report is preliminary and as up to date as possible; information is updated on a regular basis as assessments continue and damage estimates are finalized. Supplemental Information to the August 2008 Education Task Force Report

Integration of teacher education into the Swiss higher education system

The integration of specific institutions for teacher education into the higher education system represents a milestone in the Swiss educational policy and has broad implications. This thesis explores organizational and institutional change resulting from this policy reform, and attempts to assess structural change in terms of differentiation and convergence within the system of higher education. Key issues that are dealt with are, on the one hand, the adoption of a research function by the newly conceptualized institutions of teacher education, and on the other, the positioning of the new institutions within the higher education system. Drawing on actor-centred approaches to differentiation, this dissertation discusses system-level specificities of tertiarized teacher education and asks how this affects institutional configurations and actor constellations. On the basis of qualitative and quantitative empirical data, a comparative analysis has been carried out including case studies of four universities of teacher education as well as multivariate regression analysis of micro-level data on students' educational choices. The study finds that the process of system integration and adaption to the research function by the various institutions have unfolded differently depending on the institutional setting and the specific actor constellations. The new institutions have clearly made a strong push to position themselves as a new institutional type and to find their identity beyond the traditional binary divide which assigns the universities of teacher education to the college sector. Potential conflicts have been identified in divergent cognitive normative orientations and perceptions of researchers, teacher educators, policy-makers, teachers, and students as to the mission and role of the new type of higher education institution. - L'int��gration dans le syst��me d'enseignement sup��rieur d'institutions qui ont pour t��che sp��cifique de former des enseignants peut ��tre consid��r��e comme un ��v��nement majeur dans la politique ��ducative suisse, qui se trouve avoir des cons��quences importantes �� plusieurs niveaux. Cette th��se explore les changements organisationnels et institutionnels r��sultant de cette r��forme politique, et elle se propose d'��valuer en termes de diff��rentiation et de convergence les changements structurels intervenus dans le syst��me d'��ducation tertiaire. Les principaux aspects trait��s sont d'une part la nouvelle mission de recherche attribu��e �� ces institutions de formation p��dagogique, et de l'autre la place par rapport aux autres institutions du syst��me d'��ducation tertiaire. Recourant �� une approche centr��e sur les acteurs pour ��tudier les processus de diff��ren-tiation, la th��se met en lumi��re et en discussion les sp��cificit��s inh��rentes au syst��me tertiaire au sein duquel se joue la formation des enseignants nouvellement con��ue et soul��ve la question des effets de cette nouvelle fa��on de former les enseignants sur les configurations institutionnelles et les constellations d'acteurs. Une analyse comparative a ��t�� r��alis��e sur la base de donn��es qualitatives et quantitatives issues de quatre ��tudes de cas de hautes ��coles p��dagogiques et d'analyses de r��gression multiple de donn��es de niveau micro concernant les choix de carri��re des ��tudiants. Les r��sultats montrent �� quel point le processus d'int��gration dans le syst��me et la nouvelle mission de recherche peuvent appara��tre de mani��re diff��rente selon le cadre institutionnel d'une ��cole et la constellation sp��cifique des acteurs influents. A pu clairement ��tre observ��e une forte aspiration des hautes ��coles p��dagogiques �� se cr��er une identit�� au-del�� de la structure binaire du syst��me qui assigne la formation des enseignants au secteur des hautes ��coles sp��ciali-s��es. Des divergences apparaissent dans les conceptions et perceptions cognitives et normatives des cher-cheurs, formateurs, politiciens, enseignants et ��tudiants quant �� la mission et au r��le de ce nouveau type de haute ��cole. - Die Integration spezieller Institutionen f��r die Lehrerbildung ins Hochschulsystem stellt einen bedeutsamen Schritt mit weitreichenden Folgen in der Entwicklung des schweizerischen Bildungswesens dar. Diese Dissertation untersucht die mit der Neuerung verbundenen Ver��nderungen auf organisatorischer und institutioneller Ebene und versucht, die strukturelle Entwicklung unter den Gesichtspunkten von Differenzierung und Konvergenz innerhalb des terti��ren Bildungssystems einzuordnen. Zentrale Themen sind dabei zum einen die Einf��hrung von Forschung und Entwicklung als zus��tzlichem Leistungsauftrag in der Lehrerbildung und zum andern die Positionierung der p��dagogischen Hochschulen innerhalb des Hochschulsystems. Anhand akteurzentrierter Ans��tze zur Differenzierung werden die Besonderheiten einer tertiarisierten Lehrerbildung hinsichtlich der Systemebenen diskutiert und Antworten auf die Frage gesucht, wie die Reform die institutionellen Konfigurationen und die Akteurkonstellationen beeinflusst. Auf der Grundlage qualitativer und quantitativer Daten wurde eine vergleichende Analyse durchgef��hrt, welche Fallstudien zu vier p��dagogischen Hochschulen umfasst sowie Regressionsanalysen von Mikrodaten zur Studienwahl von Maturanden. Die Ergebnisse machen deutlich, dass sich der Prozess der Systemintegration und die Einf��hrung von Forschung in die Lehrerbildung in Abh��ngigkeit von institutionellen Ordnungen und der jeweiligen Akteurkonstellation unterschiedlich gestalten. Es l��sst sich bei den neu gegr��ndeten p��dagogischen Hochschulen ein starkes Bestreben feststellen, sich als neuen Hochschultypus zu positionieren und sich eine Identit��t zu schaffen jenseits der herk��mmlichen bin��ren Struktur, welche die p��dagogischen Hochschulen dem Fachhochschul-Sektor zuordnet. Potentielle Konflikte zeichnen sich ab in den divergierenden kognitiven und normativen Orientierungen und Wahrnehmungen von Forschern, Ausbildern, Bildungspolitikern, Lehrern und Studierenden hinsichtlich des Auftrags und der Rolle dieses neuen Typs Hochschule.

Report on the Iowa Department of Education for the year ended June 30, 2010

Report on the Iowa Department of Education for the year ended June 30, 2010

Educational expansion, intergenerational mobility and over-education

[eng] There is a vast literature on intergenerational mobility in sociology and economics. Similar interest has emerged for the phenomenon of over-education in both disciplines. There are no studies, however, linking these two research lines. We study the relationship between social mobility and over-education in a context of educational expansion. Our framework allows for the evaluation of several policies, including those affecting social segregation, early intervention programs and the power of unions. Results show the evolution of social mobility, over-education, income inequality and equality of opportunity under each scenario.