Springing to Action!

I’ll start this Spring President’s Message with a great big THANK  YOU to CEC-DR members! Over the past couple of months, we have requested participation in standing committees, work groups, and input and contributions from past CEC-DR board members, and you have risen to the occasion: We’ve received overwhelming responses from many of you who are ready and willing to carry out the CEC-DR mission. Your response is much appreciated, as there is much work to be done! Here are some of our ongoing initiatives:

• The Diversity Committee, under the leadership of Tisa Aceves, is producing DR Diversity “Spotlights” that highlight resources and studies that exemplify recommendations made in the CECDR Diversity White Paper (see http://www.cecdr.org/news/new-item).
• The Research and Families of Individuals with Disabilities Committee, under the leadership of Shana Haines, is working on a special issue focusing on emerging research aimed at building reciprocal family-professional partnerships that will enhance inclusion of people with disabilities across the lifespan, to be   published in Inclusion in Fall of 2017.
• The Knowledge Utilization Committee, under the leadership of Sarah Powell, is exploring a collaboration with the National Center on Intensive Intervention (NCII)    to produce one or more webinars to reach both research and practitioner audiences. We hope that, in   addition to providing a bridge between research and practice, this is an avenue to attract and recruit new members!
• Student representatives Mandi Kern and Kyle Wagner have launched an experimental virtual student group as a way to share research ideas, network, and create collaboration opportunities for    DR student members.
• We have assembled a short-term work group to develop a statement, to be disseminated by CEC-DR, to provide guidance for state and local school districts in the use of Single-Case Design research to identify evidence-based practices.
• We are collaborating with faculty affiliated with the National Center on Leadership in Intensive Intervention(NCLii) to produce a special issue of Learning Disabilities Research & Practice on research on intensive intervention.
• We have launched a campaign for past CEC-DR board members to help sponsor CEC-DR early career awards and activities(and are very grateful for their response and support!).
• We have launched an initiative to create and disseminate a series of “Research Matters” stories that highlight the ways that special education can make a difference in the lives of exceptional children and their families.

We continue to work with NDD United and Friends of IES to fight federal cuts to education programs and to   advocate for special education research. These are just some of the ways that CEC-DR members continue to work to make research matter in the lives of exceptional children and their families.  

Again, thank you to all, and I look forward to seeing many of  you in Boston!