1. Improving Results for Students with Disabilities through Communities of Practice National Leadership Summit September 2003 Judy Shanley The Access Center: Improving Outcomes for All Students K-8

2. Communities of Practice Initiative is based on…. Current, reliable research and strategies to address topics Content expertise and the input of researchers and technical assistance providers An active forum to share and exchange information with colleagues

3. OSEP Communities of Practice Represents Collaboration at the Federal Level –Continuous Improvement and Focused Monitoring Division –Research to Practice Division Represents Collaboration at State and Local Levels - Focus of Communities –Part C – Settings, Identification –Part B – Section 619 Preschool LRE –Part B LRE, Exiting –Part C/B – Data

4. Multiple Forums to Sustain Communities Face to face meetings Telephone – conference calls E-mail Videoconferencing Web based – www.tacommunities.org

5. This is Transella…. Transition Coordinator Extraordinaire Faced with decreasing numbers of students with disabilities graduating Faced with an increasing number of students with disabilities dropping out Widening graduation gap between students with and without disabilities

6. Transella remembers…. www.tacommunities.org

7. Wow…It’s so easy to find information!

8. Transella Requests an Account

9. Transella Easily Finds her Topic of Interest – Exiting Part B Community

10. Nationally Recognized Facilitators…

11. The Personal Touch Transella can contact contributors

13. Multiple Kinds of Content Sharing a Best Practice

15. Threaded Discussions Transella can participate in discussions

16. Subscribe to a Topic Transella wants to be kept informed

17. Subscribe to Discussions

18. Transella would use a website that is… Easy to find relevant Information Simple and not overly process oriented Has help available should she run into any stumbling blocks Personalized

19. Search and Help Features

20. Your “Me Page”

21. Keep Apprised of Upcoming Events

22. We Are on an Incredible Voyage…. USS tacommunities www.tacommunities.org

23. For general questions regarding the tacommunities website… Judy Shanley 202-944-5430 jshanley@air.org

24. For information about the Exiting community, please contact your Community facilitators: Donna Johnson (National Center on Secondary Education and Transition (NCSET)) – johns042@umn.edu johns042@umn.edu Chris Bremer (National Center on Secondary Education and Transition (NCSET)) – breme006@umn.edu breme006@umn.edu Cesar D’Agord (Great Lakes Area Regional Resource Center (GLARRC)) – dagord.2@osu.edudagord.2@osu.edu