Parent Training & Information Center

Help with Special Education Issues for Alaskan families of children and youth with special needs

The Alaska Parent Training and Information Center at Stone Soup Group is working with parents, educators and other partners across the state to build collaborative relationships and offer training to support Alaskan students needing special education services. We are utilizing a variety of different formats to provide training to under served and rural families.

• Upcoming Workshops

Helpful Resources

Building the Legacy - IDEA 2004: The official site created by the Office of Special Education Programs providing federal regulations, guidance and other information relating to the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act.

State of Alaska Special Education Website: This helpful site contains the Adobe file for the State Special Education Handbook, information on e-trainings, federal reports, upcoming conferences, mediations, complaints, due process hearings, monitoring schedule and many helpful resources for families and educators. 

State of Alaska Infant Learning Program: The Alaska Early Intervention/Infant Learning Program (EI/ILP) assures that early intervention services are available for families with infants and toddlers (birth to age three) with special needs.

Anchorage School District Special Education Home page for special education services for children 3 to 23 who experience disabilities in the Anchorage area. Includes links to district policy handbook and programs, newsletters, information on Procedural Safeguards and 504 accomodations.

STEP Center (Students, Educators and Parents Center) Anchorage School District disability information and resource center; trainings, lending library and knowledgable staff.

Governor's Council on Disabilities and Special Education: The Council provides a constructive process that connects the public with policymakers, to ensure the thoughtful development of an efficient and seamless service delivery system that meets the needs of individuals with disabilities across the life span.

National Dissemination Center for Children with Disabilities: Serves the nation as a central source of information on:

• disabilities in infants, toddlers, children, and youth,
• IDEA, which is the law authorizing special education,
• No Child Left Behind (as it relates to children with disabilities), and
• research-based information on effective educational practices.

National Center for Learning Disabilities: Your online guide to essential information about learning disabilities, early literacy and learning resources, support for adolescents and adults with learning disabilities, public policy and advocacy.

National Center on Secondary Education and Transition: The National Center on Secondary Education and Transition (NCSET) coordinates national resources, offers technical assistance, and disseminates information related to secondary education and transition for youth with disabilities in order to create opportunities for youth to achieve successful futures.

Thinkcollege.net: Youth with intellectual disabilities have not had many chances to go to college. This is changing as individuals across the country begin to create opportunities for these youth to reap the benefits of postsecondary education. This website will provide information and links to anyone interested in finding out more about the possibilities.

National Center on Educational Outcomes: provides national leadership in the participation of students with disabilities in national and state assessments, standards-setting efforts, and graduation requirements.

CADRE: Consortium for Appropriate Dispute Resolution in Special Education encourages mediation and other collaborative strategies to resolve disagreements about special education and early intervention services.

Wrightslaw: Parents, educators, advocates, and attorneys come to Wrightslaw for accurate, reliable information about special education law, education law, and advocacy for children with disabilities.

Publications of Interest:

IEP Meetings: What to Expect Before, During, and After the Meeting: Stone Soup Group created this brochure with the help of the Wrangell Special Needs Transition Team to provide helpful reminders for parents as they go through the IEP process. Click the link to download and print the brochure.

IDEA Parent Guide: NCLD has created this parent guide to the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act so you can become an informed effective partner with school personnel in supporting your child's specific learning and behavioral needs.

A Parent's Guide to Accessing Programs for Infants, Toddlers, and Preschoolers with Disabilities: This Parent's Guide to help families learn how to get help for their young children with special needs (ages birth through 5 years).

Expectations for Students with Cognitive Disabilities: Is the Cup Half Empty or Half Full? Can the Cup Flow Over? YES!!!

NCLB and IDEA: What Parents of Students with Disabilities Need to Know and Do: The No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) are two of the nation's most important federal laws relating to the education of children. While NCLB seeks to improve the education of all children — with an emphasis on children from low income families — IDEA focuses on the individual child and seeks to ensure specialized services for children with disabilities so that they may benefit from education.

The Role of Parents in Dropout Prevention: Strategies that Promote Graduation and School Achievement: Students who drop out of school face a difficult future. For students with disabilities, the risks are intensified. Their dropout rate is about 40 percent--more than twice that of their peers without disabilities. However, families can play an important role in making sure their student with or without disabilities graduates. Staying involved in your teen's life during middle school and high school is critical. This Brief provides information and practical tips to help parents do this

What does Health Have to Do with Transition? Everything!: This Parent Brief provides information on the benefits of and strategies for including health in the Individualized Education Program (IEP) process.

Person-Centered Planning: A Tool for Transition: This brief provides a concise description of person-centered planning and an explanation of the benefits of this process. The brief also provides action steps for implementing person-centered planning, references within the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act that support the process, and a list of additional resources.

If you have a suggestion for additional content that may be helpful, please email Christie Reinhardt.

This program is made possible by a grant from the U.S. Department of Education Office of Special Education Programs: CFDA 84.328M

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