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March/April 2023 President's Message from Dr. Angie Jasper

The Scoop - with Dr. Angie Jasper, April 2023
Dr. Angie Jasper with two past CEC presidents and 2024 CEC president

Hello, and welcome to The Scoop! The 2023 CEC Convention and Expo was tremendous. There were over 3,600 attendees storming the streets of downtown Louisville, KY! I heard from many attendees that they had an amazing convention experience jam-packed with research, tips, and strategies one could apply to support students with disabilities and/or gifts and talents. Additionally, many expressed appreciation for the opportunities to socialize and network with others. Like many of you, I had the opportunity to take in the Muhammed Ali Center after the convention. That was an awesome experience!

Virtual CEC Convention
Dr. Angie Jasper with 2023 CEC Convention General Session speaker Dr, Shaun Woodley

The virtual component of the 2023 CEC Convention and Expo is quickly approaching. The live 2-hour workshops will be hosted on April 25th with the on-demand sessions becoming available on April 26th. If you missed the in-person convention, there is still time to register for the virtual convention so that you can access professional development at a time that works for your schedule via the on-demand option. In fact, 40 of the most popular sessions from the in-person Convention and Expo will be made available. That represents 40 opportunities to learn  and develop your skills! Sessions include topics on math and literacy instruction, partnering with families, sexuality education, transition planning, assessment, and so much more. You will even have access to two awesome General Sessions. The first features a panel of education professionals discussing the need for a special education revolution or evolution. Which side are you on - revolution or evolution? The second is an engaging keynote presentation by Dr. Shaun Woodly who challenges you to think critically about how you can spark engagement and motivation in urban and culturally diverse classrooms. #TeachHustleInspire. Finally, you can watch the Yes I Can Awards Ceremony where we are proud to showcase and hear from eleven remarkable recipients of the 2023 Yes I Can Awards. To me, this represents the best part of the Convention. CEC has honored youth with exceptionalities for over 41 years through this awards program. The awards ceremony is a wonderful opportunity  to highlight the determination and achievements of students in six categories: Arts, School & Community Activities, Self-advocacy, Technology, and Transition. I hope you tune it, this is an awards ceremony you do not want to miss!

Consider Getting Involved

These first few months have been busy for CEC and I anticipate this to be the case for the rest of the year. With the launch of our strategic plan last year, we dove into a year of hard work that included addressing the educator shortage, expanding our support and training around the High Leverage Practices, launching an accreditation program, developing a student teacher support program, and revitalizing many of our state units, local chapters and affinity groups. We have also seen our legislative footprint expand this year as CEC continues to be a leading voice for special education on Capitol Hill. Excitedly, we celebrated the return of our in-person Special Education Legislative Summit last July and are looking forward to having you join us again this year. But that is not all, there is more on the horizon, including a national teacher recruitment campaign and a new collaboration to address mental health in schools. In short, there are many opportunities for you to get involved. If you have not already, please go onto the Volunteer Square to express your interest in becoming involved in a committee or workgroup. Join an Affinity Group and connect with others who are like you. Encourage a colleague, teacher candidate, or parent of a student with disabilities to join CEC. However you choose to contribute to the work, do it. Every contribution counts, no matter how big or small! CEC cannot do the work that it does without its members, so I encourage you to get connected and get involved. The future of CEC depends on great minds like yours to move the organization forward.

In Unity,

Dr. Angie Jasper

2023 CEC President  

Posted:  5 April, 2023
Topics:
Angie
Author: Andrea D. Jasper, Ph.D.

CEC President  Department of Teacher and Special Education Central Michigan University Mount Pleasant, MI 

Read more from Andrea D. Jasper, Ph.D.

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