CEC-DR Council for Exceptional Children Division of Research

It is with gratitude and humility that I write this November 2012 president’s message for the Council for Exceptional Children’s Division for Research (CEC-DR). As we begin another academic year, I am reminded of a conversation between Tim Landrum (CEC-DR President 2010-2011), Bryan Cook (CEC-DR President 2011-2012), and myself at the CEC 2012 Conference in Denver. At the end of the business meeting, we were reflecting back on our careers, discussing the opportunities and people that positively impacted our professional lives. We all concurred that our participation in CEC-DR was one of the greatest gifts. Each of us volunteered to serve, not knowing we would learn and benefit such a great deal from participation in th division. As we reflected on our initial roles in CEC-DR and those in the field who had mentored us (e.g., Hill Walker, James Kauffman, Mike Gerber, Dan Hallahan, Linda Lewis, Karen Harris, John Lloyd, Marty Kaufman … the list goes on), we were all in agreement that participation in this research-focused group has been and continues to be a tremendous experience. We have broadened our views of special education, learning more about how issues of advocacy, policy, and funding impact past, current, and future endeavors to improve the quality of services and supports for students with and at risk for disabilities and their families. In addition, we have developed strong professional and personal relationships during the time spent on division activities.

Personally, what has impressed me most is the strong commitment to support the field of special education as a whole, with an emphasis on mentorship. I have watched the example of senior members of the division who gave precious time to move CEC-DR’s mission forward while also investing time in the more junior members of the division teaching them, for example, about the role of service; helping them see service as more than 20% of a job scope, but as an important responsibility. In particular, I am inspired by the amount of the time and effort individuals have dedicated to addressing concerns surrounding funding for special education research – watching the struggle, the commitment, and most recently the success of leaders in our field on this issue (see the article by Linda Lewis in this newsletter).

I would imagine many of us struggle to find balance within our professional lives and between our professional and personal lives. We often set goals such as becoming productive scholars, engaged in socially important and scientifically rigorous research; inspiring instructors, producing well-prepared teachers and future researchers; and committed servants, dedicated to meaningful service opportunities linked closely to our professional goals. I believe participation in CEC-DR affords opportunities to engage in meaningful service, with the potential to shape and focus the rigor and depth of one’s research and teaching efforts. In brief, I contend scholars interested in become active members of this service division will receive as much – if not more – than they give by becoming involved in CEC-DR.

Ways to Become Involved

In the coming months, CEC-DR will be seeking additional support and involve from junior, mid-level, and senior career individuals who are willing to step forward and support the mission of CEC-DR:

The CEC Division for Research (CEC-DR) is a division of the Council for Exceptional Children (CEC) devoted to the advancement of research related to the education of individuals with disabilities and/or who are gifted. The goals of CEC-DR include the promotion of equal partnership with practitioners in designing, conducting and interpreting research in special education.

Continuing the vision of Past-President Bryan Cook, we will be sharpening the focus of committees and elected positions within CEC-DR. If you are interested in playing an active role or learning more about CEC-DR, I encourage you to contact any of the new CEC-DR officers who assumed their duties on July 1, 2012:

Bryan Cook, Past President – University of Hawaii
Kathleen Lynne Lane, President – University of Kansas
Michael Coyne, President Elect – University of Connecticut
David Houchins, Vice President – Georgia State University

Also, please visit the CEC-DR website (www.cecdr.org) to see a full list of board members and their contact information. I am sure each member would be happy to share their service experiences and make suggestions for your involvement.

A Glimpse Ahead

Although the Fall semester is just beginning as I write this article, board members have been preparing for the 2012-2013 Academic Year.

CEC San Antonio: We thank Michael Coyne, Wendy Oakes, and Mari Cuticelli for their time and effort in coordinating the external reviews of proposals submitting to CEC-DR. They are currently in the final stages of program planning, with the next Focus on Research to showcase feature speakers, the showcase session, and other CEC-DR events.

Webinars: We thank Cara Richards-Tutor for her continued leadership on the Webinars. Last year we featured webinars focus on topics such as research design and grant writing. In the coming year we will co-host "Evidence-based practices with diverse populations" with Dr. Sylvia Linan-Thompson.

New Text: Research-Based Practices in Special Education. We continue to celebrate the recent publication of the first textbook sponsored by CEC-DR, Research-based practices in special education (Cook & Tankersley, 2013; published by Pearson). We encourage you to review this full text volume, or any of the four “slim” volumes constituting topical sections of this text. Another benefit of DR membership is the opportunity to purchase these volumes at a reduced cost. Specifically, DR members will save 20% by going to "My Pearson Store" and at checkout using your discount code available from CEC-DR until December 31, 2012.

We look forward to an exciting year to come and hope you will consider serving and extending your commitment to the field of special education through service to CEC-DR!