President's Message - Fall 2009

CEC-DR:  THE VOICE OF SPECIAL EDUCATION RESEARCH

Jean B. Crockett
University of Florida

On behalf of the Executive Board of the Council for Exceptional Children- Division for Research, I would like to thank you for selecting membership in CEC-DR as one of your professional affiliations this year. CEC-DR is now in its third decade as a community whose members are committed to advancing research that improves the education of individuals with disabilities and those who are gifted from a diversity of cultural backgrounds. Membership in CEC-DR is international and most of the 1300 members are researchers affiliated with universities, research institutes, and public and private agencies across the globe. Many of us remember being introduced to CEC-DR by our doctoral advisors who sponsored our student membership in this research community. Today, 19% of CEC-DR members are graduate students currently engaged with faculty members in conducting special education research.  In addition to the scholars among us, membership in CEC-DR also includes school-based practitioners and family members deeply concerned with strengthening the linkages between research and practice.

To set a course for the future, the Division under the leadership of past president Robin McWilliam adopted a strategic plan in June 2008 with an ambitious vision for CEC-DR . . .

to be recognized by educational researchers, policy makers, personnel developers, teachers and other practitioners, and families as the ﾓvoice of special education researchﾔ because of its expertise, responsiveness, and connections among members and to the field of special education research.

The Executive Board also approved an updated, three-fold mission statement that aligns the activities of the Division with this bold vision:

The mission of the CEC Division for Research is to advance the concept of evidence-based practice in special education, to advocate for funding for special education research, and to enhance interactions among researchers at different stages of their careers who are studying children with disabilities and their families.

McWilliam in his Fall 2007 Presidentﾒs Message cautioned that the strategic plan would only have merit if it was remembered and regularly re-visited; to use his words ﾓsuccessive Boards will at least need to look at the thing.ﾔ And look at it we did.

Implementation of the strategic plan began last year under the leadership of immediate past president, Rick Brigham. The Division now anticipates generating income from the royalties of bound volumes and practice-oriented handbooks related to the development and utilization of evidence based practices for students with disabilities. The CEC-DR Executive Board also has exciting plans for members of the special education research community to expand their professional networks and to engage in activities designed to sharpen the methodological skills of early career and experienced researchers.

• Bryan Cook, Tim Landrum, and Melody Tankersley are editing a 30 chapter volume addressing best practices in special education under contract with Pearson and slated for publication in 2010.
• Kathleen Lane, Robin McWilliam, and Bryan Cook are developing a proposal for a slimmer, companion volume that meets the practical needs of teachers, administrators, and parents.
• Cara Richards is collaborating with Mike Gerber, also a past president of CEC-DR, in organizing an impressive series of research workshops and methodological seminars for 2010-2011.

To date, your annual dues have been CEC-DRﾒs sole source of revenue but this year the Division is well positioned to generate new resources by raising funds beyond membership fees to support activities related to its three-fold missionﾗfostering  evidence based practices, advocacy for research funding, and increased membership. In addition to generating new income, weﾒre looking forward to offering services to our members in ways that have become familiar perks of CEC-DR membership. In particular, we will continue to support new researchers and graduate students with several initiatives:

• Stephen Smith will coordinate the Early Career Researchersﾒ Workshop this spring in Nashville. This popular seminar initiated in 2006 is held in alternate years at the CEC national convention, offering intensive guidance to non-tenured professors in the first three years of their research careers.
• Student representative Mary Theresa Kiely and I will coordinate a second round of Doctoral Student Seminars in Special Education Research. Last yearﾒs national competition identified 10 student scholars who joined virtually with Karen Harris, Bryan Cook, and Michael Coyne in a series of online discussions. Last spring 46 students attended the DR graduate student colloquium in Seattle and we hope this yearﾒs colloquium in Nashville will draw a similarly lively group of aspiring researchers.

As CEC-DR moves toward its future with forethought, it does so with acknowledgement of the importance of families to the research enterprise. I would like to thank Katie Shepherd, chair of the CEC-DR Families Committee, for sharing the perspectives of several parents in this issue, and I would like to invite you to consider how you might contribute creatively to this dynamic Division. Your participation as well as your membership is most welcome in the years ahead.