Project Description:
New Hampshire House Bill 661 established an Executive Planning Commission on Special Education charged with developing a joint, coordinated, comprehensive, and systematic approach among responsible state agencies, working with state institutions of higher education, to address human resource issues and assist schools in improving their capacity to educate children with highly challenging needs or low-incidence disabilities including, but not limited to, children with emotional disabilities, autism, multiple disabilities, traumatic or acquired brain injury, deafness, deaf-blindness, and blindness.
A 75 person Task Force, representing key stakeholder groups, was assembled by the HB 661 Executive Planning Commission to support its work. Task Force members have been divided into smaller Work Groups, each addressing one of the following issues, as prescribed by the bill:
 Pools of specialists and methods for delivering student-specific and general technical assistance to local schools and other service provider agencies
 Pre-service and in-service education and personnel shortages
 Methods of research and development and dissemination of best practices
Each Work Group is comprised of a member of the Executive Planning Commission, a facilitator, and members from the larger Task Force. The Work Groups will meet on at least a monthly basis from May 2008 ? October 2008 and generate a report to include the following information:
1. Analysis of current ?state of the state? with respect to need and currently available services/programs
2. Best practices based on current research, recommendations from professional organizations
3. Plan for addressing the gap between need and available resources to include:
a. what,
b. who,
c. how,
d. when,
e. cost, and
f. methods for evaluating effectiveness
4. Plan for sustainability including:
a. governance,
b. leadership,
c. funding,
d. dissemination to families and professionals, and methods of evaluating effectiveness
Target Audience:
Professionals and Para-Professionals, Family Members/Caregivers, Adults with Disabilities, Children/Adolescents with Disabilities/SHCN, Legislators/Policy Makers, General Public
