On Monday, officials from the U.S. Department of Education, including Assistant Secretary for Special Education and Rehabilitative Services Alexa Posny, Office for Special Education Programs (OSEP) Director Melody Musgrove and Assistant Deputy Secretary for the Innovation and Improvement Jim Shelton, will give presentations providing an overview on the Department's initiatives to better serve students with disabilities from 8:30-10 a.m. During the opening session, entitled “Cross Cutting Collaboration to Achieve Success Cradle to Career,” Posny will give opening remarks on effective leadership and achieving success for all students. Afterwards, Musgrove will provide an overview of OSEP’s work, focusing on results to improve outcomes for children and youth with disabilities and their families. Lastly, Shelton will discuss the role education innovation can play in better meeting the needs of students with disabilities.
At 10:30 a.m. on Tuesday, Musgrove will give remarks during a plenary session entitled “OSEP Discretionary Grants Support Success Cradle and Career- and Time for Reflection” where she will discuss the Department's vision for aligning OSEP’s discretionary programs to effectively support States’ work to improve cradle to career results, particularly children with disabilities.
The three-day conference, hosted by the Department's Office of Special Education Programs, will be held at the Hyatt Regency Crystal City in Arlington, Va. Additional Department officials will participate in various break-out sessions throughout the conference, and over 1200 attendees are expected. The full conference agenda is available at: http://mega-2011.tadnet.org/.