Abstract
The Council for Exceptional Children (CEC) Student Committee is the first committee to revise its charter under a process that began in 2018. This follows a motion approved by the CEC Board of Directors that all committees periodically undergo a rechartering process.
The objective of the process is to clarify and justify the need for committees to support CEC’s mission and strategic plan. The review is also intended to strengthen and support committees to ensure effective performance on behalf of CEC and its members.
Standing committees will submit a recharter application every 5 years and advisory committees will submit recharter applications every 3 years. Initial applications will be due as indicated in the table on the following page.
As each rechartering application is submitted, the CEC board can recommend continuing the committee without modification, continuing it with modification, or terminating the committee.
The new application requires that certain elements be addressed, including committee purpose, tasks and defined metrics, committee deliverables and timelines, how the committee will measure outcomes, alignment with the strategic plan, authority and accountability, budget implications (including revenue-generating opportunities), size, terms, composition, and desired knowledge, skills, and abilities.
In the case of the Student Committee, it was renamed the Student and Early Career Committee to support the CEC board strategy approved in July 2018 to transform the CEC student membership to an “early-career” membership experience that recognizes the distinct needs of students and new teachers.
The committee’s purposes include
Serving CEC throughout the year as a feedback mechanism to provide input and guidance to CEC staff and volunteer leaders on a host of initiatives focused on recruiting, supporting, and mentoring teacher candidates and teachers in their first few years in the classroom.
Planning related events at the convention.
Given the national shortage of special education teachers and the ongoing concerns about low enrollment in special education teacher preparation programs, the CEC Student and Early Career Committee’s approved recharter application officially broadens its charge to also support early career educators.
The work that the Student and Early Childhood Committee will do includes
Curating professional development opportunities focused on improving the practice of students and new special educators.
Providing input to convention-planning staff to increase events, sessions, and convent relevant to students and early-career attendees. For example, in 2018, the Student Committee identified “family engagement” as a top priority and consistent challenge for students and early-career educators. This was the topic of the most successful student forum in recent years (attracting nearly 200 attendees) and generated the most positive feedback from attendees to date. It was so well received that it was leveraged into a members-only webinar with the forum presenters that yielded the highest registration and attendance rates for CEC webinars presented in 2018.
Supporting CEC membership by curating specific benefits that would be most valuable to students and new special educators.
Providing publications and overall content management support.
Helping identify resources relevant to students at the undergraduate and graduate levels, as well as to early-career special educators.
As outcomes of deliverables are measured moving forward, the committee may request that the board modify its charge at any time without having to wait until November 2021, when its next rechartering application is due. Other committees may do the same.