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Now is the time to join or renew membership in CEC!

PACEC membership is over 2000 strong.

As always, we invite new members and hope that each current member will renew membership and can recruit just one new member a year. Membership is important to special education professionals in order to increase influence on Capitol Hill in matters of special education. If you are committed to creating positive change in the lives of those who have disabilities and/or are gifted, CEC/PACEC membership offers a wide range of personal and professional benefits you cannot afford to be without.

Consider gaining access to an active network of more than 50,000 members who are special education teachers, administrators, college faculty, educational consultants, students and parents. When you join CEC/PACEC, you are put in touch with colleagues experiencing the same tough professional issues. The organization can boost your skills with networking and career development such as PACEC's annual convention held in Harrisburg and CEC¹s Annual Convention scheduled for Seattle, Washington in April 2003.

As a CEC/PACEC member, you receive wonderful journals that are widely respected in the field such as Teaching Exceptional Children, a classroom oriented magazine that reports on the latest methods, materials, and programs. Exceptional Children is a research journal that provides members with an early look at the findings and trends that will change both thinking and practice in the years ahead. Each of the 17 CEC Divisions publish and send out journals and newsletters. Of course, you also receive the PACEC newsletter, ACTION.

Finally, as a CEC/PACEC member, you advocate for the rights of children and youth with exceptionalities, as well as the special needs of those who teach them. Please renew your membership today and encourage friends and colleagues to join the largest special education professional organization in the world.

What is CEC?

The Council for Exceptional Children:

• Is widely respected as the most active organization in the world serving all exceptional children who have disabilities and those who are gifted.
• Is a network of over 52,000 professional members from every state and province in North America, plus many other countries throughout the world, who are involved in all aspects of special education.
• Has served those who serve the educational needs of exceptional children for 75 years, since 1922.
• Offers its members important professional benefits.
• Invites you to become a member.

CEC Professional Member Benefits include:

• Three Publications - Teaching Exceptional Children, bimonthly; Exceptional Children, quarterly; and, CEC Today, ten issues annually.
• Automatic Membership in local, state/provincial, and international CEC.
• Seventeen CEC Subdivisions centered on various interests and exceptionalities.
• Professional Development Activities, including conventions, conferences, academies, and workshops. Members get early notice and special rates.
• Effective Representation at all levels of government.
• Information Services through the ERIC Clearinghouse on Disabilities and Gifted Education.
• Discount of 30% on over 100 CEC Professional products and services - books, periodicals, multi-media kits, and more.
• Access to latest research, practice, and products linking technology to special education.
• Savings on professional liability, major medical, and term-life insurance through group plans.
• Opportunity to receive a major credit card with no annual fee for the first year.
• Investment opportunities - CDs and money market accounts.

Joining CEC is easy!

As you can see from the list above, membership in the Council for Exceptional Children offers many great benefits, including publications, activities, and representation to all levels of government. Also included for Professional and Student members is the opportunity to join any of CEC's 17 specialized divisions for even more journals, newsletters, and workshop opportunities.

There are three types of membership:

• Professional - open to all practicing education professionals;
• Student - open to students and pre-service professionals; and,
• Associate - open to paraprofessionals, parents, and other interested stakeholders.

For more information about the benefits of CEC membership, or to join, click on the links above, or call the CEC Membership department today at 1-888-CEC-SPED. Together, we can enhance the quality of life for all children and youth with exceptionalities.

CEC Launches Constituent Services Center

Effective immediately, you can dial 1-888-232-7733 (888-CEC-SPED) for all contacts with CEC. No more dialing multiple numbers until you get the department you need. This is another example of CEC continuing to improve to meet your needs.

Transition from Student to Professional Member Eased

CEC Headquarters in Reston has eased the process for those members who no longer qualify for Student Membership by discounting the first "transitional" year to Professional Membership. We all realize this is a time of great excitement for our members, but we also realize that new teachers tend to spend a lot of their own money preparing for that first job. With new clothes, a car, and all those teaching supplies it's a wonder that anything is left. But CEC membership is important, too! As a Professional Member you will continue to receive CEC's member journals, an important resource since you no longer have a professor teaching you all the newest information. For more information on how you can take advantage of this offer, contact your chapter advisor or CEC Headquarters at 888-232-7733.

PACEC Membership Chair