Students attending a University-Model® school participate in a hybrid approach to education which combines homeschooling with private education. This allows parents a primary role in their child(ren)'s education with the guidance of licensed teachers. The question of how students' academic needs are addressed in this model remains unexplored. This…

The U.S. Department of Education's Office of Special Education Programs now requires states to fully disclose the precise steps they will take to ensure better outcomes for students with disabilities. This new requirement can aid educators in implementing effective practices for providing deeper learning opportunities for these students. With the…

For the inclusive education indicated in the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) to occur at the high school level, teachers must be prepared to teach students with multiple ability levels and learning profiles in one classroom. Since the passage of IDEA, large numbers of students with mild to severe learning needs have been placed…

The current laws that mandate special education originated through the advocacy of families (Turnbull & Turnbull, 1990). Over the years, families have challenged the system to provide free and appropriate public educations for their children. We share, through qualitative measures, the experiences of one African American family and the…

This study examined two areas. First, the authors looked at whether secondary individualized education program (IEP) teams who used the "Transition Planning Inventory" (TPI) in conjunction with a structured IEP meeting that based discussions and decisions on TPI data as a planning intervention generated significantly more…

The purpose of this qualitative study was three-fold. First, the purpose was to identify instructional strategies implemented by a virtual public high school to serve students with disabilities. Second, the purpose of this study was to show how the curriculum for students with disabilities developed in a virtual public school in a southeastern…

The demands for accountability in education have led to an increase in high-stakes testing practices in public schools. Accountability can be seen at the high school level in the use of exit examinations (hereafter "exit exams") that students must pass to receive a diploma and graduate from high school. One of the most challenging issues…

Secondary schools continue to face significant challenges as they work to support increasing numbers of students in inclusion settings. Career and Technical Education (CTE) high schools have typically offered students with special needs valuable learning opportunities. Nevertheless, little research has been done to identify the strengths and needs…

Transition services for secondary students with disabilities are defined by the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act (IDEA) as a coordinated set of activities contained in a results-oriented process to improve educational and functional outcomes. The most popular strategy used to prepare secondary students with high-incidence…

The Individuals with Disabilities Improvement Act mandates that every student with an Individualized Education Program be considered for assistive technology (AT). As a result, future special educators need to have the knowledge and skills regarding AT. In this article, the authors report findings from a national study of special education teacher…

The purpose of this research is to share strategies and techniques used by highly qualified educators and experts in the field of education and instruction. Differentiated instruction is one of the most common terms used in education. It is also the key to teaching students with multiple or a wide range of disabilities. Quality classroom…

Despite the national, state, and local emphasis on academic progress and standards, the curricular needs of the 3 million highly talented and gifted youth in the U.S. generally have not been embraced as a priority. In many high schools, academically precocious students are expected to progress on their own. The Individuals with Disabilities…

The 1997 reauthorization of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) called for an increase in student involvement in individualized education program (IEP) meetings. To determine the extent of student involvement in educational planning, this study observed 109 middle and high school IEP meetings; 90% of the participants completed a…

Adolescence is a time for dreaming--for youth to imagine and set a course for the future. High school students naturally spend time imagining the future--if and where to continue their education, to find a job or pursue a career, to move away from home, or to start a family. The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) includes a process…

This monograph provides a comprehensive, concise, and current overview of the law-- specifically, legislation, regulations, and published court/administrative decisions--relating to gifted education for K-12 students. For students whose legal rights are based solely on their gifted status, the law largely boils down to (a) varying state statutes…