Students with disabilities are an increasing subpopulation in higher education. Recently, research has put an emphasis on students' voices to explore their academic learning experiences, as well as the learning strategies they use to overcome learning barriers. This study aimed to investigate the academic learning experiences of students with…

As the follow-up to an earlier examination of the frequency and outcomes trends of published court decisions under the IDEA for P-12 students, this updated analysis covers the 25-year period ending on December 31, 2022. The frequency trend for the most recent 10 years reversed the upward trajectory of the previous 15 years. The outcomes trend for…

This article presents an initial analysis of a new special education campus needs assessment designed to gauge educator perceptions of special education in five key areas: support, expectations, empowerment, equity, and professional development. The Special Education Campus Needs Assessment (SECNA) was pilot tested with a group of seventy-two…

In 2005, the Texas Education Agency implemented a new accountability measure for school districts that penalized those that had more than 8.5% special education enrollment. The policy that lasted for over a decade and its implications, which continue to this day, created inequitable access to services for students with disabilities of all…

The Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) curriculum has been implemented in numerous school districts to cultivate positive behaviors and diminish inappropriate conduct and behavioral issues. Beyond enhancing students' interpersonal relationships, essential skills such as relationship-building, responsible decision-making, and empathy enable…

State governments have the purview to interpret federal special education policies as they see fit. Interpretations of these policies to music education rarely are addressed within state special education policy. The authors selected four states to analyze and compare state special education policies; Illinois, Michigan, Texas, and Virginia.…

This quantitative research study analyzed the effectiveness of Section 504 plans on academic achievement as measured by the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT), State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness (STAAR), and graduating grade point averages (GPA). There is limited research on the effectiveness of Section 504 plans and academic…

This article examines contextual factors that impact inclusive education in the Rio Grande Valley region of South Texas, United States. Based on the analysis of teachers' narratives, the study concluded that teachers perceive inclusive special education as a student's right primarily grounded in the social justice context of education. While…

The purpose of this study was to determine if discipline strategies, gender, and disabilities impact the successful cohort graduation of African American students with special needs. While much research has been conducted to investigate the achievement gap and discipline gap, there is a paucity of research on how discipline affects the graduation…

The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of COVID-19 and remote learning on education for college students with disabilities. A qualitative research method, interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA), was used to investigate participants' learning experiences during the pandemic. A total of 10 U.S. participants were divided into…

Schools of choice need to provide equitable access and opportunities to all students, including students with disabilities and emergent bilinguals. In the context of Early College High Schools, principals and school districts should be partners in ensuring admissions processes are non-discriminatory. In this fictional case, a new principal in a…

The state of Texas has been cited through the U.S. Department of Education under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) as failing to identify students under the Child Find component of the law using Response to Intervention/Multi-Tiered System of Support (RtI/MTSS). The purpose of this basic qualitative study was to identify…

A relatively recent phenomenon of interest within the field of twice-exceptionality involves gifted children with autism. A literature search reveals a lack of published works about these individuals and empirical studies exploring the distinctive special educational needs of these children remain scarce (Nicpon et al., 2011; Rubenstein et al.,…

Background or Context: With the implementation of three-dimensional science and high stakes testing, policymakers have bolstered science curriculum to include standards that engage students in scientific discourse while providing the needed guidelines for teaching science content. However, the field of science education has not been a policy focus…

School administrators oversee and monitor specially designed programming for students with disabilities to ensure they receive appropriate services. School administrators, however, may be unprepared for the diverse roles that are needed to ensure students with disabilities receive an appropriate education (Edwards, 2012) including in adapted…