School leaders and special educators are expected to be experts on all levels and types of special education law and services, types of disability, and aspects of academic and functional programming. With the increasing demands of the job and the ever-changing legal and educational climate, many administrators and teachers are overwhelmed, and few…

Under the Equality Act (2010), all schools and service providers have a legal obligation to make provision for disabled pupils, staff and school users. If you're feeling confused and concerned about the content and implications of the Disability Duty Act (1995) and the more recently released Equality Act (2010), and how it affects your setting,…

Ongoing, strategic family-school partnering (FSP) is an essential component of every educational community. FSP is a multi-dimensional process in which schools, families, and communities engage in shared actions to ensure a child's academic, social, and emotional success. With this text, the authors intend to offer a practical guide that…

Effective, "schoolwide" inclusion ensures the best outcomes for all students--but how can school teams knock down the barriers to inclusion and make sure it's happening across all classrooms? This concise book gives principals and other school leaders the solution they've been waiting for: a clear framework for leading inclusion efforts,…

School leaders are increasingly called upon to pursue meaningful partnerships with families and community groups, yet many leaders are unprepared to meet the challenges of partnerships, to cross cultural boundaries, or to be accountable to the community. Alliances are needed among educators, families, and community groups that value relationship…

The Achieving-Behaving-Caring (ABC) Program is an evidence-based approach to addressing the needs of elementary students at risk for emotional and behavioral difficulties and promoting successful home-school collaboration. This practical guide demonstrates how classroom teachers and parents can work together to boost individual children's…

This book describes how school systems across the nation are seeking new ways to involve parents while strengthening efforts already in place. The introduction describes the need for strengthening the school's ties to the community, in light of increasing numbers of children living in conditions that predispose them to being at risk, such as…

Issues in school choice are addressed, with a focus on Minnesota. The first chapter presents a rationale in support of school choice, examining school choice as a catalyst for change based on American values. Outcomes of choice include parent influence over state allocation of resources and changes in the roles and responsibilities of educators,…

What is the best way to share leadership duties while creating successful learning communities? What is the best way to help teachers improve their practice while also tracking student achievement? With this resource for effective leadership, answers will be found to these tough questions for every member of a school team. This book takes a…

This guide provides suggestions for planning and implementing inclusion programs to enhance education for all children. Recent laws supporting the rights of children with disabilities are considered, along with the confusion regarding how to meet the needs of all children in the schools. Variations in inclusion practices among states and districts…

The issue of central interest in this book is not how many new policies have been approved or how many restructuring efforts are being undertaken, but rather what has actually changed in practice--if anything--as a result of change efforts. The book is divided into three main parts. Part 1, "Understanding Educational Change," provides an overview…

Designed to help parents and teachers think beyond the ordinary ways in which parent-family involvement in education is considered and approached, this book describes 34 operational parent-family involvement programs in preschools and in elementary, middle, and high schools. It also describes programs run by school districts and communities. Among…

This book is concerned with educational change affecting elementary and secondary schools in the United States and Canada. A wide range of innovative programs are discussed as examples of the practical meaning of change, including projects involving various curriculum areas, microcomputers, career education, open-concept schools, desegregation,…

This resource guide provides field-tested, research-based strategies for including young children with disabilities in early childhood programs. It is designed to help preservice and in-service educators, Head Start personnel, and child care providers with information to promote inclusion in children's earliest social and educational experiences.…