The American Association on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (AAIDD) hosted the National Goals in Research, Policy, and Practice working meeting in August, 2015, to identify key national policies, priorities, and practices to serve and support students with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) at the secondary level. The…

The nation's economy is only as strong as the educational foundation that supports it. Economic success in the twenty-first century requires a labor force capable of demonstrating an advanced level of both knowledge and skill. To be a true engine of growth, the nation's education system must be aligned with these demands. This is why the…

Although there is no single program or idea that will fix the entire American educational system, findings from the national demonstration project College and Career Transitions Initiative (CCTI) demonstrate considerable promise of the role pathways can play in helping students find their way through education to work and on to their careers.…

Educators in the US are becoming increasingly focused on the idea of early colleges, by which high-school students take college courses at postsecondary institutions to improve their educational experience. Early colleges can be a strong alternative for some students under 18 because they employ many of the approaches to liberal-arts education…

The TRAC (Trade-Related Academic Competencies) model is designed for use by special education teachers in conjunction with vocational educators to provide a positive first experience for students with learning disabilities in transition from school to employment. The model assesses and develops academic skills in 26 vocational education program…

In this article, the authors describe the development of a pilot project called Writing Zones 12.5. Writing Zones 12.5 was created to help students find strategies for solving writing problems and help them become better writers at every stage of the writing process. The project touches on five of the nine principles that Center for Higher…

This brief describes a new approach to teaching and learning that can help middle and secondary teachers more effectively accommodate different learning styles, including those of students with disabilities. This approach, referred to as "universal design," holds potential for easing the transition to middle school and helping all students achieve…

The Frost Center (Rockville, Maryland) is a private, nonprofit school and therapeutic day program that serves adolescents with emotional, learning, and behavioral disabilities and their families. Approximately two-thirds of each student's day is spent in academic classes, acquiring the skills and behavior necessary for a return to a less…

After more than three decades of development and two decades of evaluation, career academies have been found to be effective in improving the performance of students in high school, particularly for students at greatest risk. Career academies have become the most durable and best-tested component of a high school reform strategy that includes…