Language deprivation occurs because the majority of Deaf students are not born into homes where sign language is used and/or are not taught or not allowed to use sign language, the only language that is readily accessible to them. Instead, they are forced to use less effective communication techniques. When Deaf child who has experienced this…

In this era of increased accountability education leaders must respond to the political calls for academic performance with the legal ramifications of IDEA policy implementation within a student's least restrictive environment. This action research study sought to answer how a school system identifies a student's least restrictive environment.…

The intent of this study was to address a problem of practice in an elementary school setting in order to provide opportunities for students with significant impairments to be educated in the least restrictive environment. Three research questions guided the study: How effectively has Be Your Best Elementary School (BYBES) developed and…

The purpose of this research study is to comprehend the perception and practices of New Jersey public school educators serving students in kindergarten through 12th-grade settings, regarding factors impacting placement in the least restrictive environment for special education students. This study explored how educators rate the implementation of…

The purpose of this qualitative descriptive study was to explore how general education elementary teachers who teach special education students in their classrooms in California described their use of pedagogy, innate qualities, and classroom culture to develop creative teaching practices. This study was guided by Cremin's theory, the three…

In summary, the problem this qualitative interpretive descriptive study addressed was to investigate what elementary general education teachers see as the success of the implementation of inclusive instructional practices. Perception of the success of implementation of inclusive instructional practices can impact the fidelity of the implementation…

Students identified as special education are being placed in general education classes with a plan for modifications and accommodations and expected to achieve academic success at the same rate as their on-level counterparts. However, they still continue to lag behind in literacy achievement by about 3.4 years. The purpose of this study was to…

The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act mandates that all school districts provide a free appropriate public education to students with Individualized Education Plans in their least restrictive environment. Co-teaching in inclusion classrooms is a collaborative effort, with a general education teacher and a special education teacher, to…

Developmentally appropriate practices aim to promote success in students and provide a framework for teaching for teachers (NAEYC, 2009). These developmentally appropriate practices are found in research and support the growth and development of young children. One of the most important developmentally appropriate practices for the birth to 8…

An achievement gap is defined as a significant difference in academic performance between two groups. Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System (MCAS) data indicate that, in Crestland Public School District (pseudonym), there is a clear achievement gap in mathematics between students with disabilities and those without disabilities,…

The purpose of this case study was to evaluate to what extent individual teachers in a small, rural high school have the capacity and pedagogical skills to teach non-English speaking individuals within a sociocultural theoretical framework. Using a mixed methods approach, this case study measured teacher efficacy and their use of best practices…

In response to legislation from the federal government and the rising number of ELs in public schools many school districts are searching for ways to ensure ELs are making adequate progress on English proficiency. The problem is defining the best method for teaching ELs in the mainstream classroom is difficult. The current gap in educational…

This qualitative collective case study investigates how mainstream preservice secondary teachers in a university-based program learn to teach emergent bilinguals in their student teaching. Despite the facts that emergent bilinguals are the fastest growing but lowest performing student population in the U.S. and secondary emergent bilinguals are…

Purpose: Following recent federal legislation and related policy changes, co-teaching evolved rapidly as a strategy to provide students with disabilities access to the same curriculum as students without disabilities while receiving instruction in the least restrictive environment. It is unclear if co-teaching is an effective instructional…

In the past few decades, public schools in the United States have witnessed a fast-growing student population of English language learners (ELLs), who come from homes where a language other than English is dominant. The dual task of content and the English language learning has brought ELLs huge academic challenges, such as one-size-fit-all…