The process of providing students with disabilities access to an education that is of appropriate quality is still a relatively new endeavor. Students with disabilities benefit from the support of family, educators, and many other professionals addressing the inequality that is faced in school. Ultimately, progress has been achieved from…

In 1974, the Education for all Handicapped Protection Act was signed into law by President Gerald Ford. This law which was renamed the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) in 1990, established a federal entitlement to special education for eligible students with disabilities. In 1982 and again in 2017, the U.S. Supreme Court…

The purpose of this paper is to trace the historical trajectory of special education and how societal perspectives influenced the special education movement. It aims to answer if special education and inclusion have achieved their goals for all individuals, especially those with disabilities. A review of historical trends, special education laws,…

The aim of this essay is to advance understandings of current efforts to democratize disciplined approaches to educational innovation and improvement in the US and other countries, with a specific focus on the macro-level policy contexts of improvement research in education. In the US, earlier analyses examined these policy contexts from a…

Special education, a discipline that aims to provide specialized instruction to meet the unique needs of each child with a disability, has turned 40 years old in the United States. Ever since the passage of the Education for All Handicapped Children Act (P.L. 94-142) in 1975, every state has been directed to provide a free and appropriate…

The debate over school vouchers continues as more states offer government dollars to fund private schooling for students as a method of improving choice and quality in K-12 education. Previous research in the charter school sector has found that special education enrollment discrepancies between charters and traditional public schools is likely…

In this three-year qualitative study we investigated the experiences and perspectives of university undergraduate students who were peer mentors for students with intellectual and developmental disabilities (ID/DD) in a postsecondary education certificate program at a public university in the northeastern United States. The findings were…

Historically, the provision of special education has moved from settings isolated from children without disabilities to services in public school classrooms with non-disabled peers. As advocates began to impact civil rights legislation, the educational rights of individuals with disabilities were realized, and laws began to protect them. Public…

The challenges in improving and sustaining success of children from multicultural backgrounds with disabilities in urban school districts manifest themselves in the contextual dynamics of legal, accountability, demographic, and fiscal terrains. Within each of these areas, educational leaders must solve existing problems of underservicing,…

The first of two articles considers the theoretical issues in special education litigation raised by overlapping federal statutes: civil rights legislation; Education for All Handicapped Children Act; and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. (MLF)

This series of short articles discusses two separate educational policy issues: the federal role in education for the handicapped and tuition tax credits. Concerning the first issue, the document discusses the background of P.L. 94-142 and its first 5 years, concluding that, although accomplishments are impressive, there are still difficulties in…

This paper reviews the contributions of the United States to the promotion of children's rights. In the 19th century, the United States created public schools to supplement family education. Societies to protect children were also established. Early in the 20th century, the government began a series of White House Conferences on Children and…

A training manual for state education agency (SEA) staff dealing with issues of sex bias and discrimination in the educational system is presented. The manual is designed to achieve the following primary objectives: (1) provide a status report on federal and state roles in promoting educational equity; (2) provide an overview of inequities based…

Examines effects of several federal categorical programs and civil rights mandates on schools/school districts. Concluded that federal and state policies for special populations have (1) improved and expanded services for target students, and (2) increased the structural complexity of schools and districts. The study also found that overtime costs…

Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 is the first major statutory civil rights enactment that protects handicapped individuals from discriminatory practices in employment and educational opportunities and in accessibility to federally supported programs and activities. The purpose of this handbook is to examine the statutory and…