The evolution of language speaks to our values as a society and our understanding of each other as humans making contributions to society. Using people-first language demonstrates a respect for the personhood of people with disabilities, but often professionals are at a loss as to which words to use. This primer shares the ideology behind…

Internationally adopted youth (IAY) with disabilities have distinctive needs for adaptive development, and schools play a central role in supporting and meeting these needs. Yet in our qualitative examination of 41 families of IAY with disabilities, we found that these needs are not often well understood by practicing educators and school staff.…

Response to Intervention (RTI) has become the gateway to identification for many students with specific learning disabilities. Those include students in the 17 states that require RTI as the source of eligibility data as well as many students in the 33 states that allow districts to choose RTI among other options (e.g., discrepancy). There is…

The current study is a national survey of special education mathematics teachers in juvenile correctional schools (JC). Results are based on 121 (32%) returned surveys from special education mathematics teacher. Results indicated that in 47% of schools, curriculum was not based on district or state curricula. Between 40-50% of teachers reported…

The authors encourage caution in the implementation of Response to Intervention and dispel the false hopes that Response to Intervention will solve many of education's challenges. Outlined in this article are the reasons why Response to Intervention cannot be the solution to the identification of students for special education, why it can't…

This study compared differences in diploma and graduation dropout rates among students with and without disabilities, analyzed differences in various graduation-types by disabilities, and offered recommendations to improve graduation rates through evidence-based practices. The geographic catchment area of this study was limited to twelve Southern…

To be taken seriously, proposals for education reform must be grounded in realities. One of these realities is that labels are indispensable in special education. Another is that special education is needed, even if general education is excellent. Most proposals for educational reform will be disastrous even if only one of their assumptions fails…

Daegu University has enjoyed a long and remarkable history of special education. Daegu University is large University located in Daegu, South Korea, a large city in South Korea that is south of Seoul. Since the 1970's, South Korea has achieved unusual and comprehensive growth in its economy, and the field of special education continued to thrive…

Interviews with 16 general special education teachers from the Chicago area were conducted in order to obtain information on their views and experiences with collaboration. An open-ended questionnaire consisting of nine items was utilized during the interviews, which required the participants to give multiple sentence responses to each question.…

The reauthorization of IDEA, which is now Public Law 108-446, was signed into law by President Bush on December 3, 2004. This article discusses background issues and some of the consequences of this new law for children with learning disabilities. For the first time in a reauthorization of IDEA, the rights of parents and students have been…

A study was conducted of 255 Chicago teachers (132 general, 91 special education, and 32 other school personnel) at elementary, middle, and high school levels to measure attitudes towards inclusive classrooms. Findings indicated the general education teachers were less knowledgeable about special education law, less skillful in working with…

It is important to seek learners' own perceptions and preferences related to different least restrictive environment settings. To investigate learners' perceptions, a survey instrument was prepared with items based on literature, which did address learners' perceptions and preferences. Pilot data obtained from university students who had …

If we truly believe in the heart of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act-individualization for children with disabilities, then we cannot align the goals of No Child Left Behind with it. This article addresses why school personnel today are struggling with the impossible task of trying to align IDEA and NCLB. It also addresses the…

This article reviews changes in the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act that were intended to encourage school districts to provide special education and related services to children with disabilities enrolled in private schools and that have resulted in the denial of services in a number of significant cases. (Contains references.) (CR)

A survey of 264 parents (151 special education and 103 general education) examined parental perceptions and attitudes toward inclusion practices. Quantitative and qualitative analyses revealed that, overall, parents were pleased with the academic and support services their children received and the social aspects of inclusion. Concerns were raised…