The purpose of this paper is to support school professionals in their work with parents as they meet IDEA (2004) requirements during IEP meetings. The authors share tools to help recognize when IDEA principles are violated and provide alternative responses that school professionals and parents can offer. Definitions and brief explanations of the…

In 2013, the national high school graduation rate hit a record high of 81.4 percent, and for the third year in a row, the nation remained on pace to meet the 90 percent goal by the Class of 2020. This sixth annual update on America's high school dropout challenge shows that these gains have been made possible by raising graduation rates for…

This paper attempts to illuminate a central concept and idea in special education discourse, namely, "special needs". It analyses philosophically what needs are and on what grounds they are defined as "special" or "exceptional". It also discusses whether sorting needs into ordinary and special is discriminatory. It is argued that individualistic…

The author states a definition of mainstreaming and lists 30 underlying principles of mainstreaming, then describes 17 models ranked as most successful (e.g., the resource plan--most commonly used) by special education directors who responded to a national survey. Noted is importance of ongoing inservice education and individualized teaching. (MC)

Ten key issues and obstacles pertaining to mainstreaming are discussed, including redefining the relationship between special and regular education, the schock of normalization, recognition of physical and psychological barriers, teacher attitudes, labeling, and the individualized education plan. (DLS)

This consensus statement was the result of a conference on school-to-work transition for youths with disabilities which brought together service providers, consumers, family members, researchers, and others. Consensus was reached on several principles, organized around six broad areas: (1) what school-to-work transition for this population is and…

This monograph resulted from a meeting of regular and special education leaders which addressed what works for the successful inclusion of students with special needs in regular education classrooms. The monograph focuses specifically on inclusion of students with learning disabilities. After an executive summary, the paper includes a review of…

Inclusion is a way of providing a normalized educational experience for all children with disabilities. Educators differ, however, on the meaning of inclusion, from full-inclusion advocates to those who assert "inclusive" means that learning needs are met in a range of service delivery contexts. Three components of inclusionary schooling that are…

The Laboratory School in Bielefeld, Germany, is an experimental school that is part of the University of Bielefeld. The Laboratory School is an integrated comprehensive school for children aged 5-16 years. Pupils are not separated by streaming and do not receive letter grades until their 10th year of school. The Laboratory School makes extensive…

This training manual provides practical guidelines for staff development in supported employment programs for individuals with severe disabilities. It provides information on designing and developing training programs using adult learning principles, for program managers or trainers responsible for implementing inservice training and technical…