In passing the Individuals With Disabilities Education Act Amendments of 1997, Congress tackled tough issues regarding educating students with disabilities. This article addresses four changes to IDEA and their implications for secondary principals, including suspension of handicapped students without educational services, development of…

This article presents a model for integrating transition planning into the Individualized Education Program (IEP) with a focus on developing quality student-centered strategic plans. Strategies for developing effective transition practices, following meaningful processes, and creating efficient and effective IEP products are described. (Contains…

Contends that if the Education for All Handicapped Children Act (EHA) provision of special services in parochial schools is struck down, the value system implicit in EHA that gives cognizance to parental placement of children in private schools will have been eviscerated. (MLF)

This article addresses integrated education for disabled students from both legal and educational perspectives. Variables critical to integration, including the influence of the media, the need for increased dissemination of legal and educational findings, the need for well-developed individualized education programs, and a critical examination of…

The president of the Council for Exceptional Children urges special educators to respect students' varying cultural backgrounds; to differentiate between cultural differences, developmental delays, and true disabilities; and to use the individualized education program to provide culturally and linguistically appropriate programming. (DB)

This study evaluated the type and frequency of social skills listed as objectives in 469 students' Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) in a rural special education cooperative. Results indicated that academically related social skills were much more likely to be included in IEPs than interpersonal skills. (Author/DB)

Suggestions to make parents of children with disabilities more comfortable in the Individualized Education Program (IEP) meeting include contacting parents personally before the meeting, having a school staff member greet the parents, appointing an "interpreter" to monitor educational jargon, and videotaping or audiotaping a few conferences to…

The 4th Circuit's decision in "Hartman v Loudoun County Board of Education," involving the placement of an 11-year-old autistic child, teaches important lessons about the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act: mainstreaming is a strong preference, not an unyielding requirement; and if educators make active and careful efforts to…

This article suggests that the influence of school culture on Individual Education Plans (IEPs) has received insufficient attention and that school changes may be a demonstration of compliance to external pressures rather than the development of good practice. A secondary school is described that capitalized on existing strengths through…

The National Dropout Prevention Center for Students with Disabilities (NDPC-SD) was assigned the task of summarizing and analyzing the data for Indicator 2--Dropout--from the 2006--07 Annual Performance Reports (APRs) and the revised State Performance Plans (SPPs), which were submitted to the Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) in February…

Parental dissatisfaction with special education services is a national problem. This article presents two districts that have undergone systemwide changes to decrease the dissatisfaction of families who have children with disabilities. Using qualitative inquiry, the authors analyzed documents and observed and interviewed 24 informants about the…

This project uses a narrative view of identity to interrogate how individuals construct notions of ability and disability within their families. Participants include children with disabilities from diverse ethnic backgrounds, their parents, siblings, and extended family members. Interactions within four families are explored as well as…

This study investigated the degree to which students with intellectual and developmental disabilities have access to the general education curriculum and the degree to which such access is related to and predicted by classroom setting and ecological variables. We observed 19 students during science or social studies instruction and collected data…

Much progress has been made in the past three decades to improve the quality of education for students with disabilities. Schools have had to undergo complex changes in order to implement the special education laws regarding access to and structure of educational services. Although services have dramatically improved, there remain frequent…

The National Dropout Prevention Center for Students with Disabilities (NDPC-SD) was assigned the task of compiling, analyzing, and summarizing the data for Indicator 1--Graduation--from the FFY 2009 Annual Performance Reports (APRs) and amended State Performance Plans (SPPs), which were submitted by states to the Office of Special Education…