Since the 2004 reauthorization of the Individuals With Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), there has been a growing focus on improving the quality of programs for children with disabilities and measuring the results/outcomes of those programs. Across the country, IDEA Part C Programs for Infants and Toddlers and IDEA Part B, Section 619 Preschool…

Nationwide, personnel preparation programs are responding to the changing population demographics and its impact on Pre K-12 classrooms. Needs surveys conducted by the Monarch Center over the past ten years have consistently yielded a need for support in redesigning program course and fieldwork components to better prepare their teachers and other…

Situated in the heart of the fertile San Joaquin Valley twenty miles north of Fresno, the city of Madera has a population of 56,710 people. Agriculture is the driving force behind the local economy; the area produces more than 100 crops including raisin grapes, almonds, figs, pistachios, alfalfa, corn, milk, cattle and poultry. The total value of…

The present investigation examines the schoolwide applications model (SAM) as a potentially effective school reform model for increasing equity-based inclusive education practices while enhancing student reading and math achievement for all students. A 3-year quasi-experimental comparison group analysis using latent growth modeling (LGM) was used…

Describes shifting perspectives of a large special education teacher education program in Florida in the process of implementing a reform agenda. Particular attention is given to admission standards for prospective teachers (reliance on test scores is questioned) and the curriculum and teaching methodologies of teacher education program.…

This paper reports on an ongoing 5-year study on practices and policies that improve postschool outcomes for students with disabilities in significantly restructured high schools. Four high schools with strong internal accountability measures are subjects of an intensive longitudinal study. The schools are in both urban and smaller communities in…

This monograph summarizes outcomes of a forum addressing strategies to improve special education program evaluation efforts and orient policymakers, administrators, and advocates to the benefits of program evaluation as an integral part of program improvement. The forum also addressed barriers restricting evaluation of program effectiveness…

Teacher educators should foster the development of teachers who create and maintain humane learning environments (such as those needed to fulfill the legacy of Public Law 94-142) by creating similar supportive environments (i.e., teacher education programs that accept students as they are, treat them with respect, and nurture joy in learning).…

This report describes a project which developed and implemented a process for the ongoing identification of national information needed for improving programs and services to infants, toddlers, children, and youth with disabilities. The process involved creating a polling panel of stakeholder groups, creating a list of national program information…

Special education changes that must occur to ensure successful transition from school to community-based employment and living environments for all disabled youth include: programming for future environments; expanding the availability of adult services for severely disabled youth; and a 13th-year program for mildly handicapped students,…

The second of five volumes of a report on instructional programs for handicapped children and youth in day and residential facilities, this document describes methodologies and results of the first of four components of the study, a national survey of separate facilities for handicapped children and youth which yielded responses from 1,315 day…

The third of five volumes of a study of instructional programs for handicapped children and youth in separate day care and residential facilities, this document presents the results of an analysis of State education agency (SEA) procedures and the impact of these procedures on special education services and practices within the targeted…

The Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO) and the Policymaker Partnership (PMP) of the National Association of State Directors of Special Education have joined together to consider challenges and opportunities for coordinating special and compensatory education among states, districts, and schools. As part of this effort toward increasing…

The purpose of this study was to carry out the mandate of the Education of the Handicapped Amendments of 1983 and 1986 which called for an analysis and evaluation of the effectiveness of procedures undertaken by state education agencies, local education agencies, and intermediate educational units to improve programs of instruction for handicapped…

The Arkansas Department of Education Co-teaching Project was designed to assist Arkansas schools in the implementation of more inclusive service delivery models for students with disabilities. The project began due to a need to increase the number of students being served in less restrictive environments, but evolved into a systematic statewide…