Becoming a special education teacher encompasses more than just learning how to teach. A large component of this position requires advocacy at the local, state, and national levels. Therefore, special education teachers need to be prepared to effectively advocate across all levels. This article examines the integration of advocacy into an…

This case demonstrates how school administrators' development of intersectional competence can disrupt racial inequity in special education. Intersectional competence refers to educators' preparedness to recognize how schooling is implicated in multiple, intersecting systems of oppression, collaborate with relevant stakeholders who themselves…

This article provides foundational information to stimulate and facilitate assessment of the distinctive role of law in this field. For example, has the balance of costs and benefits reached the point of over-legalization? Similarly, to what extent is legal literacy essential for special education teachers and related service personnel as compared…

Despite decades of tenacious advocacy and improvement efforts to expand and enshrine rights for students with disabilities, many students with individualized education programs (IEPs) still lack access to high-quality, effective learning opportunities. This can be due to a range of factors, including low expectations, exclusion from general…

Jordan's 2017 Public Law No. 20, Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act has given rise to a renewed focus on inclusive education. Using a qualitative comparative case study design, the purpose of this study was to examine factors impacting how schools in Jordan are defining, interpreting and enacting inclusion. Four shadow teachers working in…

COVID-19 shocked the education system, disrupting the policies and practices of special education over multiple school years. This essay brings together the institutional logics perspective and racialized organization theory to first examine aspects of special education and then describe how leaders and teachers can improve special education to…

Inquiry learning through engagement with scientific practices has proven to be an effective instructional practice for general education students. Although students with complex support needs (CSN) are required to have access to the same grade-appropriate academic content in science as their peers without CSN, it remains a challenge for special…

The United States public education system has a disconnect between teachers' experiences and ever-growing student heterogeneity -- heterogeneity in race, ethnicity, language, cultural background, and disability. Disability is now understood as an identity that contributes to the intersectionality of how students experience school. While the number…

The majority of students with exceptional needs receive most of their formal education in general education or inclusive classrooms. These students often need a variety of accommodations to ensure their success with the general education curriculum. The purpose of this article is to explore accommodation approaches and strategies for teaching…

Teachers often have a negative perception regarding the inclusion of students with disabilities in general education classroom settings. Students with special education needs are often placed in classrooms where teachers believe they are unprepared to teach and manage classrooms in an inclusive environment. The purpose of this qualitative case…

School-Based Agricultural Education (SBAE) has served students with special needs for decades. The impact of Career and Technical Education (CTE), such as SBAE, can lead to higher earning potential, increased employment rates, and career exploration opportunities for students with special needs. However, many agricultural educators feel unprepared…

Changes in education laws have left special education teachers to determine how to provide equitable access to the general education curriculum for their students with significant disabilities. Legislation has established the need for equitable access yet has provided little guidance as to how this is to be achieved. It has been stated that…

The concept of serving students with disabilities in their least restrictive environment is a fundamental principle of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. This mandate emphasizes that students with disabilities should receive their education alongside their non-disabled peers to the greatest extent possible. This is often achieved in…

The move to include students with special educational needs (SEN) in mainstream education is one of the priorities of educational reform agendas in many countries. Also in Flanders (Belgium) the government's aim is to implement a more inclusive school system, but this faces some resistance from practitioners. This study examines the way in which…

Section 300.5 of IDEA (2004) defines Students with Disabilities as those children who, because of their impairments, need special education and related services. Through the process of "declassification," students previously identified as having a disability requiring special education services return to full-time general education…