The Supreme Court decision in "Endrew F. v. Douglas County School District" (2017) established a higher standard of what constitutes an appropriate education for students receiving special education. In contrast to the previous standard provided in the "Board of Education v. Rowley" (1982) decision, which established that…

A synopsis of students course taking and the type of diploma chosen by high school students, also known as their Individualized Learning Plans (ILP), provides a holistic view of student's preparation in high school, and serves as a reliable indicator of their college and career readiness. While ILPs are mandated in over 30 states, limited work has…

For young people with disabilities, crossing the bridge to adulthood will be empowering instead of intimidating--when their support teams know the essentials of effective transition planning. Now all the fundamentals of well-crafted transition plans are collected in one concise quick-guide, straight from one of the top authorities on helping young…

Academic success methods belong to the philosophy and practice of good schooling, and have been under continuous revision as the needs of society have changed. The revisions are also due to inefficient usage, dated information, and lack of results. Seven current academic success methods are inclusive schooling, differentiated instruction,…

The practice of inclusion as a response to the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act means that English teachers teach students who demonstrate a wide range of abilities in the same classroom. This qualitative study explored the developing attitudes toward differentiation of English education teacher candidates participating in a methods…

One of the major hurdles in preparing preservice teachers to differentiate instruction has been that they tend not to see much differentiated instruction in actual classrooms (Benjamin, 2002; Tomlinson, 1999). There always may be a contradiction in wanting to promote change in instructional practices while, at the same time, relying on a teacher…

This mixed-methods study reports on the perspectives of 208 teacher candidates on teaching children with developmental disabilities and delays (DD) in inclusive classrooms from Kindergarten to Grade 6. The questionnaire included items on demographics, experience, knowledge, and feelings of competence, advocacy, and sense of efficacy. Open-ended…

Assistive Technology (AT) is specifically addressed in the most recent reauthorization of IDEA, the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act (2004). The law insures that assistive devices and services are available for students with disabilities to help them access their environment at home, school, and in the work place. Therefore,…

Successfully implementing the practice of inclusion by differentiating instruction is dependent upon both the skills and attitudes of general education teachers. New general education teachers who are entering the field are particularly vulnerable to the demands and stress of the profession, and exemplary preservice teacher education programs must…

The Individuals with Disabilities Improvement Act mandates that every student with an Individualized Education Program be considered for assistive technology (AT). As a result, future special educators need to have the knowledge and skills regarding AT. In this article, the authors report findings from a national study of special education teacher…