State aid for special education shapes local decisions about identifying students for special education, the programs and services to which students have access and in which students with disabilities are educated, and how local educators structure and administer their special education programs. The connection between state funding for special…

Online doctoral programming geared toward working professionals can provide unprecedented flexibility in terms of time and place that affords greater access to a broader student demographic. At the same time, online learning poses its own unique set of challenges and limitations for students with and without disabilities. Universal Design (UD) is…

Teachers in today's society are having increasing difficulties with Individualized Education Program (IEP) implementation because teachers struggle with assessing data, designing instruction to fit individual needs, providing accommodations, and working as a team with a general education teacher in a co-teaching environment (Cawthon, 2009; Kosko…

The design, implementation, and outcome of educational robots in special education have not been sufficiently examined in a systematic way. In particular, learner-based and contextual factors, as well as the essential roles played by various stakeholders have not been addressed when robots are used as a learning tool in special education.…

The UNESCO Institute for Lifelong Learning (UIL) has launched a new publication, "Integrated Approaches to Literacy and Skills Development: Examples of Best Practice in Adult Learning Programmes." This new compilation showcases 21 adult education programmes that demonstrate promising approaches to integrating literacy, life skills and…

This dissertation focused on the process of designing, implementing, and formatively evaluating an eight week Classroom Aide Professional Development Training Program (CAPD-TP) on behavior management and academic instruction within the context of a New Jersey state approved private special education school for students with behavioral and/or…

With the implementation of Response to Intervention (RTI) across many states, the school counseling profession must be proactive in establishing its critical role in this process. This article outlines the three essential and shared components between RTI and comprehensive, developmental school counseling programs. Each of these integral and…

This article describes how a purposeful sample of 62 elementary schools from 17 states implemented a Response to Intervention (RtI) framework for reading. School informants answered surveys and were interviewed about differentiated instruction in Tier 1, screening/benchmarking, where Tier 2 interventions were located, typical group size and the…

Response to Intervention (RtI) is a process that addresses both the identification of learning disabilities and the design of early intervention and instruction. RtI provides a framework upon which to structure high quality instruction for all students and a means by which to identify those in need of more intensive intervention. The process is…

This article provides information on special education topics on the international front. Topics range from a BrailleNote project in British Columbia, a Swedish program to help Romanian children with special needs, a visual resource room to help New Zealand students with visual impairments, and technology programs in European countries. (CR)

The objective of the Adaptive Learning Environments Model (ALEM) is to establish and maintain school environments that ensure optimal learning success opportunities for most students through adaptive instruction. Modification of the environment to accommodate student differences has been an important design consideration in the development of the…

This document provides guidelines for designing, implementing, and evaluating the effectiveness of a district-specific career education program for special education students. Part I lists 10 activities to design, implement, and evaluate a cost-effective career education program. Examples are included of the outcome of each activity. Activities…

This article describes a successful school-based program for students with emotional disturbances served in a special education setting. Program features include a professional training program, development and implementation of a strengths-based plan in which students and families are included as partners, and a method for evaluating the…

The Research Institute on Secondary Education Reform for Youth with Disabilities (RISER) has identified Schools of Authentic and Inclusive Learning (SAIL) to explore whether and how secondary students with disabilities are included in secondary education reform. In this brief, the literature describing the intersection of reform, inclusion, and…

The concept and purpose of this facilitator guide is to provide the three facilitator groups of educators, park and resource management personnel, and parents of handicapped children with information on how to cooperatively design and implement an outdoor education program for handicapped students. Chapter 1 (contributed by Vicki Stayton) outlines…