In the United States, student social-emotional well-being has become a priority because of concerning mental health and well-being outcomes for adolescent youth. High schools and school districts have responded by expanding mental health and social-emotional supports. However, there is little research to understand the ways in which educational…

This study examines the digital divide and socioeconomic disparities that hinder equitable access to quality education in modern schools. This study highlights how unequal access to technology and the internet disproportionately affects students from low-income families, exacerbating existing educational inequalities. This paper defines the…

This issue brief is intended to assist state policymakers in better understanding strategies to prepare students with disabilities and special needs for college and career. The brief provides context and background on the numbers of students with disabilities who are college and career ready; examines issues related to preparation and readiness…

One of the South Carolina Department of Education's foremost responsibilities is to initiate attendance improvement programs. Among the services offered to carry out this responsibility is assistance to attendance personnel in developing professional approaches to absenteeism. This guide contains information on the role and function of attendance…

This paper examines issues concerning the eligibility of children with attention deficit disorder (ADD) for special education and related services under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). A policy memorandum was issued by the Department of Education in September 1991, identifying those circumstances under which such children…

The document presents the final report of the Assessment and Improvement of Related Services (AIRS) Project, an effort to assess the impact and effectiveness of special education related services in Hawaii. Each of the four project objectives focused on accomplishment of one of the evaluation types specified in the Context-Input-Process-Product…

Parents, educators, and support personnel (n=585) were surveyed regarding prevalence of professional practices believed to interfere with integrated delivery of services to disabled students. Findings indicate high prevalence of interfering practices such as having sections of individualized education programs for each discipline, and allowing…

This document is one of a series of reports based on the Special Education Expenditure Project, a study of the nation's spending on special education and related services based on analysis of data for the 1999-2000 school year. This report focuses on three questions: "How much is the nation spending on services for students with disabilities?";…

This booklet, organized in a question and answer format, is designed to help state and local education officials, Medicaid officials, and others understand the federal policies governing conditions under which the Medicaid program can pay for the related services required by the individualized education program of a child with disabilities. An…

A number of factors put pressure on schools to work more closely with health, social service, and other youth-serving institutions but poor communications, program redundancies, fear for job security, and concerns about parent and community support for controversial services inhibit close collaboration. Recent successful collaborative school,…

This memorandum from the federal Office of Special Education Programs to chief state school officers presents questions and answers related to the obligations of public agencies in serving children with disabilities who are placed by their parents in private schools under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act Amendments of 1997. The 45…

This position paper examines educational policies, school effectiveness, and responses to broader public policy concerns in the context of the special needs of early adolescence. The policy issues under consideration derive from a statewide comprehensive survey of educational trends in the middle grades and are addressed in a statewide Regents…

This inventory was developed to serve as a working tool to help local education agencies review existing policies and practices that may negatively affect students' achievement and encourage their dropping out, especially in grades 7 through 12. The following areas are covered: (1) instruction; (2) discipline; (3) support services; (4) attendance;…

The final report summarizes activities of a 3-year project which accomplished the following goals: (1) identification of the most pressing concerns in special education currently facing state and local education policymakers; (2) location of research information through the U.S. Department of Education and other sources which address these issues;…

This report summarizes a goal evaluation study of the Personnel Preparation Program, one of five divisions in the Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) of the U.S. Department of Education's Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services (OSHERS). The Personnel Preparation Program is intended to increase the numbers of qualified…