Despite a long history of overrepresentation in segregated settings (Brock, 2018), students with disabilities who require extensive supports are more likely to receive inclusive placements in rural schools. In this paper, we present findings from a narrative literature analysis of inclusive education for students with disabilities in rural schools…

Paraeducators perform multiple roles in U.S. classrooms, including among others preparing classroom activities, working with students individually and in small groups, supporting individualized programming for students with disabilities, managing classroom behavior, and engaging with parents and communities. Yet, little research provides insights…

This study investigated the impact of the transformation and turnaround intervention models and leadership perception on the achievement of students attending Kentucky's priority high schools. Repeated-measures analyses of variance were conducted to show the effect of the chosen model on academic achievement of students with test scores obtained…

Indiana English learners (ELs) constitute a rapidly growing portion of the state's school-aged population, and those classified as limited English proficient are low performers on the state test. The purpose of this embedded mixed methods study was to understand how school personnel respond to accountability mandates, interpret test scores, and…

America's K-12 public education system has experienced tremendous historical growth in employment, according to the U.S. Department of Education's National Center for Education Statistics. Between fiscal year (FY) 1950 and FY 2009, the number of K-12 public school students in the United States increased by 96 percent, while the number of full-time…

The key focus of the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 was to improve public education for all students in the United States, with an emphasis on closing the achievement gap between advantaged and disadvantaged students (Kantor & Lowe, 2006; Linn, Baker & Betebenner, 2002). The notion behind NCLB, to close the achievement gap, was praised,…

Purpose: The prevailing theory of action underlying accountability is that holding schools and students accountable will increase educational output. While accountability's theory of action intuitively seemed plausible, at the point of No Child Left Behind's national implementation, little empirical research was available to either support or…

The increasing use of zero tolerance discipline policies in the USA has led to a "discipline gap," in which minoritized students receive harsher and more frequent suspensions and expulsions than their peers from dominant cultural and socioeconomic backgrounds. Though disciplinary decisions are made by educators at the school level,…

School districts are charged with the task of improving standardized test scores and closing the gaps between specific groups of students. Numerous programs, school improvement strategies, changes in instruction and leadership have been implemented to close the gap. Data are becoming more abundant at the state, district, and school levels. Many…

Assessment of students with disabilities is a critical component of special education. In addition to the complexity of assessment (e.g., high-stakes assessments, progress monitoring, diagnosis), the issue is complicated further by the use of acronyms. This can make both explaining and understanding important information related to students very…

Advocates of the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB) often champion a neoliberal agenda of privatization, deregulation, the mass firings of teachers and administrators, and takeovers of schools deemed to be "failing." School takeovers are sanctioned under the No Child Left Behind Act's Corrective Action measures, in which schools…

Educators including school psychologists must negotiate the differing demands of legal mandates and recent educational initiatives that impact their practice and school climate in order to maintain positive effects for students and other school personnel. The No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act of 2001, the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act,…

The purpose of this document is to explore the drivers for reorganization, the common experiences shared by states and the challenges and successes experienced. The goal is to inform staff in other special education units as they consider reorganization. This activity was undertaken as part of an agreement between Project Forum at the National…

In pursuit of innovative educational opportunities, district administration piloted competency-based education in their alternative program. This qualitative study used semi-structured interviews with school personnel to document perspectives of the programmatic shift. Analyses found local and national mandates, a catalyst, and a common moral…

The most sweeping federal education law in decades, the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act, requires states to administer standardized exams and to punish schools that do not make Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) for the fraction of students passing these exams. While the literature on school accountability is well-established, there exists no…