This article shares the results from a quasi-experimental mixed-methods study of a promising transition-focused professional development approach. The 12-week team-based intervention resulted in positive outcomes among intervention group participants' knowledge and capacities. The intervention group exhibited statistically significant changes in…

The problem addressed was that academic achievement gaps existed for low socioeconomic status (SES) family special education students among special education students in United States schools. This problem was important because it negatively affected equity in education as low SES community special education students lagged behind more affluent…

Attrition among educators is a continuing concern in the area of special education. Job satisfaction has been associated with teacher burnout and teacher attrition. Many times, multiple educators work in a close environment creating a need for community in special education. The purpose of this study is to identify differences in job satisfaction…

The COVID-19 pandemic affected families' decisions about whether and where to enroll their children in public schools. We have limited evidence to date, however, on how vulnerable sub-groups, such as those with disabilities and those qualifying for special education services, were impacted. In partnership with the Virginia Department of Education…

Over time, education has become increasingly more legalistic and litigious. The danger of litigation is an imminent threat for agricultural educators due to the potential financial and professional ramifications. In many cases, agricultural educators may be at higher risk for a lawsuit than teachers of other subjects due to the increased liability…

This research study analyzed the per-pupil spending and outcomes in math and reading for students with disabilities across the 15 school districts in Virginia Department of Education's Region 2. The quantitative study utilized the per-pupil spending by district for each year to determine if there was a statistically significant relationship to the…

State governments have the purview to interpret federal special education policies as they see fit. Interpretations of these policies to music education rarely are addressed within state special education policy. The authors selected four states to analyze and compare state special education policies; Illinois, Michigan, Texas, and Virginia.…

This research examined the relationship between secondary special education teachers' mathematics teaching efficacy and the number of years of teaching experience, years of co-teaching experience, and number of math content coursework taken at the undergraduate level. Students with special needs continue to score significantly lower than their…

School leadership has progressed from a principal-led position to a dual-leader position with assistant principals. Assistant principals have stepped into instructional leadership roles and have been identified as overseeing special education (Best, 2016; Gaston, 2005; Walton, 2008). Despite studies determining that assistant principals are…

Rasch and classification analyses on a field-test version of the third edition of the Assessment, Evaluation, and Programming System (AEPS-3), a curriculum-based assessment used to assess young children birth to age 6 years, were conducted. First, an evaluation of the psychometric properties of data from each developmental area of an AEPS-3…

Extended school year (ESY) services refer to those special education services received by students during the summer break. These services are needed for those students who receive special education services who would otherwise regress and not readily recoup skills when returning to school. Identifying students who should receive extended school…

The federal law, Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, which was enacted to provide funds to states to support special education programs and to ensure that children and parents rights are protected, has been reauthorized several times. Yet, despite the multiple amendments to improve the law, there remains a disproportionate representation…

The identification, diagnosis, and categorisation of students who qualified for special education have created long-standing controversy. This article explores Maximilian P. E. Groszmann's measurement practices, which were intended to facilitate instruction in the early twentieth-century United States. In 1900, Groszmann established a private…

There is a need for both special education teachers and Board Certified Behavior Analysts (BCBAs) who are trained to work in rural school settings with students with disabilities and problem behaviors. The specific challenges presented by rural communities, such as diminished access to resources and fewer community partners, can make it difficult…

In light of COVID-19, school divisions across the country closed their doors and shifted to remote instruction. In Virginia, little guidance was provided to assist educators and teacher educators with making this transition, particularly for students with individualized education programs (IEPs). In May of 2020, researchers surveyed Virginia…