On March 27, 2020, the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act was signed into law (P.L. 116-136). The CARES Act includes $3.5 billion in supplemental appropriations for the Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG). This report provides an overview of the CCDBG provisions in the CARES Act. Among other things, these…

The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) ensures that students with a disability are provided with Free Appropriate Public Education (FAPE) and helps fund schools to develop and implement a program of special education tailored to the student's needs. IDEA was last reauthorized in 2004. This series of fact sheets documents key…

Only about 10 percent of eligible infants and toddlers with developmental delays nationwide receive early intervention services, which are widely agreed to reduce delays and lessen the adverse effects of risk factors and disabilities on learning and development. California serves fewer children than the national average. Challenges arise from…

Preparing all students, including students with disabilities, for life after high school is a critical responsibility for California's education system. Engaging students and their families in discussions regarding careers, employment, and the pre-requisites for postsecondary education, training, and employment must start early and continue…

According to the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965, as amended (ESEA), a State wanting to receive Federal funds must submit a plan indicating which of nine programs it wants to receive funds for. This is the final report on the results of the audit of the U.S. Department of Education's processes for reviewing and approving State plans…

MAEC's Title IX 2020 Regulations Series examines the impact of the recently-released Final Rule, which went into effect August 14, 2020. The Final Rule determines how schools navigate incidents of sexual harassment. The first document in our series, "Title IX Coordinator Roles and Responsibilities," describes the updated roles and…

ADHD refers to a diagnostic category applied to children exhibiting inattention, impulsivity, and hyperactivity. Approximately 1.2 to 2 million children are currently diagnosed with ADHD, making ADHD is considered to be the most common child psychiatric diagnosis in the United States. Public schools are constantly faced with the…

Accusations pertaining to insufficient accountability for private schools that provide alternative educational options for special education students have led to opposition to those same schools. The opposition results in part from the schools' acceptance of state funded vouchers and scholarships. In Florida, state vouchers provide funds which…

The Every Student Succeeds Act (2015) highlighted the increasing need for social emotional skills to be taught in schools. The Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL), an organization composed of educators, researchers and child advocates, defines Social Emotional Learning (SEL) as: The process through which children and…

High school graduation rates have increased dramatically in the past two decades. Some skepticism has arisen, however, because of the confluence of the graduation rise and the starts of high-stakes accountability for graduation rates with "No Child Left Behind" (NCLB). In this study we provide some of the first evidence about the role of…

Legally coordinated transition plans have been the expectation since the Individual with Disabilities Education Act of 1990 (IDEA, 1990). Research is firm that parent participation and high expectations are evidence-based practices supporting improved outcomes in post-secondary environments (Mazzotti et al., 2016; Test, Mazzotti et al., 2009).…

While most of the press around the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) has focused on how it signals an end to No Child Left Behind, the implications of ESSA for students experiencing homelessness have been largely overlooked. Garnering organizational insights from Kingdon's (Agendas, alternatives, and public policies, Pearson, Glenviiew, 2011)…

Cyberbullying or the use of technology to intimidate, harass, or bully has become increasingly problematic. School Counselors are in a unique position to provide prevention and intervention services concerning acts of cyberbullying, however varying state laws and confusing legal language has created ambiguity regarding the "reach" and…

The modern meaning of "child find" under the IDEA is almost entirely a matter of court decisions, because the legislation (§ 1412[a][3][A]) and the regulations (§ 300.111) are limited to the historical obligation to "locate, identify, and evaluate" students with disabilities. More specifically, in interpreting and applying this…

Once considered a less-rigorous high school pathway, career and technical education (CTE) has experienced a renaissance since the 1990s, as more high-skilled and white-collar professions have been included in these elective course options. Research indicates that participation in CTE--especially taking more than one course in a single occupational…