Individual Education Program (IEP) teams are composed of diverse individuals, each bringing a unique set of experiences, knowledge, and skills to the table. Given this, it is not uncommon for team members to have different views on the special education and related services needs of the student whose plan is being developed. When divergent views…

It is now estimated that 1 in 88 children have autism. As children diagnosed with this disorder continues to increase, so does the demand for appropriate educational programs that meet the diverse needs of the students on the autism spectrum. Results of this basic qualitative study, which included 15 instructional designers who create online…

Head Start programs are required to set aside at least 10% of program slots for children with disabilities, but the percentage of children with disabilities served varies depending on the criteria used and source of the information. This study used the Head Start Family and Child Experiences Survey (FACES) 2000 data for a nationally representative…

The authors examined 62 court cases occurring in 2009 from the LexisNexis database regarding students, ages 3-21 years, with various forms of autism spectrum disorder and violations to the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. They analyzed procedural and substantive violations to the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act and the…

This study investigated accommodations for students without disabilities in order to fill critical gaps in both knowledge and practices in fields of special education and educational assessments. In Ontario, students at different grade levels were assessed by the provincial assessments developed by the Education Quality and Accountability Office…

Early in 1992, Ruth Heitin embarked upon her career as a private special education consultant. As a special education advocate, she serves as an independent specialist, offering a second opinion on educational issues. In general, this type of advocate works for parents, either directly or through a nonprofit group, but their real clients are…

The CHOICES Project funded by the Institute of Education Sciences (IES), U.S. Department of Education, addresses the need for ready access to information for parents, students, school, and community agency personnel regarding transitional and community support programs. At this time we have created two databases (student information and community…

Because of the critical function of the IEP in the planning and implementation of effective instruction for students with disabilities, educators need a reference to determine the standards of a quality IEP and a process by which to compare an IEP to those standards. A rubric can support educators in examining the quality of IEPs. This study used…

This study investigated the effects of a parent component to the IEP on parental involvement. In sum, six participants were involved in the 19-21 week study. The six participants all had a child being served on an IEP. After baseline data was collected, parents met with school personnel to take a goal from the IEP and create their own objective to…

Parental involvement in their children's education programs is increasingly being encouraged and expected. Due to the flow of immigrants into U.S., the demographic nature of U.S. schools is changing with an increase in the number of children from diverse cultural groups served in special education. Among these cultural groups are immigrant…

When a military family has a child with autism, they face all the emotions and challenges that accompany this diagnosis, compounded by the realities of military service: war, extended family separation, frequent moves, varying access to specialized healthcare, and other stressors that complicate and often work against effective treatment for…

Over a relatively short period of time, states and districts across the country have embraced reform surrounding teacher evaluation and compensation. Public concern over teacher evaluations, combined with federal initiatives designed to support teacher evaluation reform, led many states to adopt more comprehensive evaluation systems that draw on…

With a high rate of additional learning needs in children with permanent hearing loss, this study sought to understand their educational and support needs. School information on 62 children with varying degrees of hearing loss attending an urban public school during a 5-year period was analysed to understand types and amounts of services over…

Parental participation is a crucial component of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. When developing students' Individualized Education Programs (IEPs), school-based teams must place a high priority on involving students' parents in a collaborative effort to develop their children's educational programs and determine their placements.…

In this report, the Rennie Center for Education Policy & Research focuses on Individualized Learning Plans (ILPs) as a key tool that districts and schools can use to prepare students for college and career success, as well as the costs districts incur to implement ILPs. In Massachusetts some public school districts have utilized ILPs to pursue…