Individual and social benefits accrue when high school graduation rates increase. One approach to increasing graduation rates is to design learning environments that serve students with disabilities through the 5Cs known to increase school completion: connect, climate, control, curriculum, and caring community. Virtual school programs align with…

The purpose of this article is to describe an applied method of assessing and manipulating environmental factors influencing student behavior. The assessment procedure is called structural analysis (SA) and can be a part of a functional behavioral assessment (FBA) process or a stand-alone set of procedures for teachers to use in their classrooms.…

Forest Grove School District v. T.A. involved a student with learning disabilities, Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), and depression (T.A.) whose parents had moved him to a private academy for students with special needs without first consulting with his public school. In the past, the school district had found T.A. to be ineligible…

Nationally, the shortage of speech-language pathologists (SLPs) in the schools is growing. As such, it is important to understand factors related to the retention of SLPs in this setting. This study expanded on previous research by examining a wider range of factors that may be related to the retention of SLPs including caseload size, workload…

This paper explores the stakeholder values, desired student outcomes, organizational purposes, and operating model of the Community-based Education Alliance (CBEA), a transition program operated by a partnership between the Center for Disabilities Studies of the University of Delaware, and two school districts in New Castle County, Delaware. The…

The problem. Bradley, Danielson, & Hallahan (2002) suggested that research was needed to specify the impact of early identification and intervention on district costs, number of special education referrals, and the degree of intensity required to be effective. Horowitz (2007) stated that additional research was necessary in the study of students…

Differences in reading comprehension were examined in students with disabilities after use of three reader modification types. Participants (n=10) conveniently selected from two school districts were students grades three through eight reading on a third grade level that received a reader as a modification in their Individualized Education…

This article begins with a vignette about Carla, a 4-year-old girl with a diagnosis of developmental delays. It then describes a model to facilitate inclusion of young children in early childhood settings. The authors developed this model as they worked with practicing early childhood professionals. The model places emphasis on the following…

The concept of early intervening services was introduced into public school systems with the implementation of the Individuals With Disabilities Education Improvement Act (IDEA) of 2004. This article describes a program developed for students with speech sound disorders that incorporated concepts of early intervening services, response to…

This manual provides educators with a process to integrate the life-long goals and specific needs of students with severe disabilities within the context of the regular education curriculum, through the development of individualized learner outcomes. The manual discusses the process of building inclusive learning opportunities for students with…

This study compared a measure of theoretical orientation and a measure of style orientation administered to 107 classroom teachers in graduate and undergraduate language arts methods courses, examined their responses to holistic curriculum structures, and examined the types of support that students/teachers needed to modify traditional beliefs.…

This paper examines factors possibly responsible for the poor outcomes of many children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and suggests possible ways of improving services to this population. It is concluded that each of the etiological factors identified for ADHD has its own characteristics, driven by genetic vulnerabilities and…

This monograph presents an evaluative description of the Alaska Youth Initiative (AYI), a community-based interagency program serving children and adolescents with severe emotional and behavioral disorders. Principles of the program include a no reject policy and a "wraparound" service delivery approach. The monograph offers information…

This final report describes Project Dakota, an early intervention demonstration project serving newborns to preschoolers with developmental delay or disability in Dakota County, Minnesota, from 1983 to 1986. The first chapter describes the project model (which focuses on increasing the effectiveness of parents in fostering the child's development)…

This guide assists in establishing a collaborative unit or a task group to deliver services to children and youth with serious emotional disabilities and their families. The guide is not intended to be an exhaustive manual, but does address the primary activities of professionals using interagency collaboration to establish comprehensive systems…