Differentiated instruction allows each student to learn at the depth, complexity, and pace that is most beneficial to him. Differentiating curriculum and instruction is a rich and effective strategy to use when providing the needs of gifted and talented students--especially when those students spend most of their time in regular classrooms. A…

The skills of self-determination and self-advocacy are essential for success in adult life. As educators, we want students with disabilities to participate and be significantly involved in the development and implementation of their IEPs, including involvement in IEP and transition planning meetings. By planning, preparing, and presenting an…

The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) was recently reauthorized as the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act of 2004. Several significant changes were made in the most recent reauthorization. These included requirements for "highly qualified" special education teachers; a track that will result in full…

During the past decade there has been an increasing interest in positive psychology, which promotes a shift away from the traditional deficit-based model of mental health to a framework that emphasizes social-emotional strengths. The building of strengths and an emphasis on the prevention of problems are at the forefront of positive psychology and…

The authors of this study discuss past research, litigation, and legislation pertaining to the topic of parental involvement in special education. In particular, the study examined parental perceptions of their roles as communicators and decision makers in the special education process in terms of ethnicity and child's educational level. Very few…

Alternative education programs are often viewed as individualized opportunities designed to meet the educational needs for youth identified as at-risk for school failure. Increasingly, these programs have been identified as programs for disruptive youth who have been referred from traditional schools. The purpose of this study was to examine the…

When a new principal was hired at Gallup Junior High School in northwest New Mexico, he saw redesigning the administrative team as an important opportunity to develop leadership skills in his assistants and groom them for eventual advancement. His changes also provide cross training, so no single individual controls an essential function of the…

More than five million IEP conferences are conducted each year. Despite the number of meetings, many IEPs are not educationally useful or legally correct. A common concern for principals and special education directors hiring new special education teachers is their lack of information concerning IEP development and experience establishing parent…

With the passage of the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB), redefined expectations and accountability appeared concerning education of students in the nation's schools. The focus of this article is to examine the ramifications of NCLB for students with special needs. In addition, given NCLB, the idea of inclusion--the practice of placing…

The project reported here was done to provide vocational teacher educators in Colorado with an off-campus delivery system for an introductory inservice or preservice course in cooperative education and coordinating techniques. Following a brief project summary, the remainder of this report is comprised of appendixes. The first four of five…

The monograph describes the progress that has been made in exceptional child education in Alabama during the last decade and addresses needed areas of improvement. Brief sections focus on the following items: financing special education programs, instructional programing in local education agencies, individualized education plans, diagnosis of…

This article presents questions regarding the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) regulations and the No Child Left Behind Act. The author's answers to these questions are presented.

The current system of educating disabled students provides financial incentives to schools to overidentify students as disabled and underserve those that are identified. The incentive to overidentify is caused by providing schools with additional funds as more students are placed in special education categories that are ambiguous to diagnose and…

This paper is intended to provide school officials and teachers with the necessary legal background, procedural requirements, and guidance for appropriate implementation of individualized educational programs (IEPs) with violent students with disabilities. Specifically it addresses: (1) the legal background of special education under the…

Major issues concerning the Individualized Education Program (IEP) are reviewed and modifications are proposed. The history of the IEP and current legal requirements for developing IEPs are considered. Current issues with the IEP include the cost of development, the lack of parent involvement in IEP development, and the use of the IEP for…