An initial step to demonstrate commitment and professional behaviors is to be knowledgeable in the terminology used by special education colleagues, and to share with them common terminology used in physical education settings. Adapted physical education (APE) and general physical education (GPE) teachers need to know terminology used by…

This article draws on an important distinction between abstract and concrete forms of utopia advanced by the Marxist philosopher of hope, Ernst Bloch, to examine participation and disability in education. Bloch's view of concrete hope, attuned to reason, engaged with social reality and inseparable from human responsibility, is drawn upon to…

In the spring of 2020, public schools across the United States were forced to close their campuses due to an emerging public health crisis caused by the detection of the first cases of the COVID-19 virus. Although schools closed their buildings, the delivery of educational services did not stop. This included the ongoing provision of services…

The Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act of 2004 states that individualized education program (IEP) teams are composed of members with distinct identities, roles, expertise, and histories. Although team members must work together to implement educational and related services for learners with special needs, little is known about…

Positive parent-professional collaboration is critical for the educational success of students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). However, little is known about teacher perceptions of parent-professional collaboration. Thirty-four teachers participated in a qualitative study to gain a better understanding of teachers' perceptions of helpful…

This paper explores how an Alaskan school district shifted from a traditional K-12 education system to a personalized, performance-based system, embedded in the culture of the community, which led to increased student achievement. Chugach School District (CSD) first implemented competency education over twenty years ago, paving the way in…

In 2002, Project Forum conducted a survey on special education forms and a policy forum on the issue of paperwork in special education. Some recommendations that resulted from those activities were included in the 2004 reauthorization of IDEA. With a new reauthorization pending, the topic has again aroused interest. This document presents the…

This booklet has been developed in hopes that it may aid in keeping communication open and focused between families and schools. Building communication between parents and the school staff through letters offers a way of keeping records of ideas, concerns, and suggestions. This booklet provides general guidelines to writing letters as well as…

This American Indian and Alaska Native (AIAN) Services Snapshot summarizes key data on demographics and services for children from birth to age five and pregnant women served by all AIAN programs. The data in this Snapshot are a subset of the annual Program Information Report (PIR) submission to the Office of Head Start. Data categories include:…

Sixteen general and special education teachers were randomly assigned to one of four teams that were to make manifestation determinations using two different "hidden profiles" case studies based on students with an emotional behavioral disability. One case study was constructed to support a decision of the behavior not being a…

Over the last four decades, legislative mandates have increased both educational opportunities and accountability measures for students with identified disabilities in the public school setting. The intertwined relationship between those mandates and the processes used to monitor the progress of a student's individualized goals is complex. This…

Eighteen novice special education teachers were interviewed to determine successful strategies regarding paperwork completion and paperwork advice for those new to the field. Interview transcripts revealed five specific paperwork completion strategies: (a) get organized; (b) understand your job description; (c) ask for help; (d) appreciate the…

Little is known about the effects of participation in inclusive settings on student self-determination. In this exploratory study, we examined the association between students' inclusive school and community activities and the self-determination skills of active involvement in IEP activities and use of selected self-determination strategies.…

This study used a multiple-probe across participants design to examine the effects of the CD-Rom version of the "Self-Advocacy Strategy" on quality of contributions in Individual Education Plan (IEP) meetings of five high school students with intellectual disability. Results indicated a functional relationship between using the CD-Rom…

The requirement that individualized education program (IEP) teams make decisions about the participation of students with disabilities in general or alternate state- and district-wide assessments is nearly two decades old. The decisions that must be made have become more complicated with the addition, in some states, of alternate assessments based…