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…

Since the passing of Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, Americans With Disabilities Act, and the Individuals With Disabilities Education Act, public and private schools have had to adapt the ways in which they provide education and services to their students and communities. It is essential for school public relations professionals to be…

This special report is a supplement to a series of special education primers created to inform state officials, authorizers and charter school operators about special education in the charter sector. The primer series also provides tools to help these stakeholders build charter school capacity to provide special education and related services. In…

The transition to adult life for students with reading and writing challenges is an area that is not often addressed. The purpose of this article is to relate the informal assessment process to the broader context of high stakes assessment, high school exit exams, diploma options, and transition planning; identify the competencies needed for a…

Schools of tomorrow will be completely different physically and operationally. The author of this article states that we cannot tolerate the current high failure rates in terms of graduation and possession of the competencies needed to function successfully as citizens in a democracy, productively as workers and heuristically as learners. He lists…

Parents of students with disabilities face a number of difficult choices in determining how to get the best education for their children. Too often, the special education system in public schools fails its students. Parents must become both experts and advocates for their children in order to navigate a burdensome maze of regulations to fight for…

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…

This follow-up study examined the goals, roles, and functions of the Toronto Board of Education's local school teams (LSTs), which are designed to support teachers in providing appropriate interventions for students in need of assistance in regular and special education settings. The 1990 and 1995 study used similar questionnaires and…

This book chapter puts community-based rehabilitation and community-based instruction in an historical perspective by describing a number of influential social, political, legal, technological, and philosophical factors that have shaped contemporary special and regular education. The characteristics of community-based instruction, community-based…

This digest examines the mandates and requirements of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). (Its scope does not include the IDEA's Part H program.) The digest gives a brief history of the IDEA, procedures for obtaining a copy of the IDEA and its regulations, and procedures for obtaining a copy of an individual state's special…

This guide addresses provision for transition services in the Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) of students with disabilities. It begins with regulations arising from the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act pertaining to transition services. These regulations focus on definitions, participants in meetings, parent participation,…

This report reviews current state policy and practices in the disciplining of students with disabilities, as they are expressed in state documents including statutes, regulations, and other types of written records. Federal law, regulations, and case law are summarized in the report's introduction and background. Findings are presented in terms of…

This handbook for parents explains how Wisconsin schools must go about finding, evaluating, developing programs for, and placing children with exceptional educational needs (EEN). Various state and federal laws and regulations (e.g., Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973) are cited. The first section covers identification of EEN children,…