Over the past forty years, schools across the United States have become more inclusive for students with disabilities. However, in many high-poverty urban school districts, a disproportionate number of minority children with disabilities are segregated from their non-disabled peers. This article presents findings from a qualitative case study of…

Educational reform is constantly changing the ways teachers teach their students according to mandated reforms. Some teachers are in favor of reform and embrace it fully; some do not. Some reforms in education improve teaching and learning; some do not. Presently, there is a desperate need for reform in the area of special education concerning…

The special education field is challenged by a lack of attention to and recruitment of well-trained language interpreters in schools. As such, special education teachers need to take a leadership role in working with interpreters to ensure diverse families are collaborative members of individualized education program (IEP) teams. Using the…

This study used the Take Action goal attainment lesson package and assistive technology to teach nine high school students with mild to moderate disabilities to attain annual transition goals. The Take Action lessons increased students' goal attainment knowledge, and this knowledge generalized to improved Plan Organizers, and slightly increased…

At the 2011 Office of Special Education Leadership Mega Conference in Crystal City, VA, demographer Jim Johnson, of the Frank Hawkins Kenan Institute of Private Enterprise and the University of North Carolina, discussed the changing demographics of the US, coining one of his six observations on the changes ahead as the "silver tsunami…

The purpose of this study was to examine: (a) the role of teacher talk in promoting peer interaction, (b) the adequacy of social IEP objectives to reflect children's social functioning and guide provision of teacher talk, and (c) differences in children's peer interaction and teacher talk in inclusive and segregated settings. Thirty children with…

The Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) for students 16 years of age or above must address specific transition components. Studies to date have focused on the presence and quality of these transition components, yet the alignment of these components and their role in leading the development of the IEP is just as critical. This qualitative…

There is often intense and passionate debate about the inclusion of those students with the most complex social learning and behavioural needs. This paper, written from a parent's perspective, is based on a case study of a 15-year-old adolescent with severe and high functioning autism that was comparatively well-resourced through the new…

Eighteen novice special education teachers were interviewed regarding their opinions, experiences, and advice regarding professional paperwork such as IEPs, behavior plans, and annual goals. A qualitative analysis of the responses suggests three main findings: (1.) Participants had a negative opinion of paperwork based on its lengthiness and…

One of the major hurdles in preparing preservice teachers to differentiate instruction has been that they tend not to see much differentiated instruction in actual classrooms (Benjamin, 2002; Tomlinson, 1999). There always may be a contradiction in wanting to promote change in instructional practices while, at the same time, relying on a teacher…

Legal mandates and best practice recommendations for the education of students with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) emphasize the importance of systematic, ongoing observational data collection in order to monitor progress and demonstrate accountability. The absence of such documentation in decision-making on instructional objectives indicates a…

This exploratory study addresses special education related services and the requirements when a school-aged student with a disability attends school using synchronous distance education tools to access the least restrictive environment. The researcher examines these placements to explore the implications virtual schooling has on students receiving…

An administrator, broadly conceived, is a person who has authority to lead and manage people, practices, materials, and policies in an educational unit. Dan Tannacito shows teachers the pathway to becoming English language program administrators (ELPAs) and the myriad benefits they can derive. Most may be surprised to see that they are already on…

The 2012-2013 school year represents a pivotal juncture for DC Public Schools. Last spring, Mayor Gray and Chancellor Kaya Henderson introduced "A Capital Commitment," their ambitious plan to dramatically accelerate student achievement in the district over the next five years by providing all of their students with a safe, academically…

The action research presented in this paper seeks the answer to the following research question: do targeted fluency interventions positively impact comprehension? This research included a test group of ten sixth grade Special Education students and a control group of ten sixth grade General Education students. Both the test and control groups…