Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) "Special Education at a Glance," which includes a copy of the "Guide to Planning and Assessing School-Based Special Education Programs," provides in a single document, information about the special education population at each Montgomery County (Maryland) public school, including…

The federal government has had a long-standing commitment to ensuring access of English Learner (EL) students to a meaningful education. As early as 1968, the "Elementary and Secondary Education Act" ("ESEA") contained provisions for supporting the education of EL students and in its 1974 landmark decision, "Lau v.…

This report has been provided to the Legislature on an annual basis since 2000 when the legislature amended the language of G.L. c. 71B to align Massachusetts special education terminology with the federal "Individuals with Disabilities Education Act" ("IDEA"). The Department is required to submit an annual report on compliance…

This article presents questions and answers about ACT's College Readiness Benchmarks. ACT's College Readiness Benchmarks are the minimum ACT test scores required for students to have a high probability of success in credit-bearing college courses--English Composition, social sciences courses, College Algebra, or Biology. Colleges can use the…

Weick's theory of sensemaking is used to analyze findings from a qualitative study of the implementation of a district-initiated adolescent intervention literacy course in two urban secondary schools. The authors concluded that implementation of the literacy course was hampered because district administrators, building leaders, teachers, and…

"Reading Mastery," one of several curriculum components that constitute the "Direct Instruction" curriculum from SRA/McGraw-Hill, is designed to provide systematic instruction in reading to students in grades K-6. "Reading Mastery," which can be used as an intervention program for struggling readers, as a supplement…

The 2004 reauthorization of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA 2004) gives states the flexibility and responsibility under Section 618 to define "significant disproportionality" based on race or ethnicity at the state (SEA) and local education agency (LEA) levels. This applies to the identification, placement and…

After the disintegration of the Soviet Union in the early 1990s, Ukraine and other Newly Independent States were invaded by armies of consultants from Western donor organizations. Development agencies like the World Bank, the United States Agency for International Development, Tacis, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, and the…

The U.S. Supreme Court has agreed to step into one of the most contentious and costly areas of special education law by accepting a case involving a parent's efforts to seek public reimbursement for a private school placement of his child. In this article, the author talks about the case entitled, "New York City Board of Education vs. Tom…

Ghana is witnessing an increasing number of 2nd generation street children (SGSC) living in the street of Accra, the capital city as a result of many factors including teenage pregnancy among street girls, ethnic conflicts and rural-urban migration. Street presents enormous risks to street children; they are excluded from safe-family environment,…

In California, Algebra I is the 8th grade math content standard. The United States Department of Education found the annual 8th grade General Math California Standards Test to be out of compliance with the federal No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 since it assesses 6th and 7th grade math standards and not Algebra I math content. In response to the…

Rising remediation rates among college students are leading to increased time for completion of degree, additional costs for students and colleges, and financial aid being used on courses that do not count towards a degree. In response to these issues, in 2007 the state of Illinois passed the College and Career Readiness Act (CCR Act), Public Act…

Forty-two principals completed an inventory on attitudes toward mainstreaming handicapped students. Principals responded to each of 40 statements on a five-point scale. Among findings were that one-third supported the special class model as the best placement for handicapped children, yet approximately three quarters believed that normal Ss profit…

The report presents findings of an audit of preschool special education programs in Washington State. It was found that the enrollment had quadrupled since 1978-79, with the majority of programs center-based. Three school districts over-reported preschool handicapped enrollment, and suggestions are offered for revising enrollment audits and…

The paper describes a policy of placement of gifted children within the regular school program according to each gifted child's intellectual, educational, and other development. The rationale for such a placement policy rests on a developmental conception of gifted children being like older children. The policy of developmental placement is…