IDEA is the cornerstone federal law that safeguards and promotes the educational rights of children with disabilities. It was enacted in 1975 as the Education for All Handicapped Children Act (EHA), which established a right to a free appropriate public education (FAPE) for all children with disabilities for the first time. Before the EHA, there…

Service animals can play an integral role in the lives and education of students with disabilities. In addition to assisting with physical tasks, service animals can improve confidence, independence and quality of life for students, as well as help them to meet their educational goals. Teachers, coaches and administrators should have the knowledge…

Using critical race theory (CRT) as both our theory and analytical framework, we interrogated vocational, career, and technical education (VCTE) policy as a racial instrument. We applied key CRT themes to examine both primary sources; including historical and contemporary VCTE Acts (e.g., Perkins I-V) and Congressional reports; and secondary…

State governments have the purview to interpret federal special education policies as they see fit. Interpretations of these policies to music education rarely are addressed within state special education policy. The authors selected four states to analyze and compare state special education policies; Illinois, Michigan, Texas, and Virginia.…

This study aimed to explore how University Liaisons respond to homelessness on their campus. With new federal and state laws being enacted, little research focuses on the policies, programs, and services at universities. Community Colleges tend to be a more attractive option for homeless youth due to the low cost; however, universities are also…

An array of federal, state, and local laws and policies come into play when situations arise that could compromise student safety. These laws and district policies combine to form an intricate and sometimes inconsistent patchwork of protocols that schools must follow. Robert Kim discusses the interplay between federal, state, and local laws…

School and district leaders often face a politically charged environment. The past few years have heightened the unusual community sentiment on social media, newsletters, board meetings, and other public venues, especially around issues such as "Critical Race Theory." Superintendents in Texas have been charged with considering book…

The sociopolitical rhetoric that Islam promotes terrorism and that Muslims are fanatical permeates most media coverage, presidential candidates' talking points, and law-related policy domains. Since October 7, 2023, Muslim students on college campuses and other venues across the nation have been victims of hate-based attacks, such as being doxxed,…

This guidance supersedes the Office of Career, Technical, and Adult Education (OCTAE) Program Memorandum (PM) 20-2 published May 10, 2023, and rescinds OCTAE PM 17-7 "WIOA Annual Performance Report Submission," published September 12, 2017, developed jointly by the U.S. Departments of Labor and Education (the Departments). Through this…

In recent years, there has been a special interest in promoting literacy learning in early childhood education programs. It is presumed that teaching literacy early can ensure better literacy outcomes in later years. Currently, in a renewed effort to improve children's literacy learning through science of reading supported practices, most states…

More than 70 years ago, Milton Friedman argued in favor of vouchers as a policy tool to increase the quality of the nation's education system. Since then, economists and other education policy researchers have studied several waves of taxpayer-funded private school voucher policies that have emerged. Too often, these researchers have ignored the…

Due to the recent nature of the COVID-19 Pandemic there has been limited study of its influence on special education due process hearings. To explore this phenomenon, the present study compares hearing officer decisions involving Pennsylvania city Local Education Agencies (LEAs) for the two years before and after the global health crisis.…

A college degree is the most viable route to economic mobility and security, but significant barriers on the road to and through college still exist, particularly for Black, Latinx, Native American students, and multilingual learners, especially those experiencing poverty. College and career pathways can help remove barriers for students as they…

School psychologists are well served to stay up to date on trends in special education law, particularly with respect to determinations when school teams' decisions are challenged. This allows them to focus on proactive best practices that foster accurate specific learning disability (SLD) identification and active collaboration with parents. This…

The Council for Exceptional Children (CEC) advocates for the full participation of all children and youth with disabilities and/or identified as gifted and talented in educational programming that promotes positive academic, social emotional, and adaptive/independent living outcomes and sets the stage for lifelong success. This position statement…