For many early childhood and elementary educators, the early years of their professional career can prove to be the most challenging. Not surprisingly, approximately 30% of teachers leave the classroom within the first five years (Sutcher, Darling-Hammond & Carver-Thomas, 2019). That rate is even higher (~50%) for teachers in Title I schools…

Individualized education plans (IEPs) are to serve as a guideline for the supports and services a student with a disability needs to have access to the general education curriculum. State departments of education monitor the compliance of these programs within the public schools. This study found the materials that state departments use to inform…

Early Intervention (EI) aims to lessen the effects of developmental delay by providing services to infants and young children. Newborn screening (NBS) is a public health program that identifies infants with treatable conditions, although many conditions put children at risk of developmental delay even after medical intervention. The purpose of…

In 2014, RTI International, with the support of Advance CTE, conducted research on behalf of the U.S. Department of Education, which established how states allocated categorical funds for CTE during the academic year 2011-12 and the amounts of those allocations. By returning to this topic 10 years later, Advance CTE seeks to understand how CTE is…

The U.S. Department of Education (Department) allocates funds to States through statutory formulas based primarily on census poverty estimates and the cost of education in each State. To receive funding, a State plan that includes a description of its accountability system must be submitted to the Department for review and approval. For the…

The annual National Deafblind Child Count is the world's first and longest-running count of children who are deafblind. Begun in 1986 on behalf of the U.S. Department of Education, it represents a collaborative effort between the National Center on Deafblindness (NCDB) and state deafblind projects throughout the country, including those in the…

The Trump administration's October 2025 Compact for Academic Excellence in Higher Education sparked an overdue conversation about the relationship between universities and the federal government. The administration identified issues that deserve to be addressed. But its approach provoked serious objections, even from sympathetic observers. That…

Recent U.S. education policies require that public schools utilize evidence-based practices (EBP) for instruction and intervention. These requirements coincide with the development of multi-tiered systems of support (MTSS) as a practice that offers timely interventions for students not meeting grade-level goals. Within an MTSS, Tier 1 core…

In the last decade, many political conflicts over K-12 education in the United States have increasingly divided along party lines. While it may seem like this development represents a sudden and surprising departure from a long-standing tradition of bipartisanship, I argue that the politics of education has been gradually growing more exposed to…

High school-based career-connected learning models can give students an early start on pursuing their postsecondary and career goals. Some models -- particularly career academies, career and technical education (CTE) programs of study, CTE dual or concurrent enrollment, early college high schools (ECHS), pathways in technology early college high…

Students who are eligible for special education and related services are entitled to a free appropriate public education (FAPE), which is delineated by the Individualized Education Program (IEP). The purpose of this descriptive study was to examine 133 IEPs from seven rural districts that were interested in evaluating their compliance with state…

Granting access to student information, for what purpose, and to whom, is rarely a simple decision. Academic records have long been critical to the functioning of a university, but leveraging institutional data has become increasingly important (Lester, et al. 2017). Data stewards in higher education institutions nationwide confront a…

Collaboration with caregivers and between disciplines and agencies is a recommended practice in the field of early intervention and early childhood special education (EI/ECSE) as well as required by federal legislation for young children with disabilities. Review of relevant literature suggests that collaboration entails a complex set of…

The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act has undergone revisions roughly every 5 years since inception. Despite these modifications, the academic and social outcomes for students with disabilities lag behind those of their regular education peers. Results-Driven Accountability (RDA) was initiated to improve special education outcomes and…

Teacher perception has been demonstrated to be a key contributor to instructional practices within the classroom. As additional technologies become available to enhance and supplement instructional practices, game-based learning has emerged as an included component to classroom strategies for improved student achievement. With primary focus within…