When a military family has a child with autism, they face all the emotions and challenges that accompany this diagnosis, compounded by the realities of military service: war, extended family separation, frequent moves, varying access to specialized healthcare, and other stressors that complicate and often work against effective treatment for…

School-wide positive behavior support (SWPBS) has been proposed as a proactive and preventive method to reduce problematic behavior in schools. Under this approach, educators and administrators seek to create a school environment that fosters prosocial behavior and attempts to systematically deter problem behaviors before they happen. To date, the…

Sowcik and Allen's paper, "Getting Down to Business: A Look at Leadership Education in Business Schools," identifies a number of compelling issues in improving leadership education in business schools and provides a thorough overview of how these efforts could benefit from the considerations present in the National Leadership Educators…

Schools are facing many changes in the ways that teaching, learning, and assessment take place. Most states are moving from individual state standards to the new Common Core State Standards, which will be fewer, higher, and more rigorous than most current state standards. As the next generation of assessments used for accountability are rolled…

The study presented here examines the efforts of one principal and the team she relied upon to create a more inclusive and high-performing school in a large urban school district. The goals, actions, and responsibilities of the team are described, as well as the daily challenges associated with school administration and special education. In doing…

This quasi-experimental study tested the efficacy of a research based biliterate reading strategy, Lotta Lara, that is part of a larger paired literacy instructional program. Its purpose was to investigate whether the biliterate reading strategy, which focuses on reading fluency, comprehension, and oracy through whole group instruction, impacted…

The National Institute for Early Education Research (NIEER) conducted a needs assessment to understand and describe early childhood services for preschool-age children with an Individualized Education Program (IEP) in the state of Connecticut. In collaboration with the Connecticut State Department of Education (CSDE), NIEER developed survey…

Executive functioning (EF) is a strong predictor of children's and adolescents' academic performance. Although research indicates that EF can increase during childhood and adolescence, few studies have tracked the effect of EF on academic performance throughout the middle school grades. EF was measured at the end of Grades 6-9 through 21 teachers'…

This qualitative mixed methods study explored how Special Education Directors transformed and maintained a successful inclusion model throughout their district. The study identified leadership strategies and inclusive behaviors utilized by Special Education Directors who have successfully transformed their district into inclusive school districts.…

Students who are deaf-blind have absent, partial, or distorted vision and hearing. Deaf-blindness severely limits access to visual and auditory information that forms the basis for learning and communication and creates challenges for educational systems mandated to provide free and appropriate education in the least restrictive environment.…

The increased prevalence of children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) calls for improvement in implementing early interventions, which are critical in improving long-term outcomes. This includes providing better and appropriate education and services for children with ASD, as well as providing supports for their parents and families. The…

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the degree with which Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) and 504 Plans prepared for middle school students with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) conformed to best practices and included evidence-based services. Specifically, we examined the problem areas identified in the statement of…

In this article, the authors use scenarios to describe three students with different individual needs related to feeding, as well as other developmental domains. Feeding difficulties affect students in multiple ways and addressing feeding-related skills on IEPs can include grocery shopping, food preparation, and placing food orders in various…

This study analysed 33 Individualised Education Programmes developed for pre-schoolers with autism, attending inclusive special education services in North Portugal, based on the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health for Children and Youth. The study identified dimensions of functioning addressed in the Individualised…

As more states adopt the Common Core State Standards, teachers face new challenges. Teachers must unpack these standards and develop explicit learning targets to make these rigorous standards accessible to their students. This task can be especially challenging for special educators who must balance standards-based education with individualized…