Disproportionality research has been subject to multiple reviews, but there has been less critical examination of the policy dimension of this enduring educational problem. Given the relevance of federal policies, and interpretations thereof, to educators' and scholars' conceptualization of disproportionality and schools' resultant policies and…

The researcher briefly reviewed the Response to Intervention (RtI) framework and explained how Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act (IDEIA, 2004) and No Child Left Behind (NCLB) enhanced RtI implementation in general education classrooms. The main focus of this paper is to identify general educators' roles when implementing RtI…

The passage of ESSA has ushered in a new era of educational governance and leadership, but questions remain regarding how well the new law will protect students' rights to an equitable education. Lance Fusarelli and Jennifer Ayscue examine key provisions of the law, provide an update of states' implementation, and speculate about whether ESSA will…

For many years, students with disabilities were educated in separate facilities on separate campuses from their same aged peers. With the original passing of what we now call the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, these students were, and still are, required to be educated in the least restricted environment. Students with disabilities…

The Americans With Disabilities Act Amendments Act of 2008 expanded the legal definition of disability to establish broader coverage for individuals with disabilities, including college students, than the definition in the Americans With Disabilities Act of 1990. The new interpretation of the definition of disability shifted the main purpose of…

The Program for Infants and Toddlers with Disabilities, Part C of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), is a federal grant program that assists states in operating a comprehensive statewide program of early intervention services for infants and toddlers with disabilities, ages birth through age 2 years, and their families. This…

Now that competing versions of HB 3 have been passed in each chamber, it is up to the House and Senate to work together to smooth out the differences. While there is a lot of agreement within the two versions of this bill, there are glaring discrepancies. This brief describes the discrepancies of the House and Senate bills in the following…

The Autism Collaboration, Accountability, Research, Education, and Support Act of 2019 was put in place to amend the Public Health Service Act to enhance activities of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) with respect to research on autism spectrum disorder and enhance programs relating to autism, and for other purposes. The Act includes the…

U.S. higher education institutions and international educators have sought to improve the level of engagement and participation in education abroad among undergraduate college students as well as to diversify the types of available experiences and the students that benefit from them. Yet, this programmatic investment in international education and…

This dissertation is an examination of the issues parents of students with intellectual disabilities experience while supporting their student before and during the transition to postsecondary education. Largely due to the Higher Education Opportunity Act of 2008, the number of postsecondary education programs for students with intellectual…

The challenges associated with educating students with disabilities in charter schools in Connecticut are symptoms of two broader issues--the state's inequitable public education funding system and problematic ambiguity in the state charter law. Fundamental changes to the state education funding system are required to better position urban…

In response to requirements of the federal Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), Maine enacted a rule requiring all schools to have a multi-tiered system of supports (MTSS) in place by 2012 for a general education, pre-referral system of student support. The purpose of this system, generally termed Response to Intervention (RtI) by…

Recent advocacy and legislation across states calls for stricter accountability measures and closure of low-performing charter schools. As charter schools try to meet the multiple accountability standards they face from federal, state, local authorities, and their own associations, it is important to understand how these numerous frameworks…

In this policy update, author Amelia Vance explores data protections for school directory information. She argues students do not have the right to attend school anonymously, but they do have a right to have their information protected and used responsibly by local and state education agencies. State boards can lead on this issue by striking the…

High-quality workforce training can help workers get good jobs, improve the efficiency of businesses, and boost productivity in the economy. Unfortunately, the United States supports too little workforce training, and the training it does support too often fails to lead to good jobs or boost productivity. To improve job quality, a range of reforms…