Iowa's Statewide Voluntary Preschool Program for Four-Year-Old Children (SWVPP) is an important part of the state's comprehensive early childhood effort, providing more opportunities for young children to access quality preschool and enter school ready to learn. The preschool programs are expected to serve four-year-old children with a range of…

Many higher education institutions review the disciplinary and criminal history of applicants to assess potential threats and ensure a safe learning community in the college admissions process. This review is often criticized for exacerbating the opportunity gap and racial disparities for marginalized populations and creating barriers to college…

Diversity, equity, and inclusion is one of five pillars upholding the American Occupational Therapy Association's (AOTA) strategic plan. Ensuring organizational, educational and governance structures, policies, programs, and services all reflect diversity, equity, inclusion, justice and accessibility (DEIJA) is a priority for the profession. Yet,…

In March 2020, the educational system experienced an unprecedented event in modern history, the COVID-19 pandemic. The pandemic affected all grade levels and content areas, including special education, and how teaching was delivered to millions of students. The problem was during the COVID-19 school closures; special education teachers had…

Adults with disabilities face challenges during transition points in their lives, including while transitioning into and out of post-secondary education. Both learners and educators share responsibility for understanding strategies that enhance educational inclusion. Creating an inclusive learning environment provides the means for overcoming…

Teaching is at a crossroads where traditional methods and rationale for pedagogical practices are rightfully under attack. However, the fight is currently transpiring in the professional ranks of current classroom teachers. Now is the time to make progressive inroads by restructuring teacher education. Reformulating teacher education will require…

Inclusive sports have emerged as a potential tool for building social inclusion within diverse populations. The Special Olympics Unified Sports programs are an example of inclusion initiatives specific to students with intellectual disability and sports that can be reevaluated with new understandings of inclusion. This systematic mixed studies…

Purpose: The study examines the benefits and potential challenges of the mentoring circle as an innovative approach to mentoring among four cisgendered women faculty situated at 4-year universities in various geographic locations in the United States. Design/methodology/approach: Utilizing collaborative autoethnography, we ask: How can mentoring…

This article explores the importance of student voice in fostering equity and inclusion within schools. The study explores the efforts of 16 Spanish secondary school students who, through a year of online meetings, developed a guide for students to make their schools more inclusive. The group consisted of young individuals of diverse social…

Background: Negative outcomes of peer dislike may be especially severe in early adolescence, when peers play a crucial role in individual adjustment. However, it remains unclear whether peer dislike predicts later emotional and motivational aspects of school adjustment, and if the negative outcomes are more pronounced in certain gender contexts.…

School psychologists can promote inclusion and support students with autism and their caregivers using effective consultation and collaboration practices. This article reviews some themes from recent articles in a special issue of "Journal of Educational and Behavioral Consultation" entitled, "Consultation and Collaboration to…

Secondary special education and transition research is crucial for improving outcomes for students with disabilities during their transition to postschool life. However, rural schools are underrepresented in this field, hindering the development of tailored interventions that can support youth with disabilities as they transition into adult life…

Previous studies indicate various atrocities against queer individuals in schools globally. However, no in-depth inquiries have been conducted into the experiences of queer individuals in Indian schools. A novel form of ethnography -- phenomenological institutional ethnography (PIE) based on Schutz's phenomenology of life-worlds and Smith's…

How do dancers, drummers, and singers cultivate connections, collaborations, and co-becoming through dance-making and staging African dances in higher education? This critical question provoked inquiry into processes and experiences of creating and staging African dances in higher education contexts. Taking the philosophy of Ubuntu and the…

Diverse-by-design (DbD) schools intentionally recruit students to create a racially/socioeconomically diverse student population. They seek to address historic segregation patterns in neighborhoods and build bridges across differences by intentionally developing diverse learning environments. DbD schools often demonstrate an increase in academic…