The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) has undergone numerous revisions since 1965 when the first federal statute dealing with the education of students with disabilities was implemented. A revision completed in 1975 instituted the concept of least restrictive environment (LRE), which demands that all students with disabilities be…

Principals have become one of the most significant factors that affect student achievement, next to classroom teachers, and the overall success of the school. Principals of Title I schools have the added challenge of serving children from low-income families. Research was conducted to determine the impact that the leadership style of the Title I…

This dissertation examines how state political partisanship influenced public school finance and student achievement during the accountability-focused No Child Left Behind (NCLB) era (2001-2015). Although education is a ladder of opportunity for disadvantaged students, U.S. federalism decentralizes most education funding to states, leaving fiscal…

This paper is a report of a cross sectional survey study of teacher readiness to implement technology initiatives in their schools. The sample of participants in the study has been comparable, with respect to gender, to national data on teachers in the United States. The technology initiatives reported are reflective of current market trends in…

Since its inception, Title IX, which celebrated its 48th anniversary in June 2020, has promoted gender equity in schools, colleges, and universities across the nation. Title IX not only has helped girls and women throughout the country level the playing field in educational programs such as sports--a frequently cited contribution, especially at…

In this essay, two ESOL teachers reflect on the implications of the DACA program and the DREAM Act for undocumented Latinx ELs, their families, and their communities in the United States. Six "testimonios" from real undocumented ELs are shared with the vision of illustrating the real-life struggles these students and their families are…

Federal law under the Individuals with Disabilities in Education Improvement Act stipulates that services provided to students with diagnosed disabilities must be (a) individualised based on the assessed needs of each student and (b) include the fewest restrictions necessary to achieve students' personalised goals. However, determining the level…

There is a need to better prepare teachers for bilingual classrooms that have students with and without disabilities. This inspired the creation of a new graduate teacher preparation program for the inclusive bilingual classroom in NYC. The program aims to help candidates understand theories and research across bilingual/bicultural education and…

Rapid adoption of the Common Core State Standards (CCSS), the Race to the Top (RTTT) competition, and backlash around these policies created widespread uncertainty among state educational agencies (SEAs). SEAs may have not had a clear direction about how to support standards implementation in a new context, and therefore, may have looked to their…

This article concludes this special issue by highlighting some of the most important points from the U.S. Supreme Courts decision in "Board of Education v. Rowley" (1982) and "Endrew F. v. Douglas County School District" (2017) but also discussing another crucial point to which school district personnel must adhere to ensure…

Statewide performance assessments have gone in and out of vogue for over 30 years. While embraced as authentic representations of student work, they often prove burdensome for standardized assessment purposes. They can be a strong addition to a balanced assessment system--when implemented well for the right purposes. State policymakers looking to…

This study reports child and family outcomes from a community-based, quasi-experimental pilot trial of "Project ImPACT for Toddlers" that is a parent-mediated, naturalistic, developmental behavioral intervention for children with or at-risk for autism spectrum disorder developed through a research-community partnership. Community early…

In 2020 the Australian Government reviewed the "Disability Standards for Education 2005" (the Standards). The Standards help to make sure students with disability can access and participate in education and training on the same basis as students without disability. This includes preschool, school, vocational education and training, and…

Home visiting programs typically collect sensitive information about family characteristics, risk factors, and services received. States may choose to integrate these data with other early childhood data to learn more about the reach and effectiveness of the services and supports that families receive. As more states begin to integrate data across…

This brief summarizes key points from the report "Enabling Conditions and Capacities for Continuous Improvement: A Framework for Measuring and Supporting Progress Towards the Goals of the Statewide System of Support" and contextualizes the findings within the current challenge of supporting teaching and learning during a pandemic. The…