This eighth edition provides a current and comprehensive discussion of counselors' legal and ethical responsibilities, an examination of state and federal laws as they relate to practice, and helpful risk management strategies. Attorney Nancy Wheeler and Burt Bertram, a private practitioner and counselor educator, offer real-world practical tips…

A career pathway system is made up of multiple programs that span educational institutions, workforce entities and support service partners. These systems are oriented around a shared understanding of the needs of industries. Career pathway systems are one of many policy models states use to help connect education and workforce in the K-12,…

In 2013, the state of Florida passed Senate Bill 1720, which reformed developmental education and gateway courses across the state of Florida. There was a gap in the research regarding how the institutions planned and implemented the changes necessary to comply with the bill. This basic qualitative study examined the strategies used by leaders to…

Placement decisions for students with severe disabilities have often been based less on the students' unique learning needs but more on beliefs and presumptions about student learning, entrenched school district policies that restrict program delivery options, and other variables unrelated to student needs. In light of the benefits associated with…

In response to the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act Amendments of 2004 (IDEIA 2004), states have implemented Response to Intervention (RtI) programs, which increase the demands that are placed on the knowledge base and skills of general education teachers. RtI is a multi-tiered model that requires teachers to apply…

Ever since the passage of the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act of 2006, the lines historically used to separate "vocational" and "academic" students have blurred. This shift away from vocational education toward career and technical education (CTE) has come with many promising educational outcomes. CTE course…

This hearing of the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions examines reauthorizing the Higher Education Act, focusing on examining proposals to simplify the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). Following opening statements by the Honorable Lamar Alexander (Chairman, Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions) and…

The William D. Ford Federal Direct Loan (Direct Loan) program makes several types of federal student loans available to individuals to assist them with financing postsecondary education expenses. This report presents a comprehensive overview of the terms and conditions that apply to federal student loans made through the Direct Loan program. It…

The Every Student Succeeds Act of 2015 (ESSA) provides state education agencies (SEA) with more flexibility to rethink how to identify and address low school performance while elevating the role of local education agencies (LEAs) in supporting schools in need of improvement. As states pursue plans to support schools with the most need for…

The purpose of this study was to determine if self-advocacy and social skills were targeted areas of instruction on a collected sample of Individualized Education Programs (IEPs). We also measured student attendance at IEP meetings as a potential step towards self-avocation. Utilizing secondary analysis with data collected from 170 IEPs, we…

Background: Educators and public school districts are bound to the legislative policies crafted by men and women who often have little experience in public education other than once having been a student themselves. As a result, policies are often not effective at creating positive change in Texas public schools. In addition, the role of policy…

Federal education policies gave political and financial support for state education agencies to turnaround low-performing schools on an unprecedented scale. North Carolina's ambitious program turned around over half of all schools nationwide that underwent turnaround funded by Race to the Top. Exploiting the assignment to turnaround based on…

This article describes disability laws and special education provisions in China, Kuwait, South Korea, Turkey, and the United States making note of the important role they have in the lives of people with disabilities. Anti-discrimination, rehabilitation, and special education laws enhance the quality of the lives of individuals with disabilities…

In light of disability studies' recent examinations of the dichotomy between medical and social models in terms of their influence upon attitudes toward people with disabilities, the author discusses her selection of course materials for a college-level course, Art and the Exceptional Learner, targeted to pre-service art teachers. Structured…

The landscape of school finance in Colorado paints an interesting picture of the influence of legislative initiatives on the equity of school per pupil revenue. Colorado has a convoluted history of enacting legislative initiatives designed to influence the influx and distribution of state revenue, which has created an environment in which the…