Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) promises all children with disabilities, including those with impeding challenging behavior, a free appropriate public education (FAPE) in the least restrictive environment (LRE). IDEA also promises educational support, in the form of positive behavioral interventions and supports (PBIS) when…

The federal government makes more than 200 distinct investments in children. These include traditional children's initiatives like education and child abuse and neglect prevention. They also include other investments that improve the lives of kids, like Medicaid and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (formerly Food Stamps). Following a…

This report responds to the requirement of Public Law 110-246 to assess the effectiveness of State and local efforts to directly certify children for free school meals. Direct certification is a process conducted by the States and by local educational agencies (LEAs) to certify eligible children for free meals without the need for household…

This report responds to the legislative requirement of the Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008 (P.L.110-234) to assess the effectiveness of State and local efforts to directly certify children for free school meals under the National School Lunch Program (NSLP). Direct certification is a process conducted by the States and by local…

The William D. Ford Federal Direct Loan (DL) program, authorized under Title IV, Part D of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (HEA), as amended, is the primary federal student loan program administered by the U.S. Department of Education (ED). The program makes available loans to undergraduate and graduate students and the parents of dependent…

Today's school administrators may find valuable lessons in the famous Abbott and Costello "Who's on First" slapstick shtick as they consider the significant legal, personnel, and public relations issues that may arise should they take serious action, such as the termination of a tenured employee. The key is to know where the players are…

This paper will seek to determine what types of legislative or policy measures should be considered as morally acceptable ones for the state to implement as part of a language maintenance effort. It will approach the issue from a liberal-egalitarian perspective. As a first step, a series of normative constraints that liberal-egalitarians would…

This article considers the effects of the Leahy--Smith America Invents Act, signed into law in September 2011, on the US patent system and its potential negative implications for US patent activities and patent culture. (Contains 2 notes.)

The use of dissection to study human anatomy is the foundation for educational excellence among future health professionals, as it offers an ideal opportunity to learn the body's morphology in three dimensions while also providing students with a more humanistic education. The shortage of bodies for dissection, combined with the Brazilian…

Debate over the design of state and federal accountability systems is an important ongoing issue for policy makers. As we move toward next-generation accountability through No Child Left Behind's (NCLB) waivers and reauthorization drafts, it is important to understand the implementation and effects of key elements of prior accountability systems.…

This article examines: (1) why learning comes so naturally for some students and yet is so onerous for others; (2) why some students need constant reminders while others get on task right away; and (3) why some students "just don't get it" even after countless repetitions and multitudes of practices. This paper describes the…

Due to the value of personal rights and freedoms, along with the associated questions and continuing problems, the issue of "civil rights" continues to be relevant in the twenty-first century. In the United States, the civil rights of disenfranchised people are adversely affected by various social, regional, and federal policies.…

This research project examines the influence of the for-profit college sector on the 2008 reauthorization of the "Higher Education Act." It is based on interviews with Congressional staff, college lobbyists, and higher education reporters, as well as the "Congressional Record" and advocacy materials. Findings indicate that the…

During a four-year period, from 1988-1992, two significant events occurred that greatly influenced assistive technology (AT) and intellectual disability: the passage by Congress of the Technology-Related Assistance for Individuals with Disabilities Act of 1988 and publication by the American Association on Intellectual and Development Disabilities…

This feasibility study examines the coverage of employment-related issues related to people with disabilities in the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990. The study is a first in a series of future studies focusing on disability issues in the international economic media. A survey of 39 newspaper articles published in the "Wall Street…