Every student receiving special education services in a school must have an Individualized Education Program describing all supports and services needed to support the student. An IEP is the avenue for students with disabilities to have access to education. Ensuring that special education teachers are competent in writing and implementing…

This study investigated special educators' perspectives about an online toolkit that offers teachers example goals and objectives statements to use in service plans for students with special educational needs as well as teaching strategies and assessments. Special education teachers in a large school district in a Pacific Northwestern state…

Special education team members have shown an inability to write rigorous individualized education program (IEP) goals that meet students' needs. Researchers have focused on special education team members' ability to write IEP goals, and the phenomenon continues to be a vital concern. This basic qualitative study was conducted to examine the…

Principals play a critical role in creating inclusive schools for students with disabilities, but few studies focus on how principals foster meaningful engagement for parents of children with disabilities, especially within Individualized Education Program (IEP) meetings where important education decisions are made. Research focused on principal…

This brief report describes findings from a single case withdrawal design study which explored the impact of training and emailed video prompts to promote a teacher's implementation of a culturally responsive teaching plan in a therapeutic school. Data collectors gathered implementation data as well as observed students' academic engagement and…

The term nature deficit disorder describes the "human costs of alienation from nature" (Louv, 2019). While not meant to be a medical diagnosis, Louv argues that the condition has, "profound implications, not only for the health of future generations but for the health of the earth itself" (Louv, 2008). Children most at risk are…

Millions of children with disabilities have benefited from the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) (United States Department of Education [USDOE], 2010). However, the law has also been a source of frequent litigation and conflict between schools and parents (Mueller, 2015; Pudelski, 2016). This study was initiated to examine the…

There are many types of jobs under the heading education support professionals (ESPs): paraeducators, technical service workers, skilled trade workers, and health workers. Making up about one third of the public education workforce from early education through college, ESPs not only ensure that schools run smoothly, they also play a role in…

Existing approaches for training paraeducators rely heavily on intensive one-to-one coaching and may not be feasible in practice. In this study, we test a tiered training model in which all paraeducators first received group training, and then coaching was provided only for the subset who did not meet performance criteria after group training.…

Occupational therapists work in the school setting as related service providers, helping those students with an Individual Education Plan (IEP) access their special education curriculum. As part of the development of the IEP process, each student is supposed to be assessed for the need for assistive technology to support their educational program…

A shared sense of responsibility for the education of students with disabilities can have positive effects on both teachers and students. When special education (SE) and general education (GE) teachers work together, this collaborative relationship is a positive variable in teacher satisfaction and retention. Furthermore, teacher collaboration and…

The purpose of this review was to synthesize research on the effect of professional development (PD) targeting data-based decision-making processes on teachers' knowledge, skills, and self-efficacy related to curriculum-based measurement (CBM) and data-based decision-making (DBDM). To be eligible for this review, studies had to: (1) be published…

The demand of providing adequate services for students with disabilities has evolved over the years requiring districts to provide free and appropriate public education in the least restrictive environment. As districts are held increasingly accountable for meeting these demands, the roles and responsibilities of the school principal has become…

This report presents the findings of a study aimed to address the gap between policy and practice for speech-language pathologists (SLPs) who serve students identified with a speech-language impairment, including other co-existing disabilities. The following research questions were addressed: (1) What factors influence how SLPs make accessibility…

The purpose of this study was to explore the experiences of general education teachers and capture how they differentiate instruction for students with special needs. The study ascertained teachers' understanding and implementation of differentiated instruction for elementary level students in first through third grade. The study will add to the…