This brief is designed for educators who want to support the educational aspirations of students experiencing homelessness. While educational transition plans have previously been utilized to support students with special needs and those exiting foster care, this tool has rarely been leveraged to address the unique needs of students experiencing…

OSPI is required to submit an annual report to the legislature on the statewide activities funded under RCW 28A.150.390(3). The 2025 and 2026 annual reports must include an update on the impact of removing the cap on the special education enrollment percentage, including the impact on safety net needs. This report provides an update on the…

Educators are faced with many decisions regarding supporting students' writing. While writing achievement and curriculum-based measure scores provide numbers that are important for high-stakes decisions like determining special education eligibility, they do not provide educators with information on a student's explicit instruction needs. Written…

Adaptive skills are crucial for students with intellectual disability (ID) particularly in preparing for post-secondary transition and long-term independence as it allows them to take care of themselves, communicate effectively, and participate fully across settings. Special education teachers and related service personnel play a major role in…

This manuscript describes how school-based teams can assess an academic facilitator (i.e., self-regulated learning; SRL) and how to link resulting assessment data to intervention. We emphasize a structured interview that can be used to examine strengths and weaknesses of individual SRL skills (e.g., goal setting, planning, motivational beliefs,…

Family-educator collaboration results in enhanced outcomes among educators, families, and, most importantly, students with disabilities. Collaboration of this nature, however, does not always occur for many reasons, including tension that arises when family and educator microcultures differ and result in communication breakdowns. Reflexivity is…

Nearly 31% of U.S. school-age students labeled emotional disturbance spend most of their school day in self-contained classrooms. Thus, it is critical for district leaders to understand how to support educators' capacity to provide effective services for students with significant behavior-support needs. We overview how district leaders can…

The original principles of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act offer strengths and possibilities for fostering professional and family collaboration and partnerships. In spite of persistent challenges, opportunities exist for special education leaders to enhance stakeholder involvement and ensure that parents play a key…

The purpose of this brief is to increase states' awareness of national data resources that can support states in sharing, linking, integrating, and using data on young children with disabilities to enhance the provision of early intervention (EI) and early childhood special education (ECSE) services. The audience for this brief includes states'…

The education system in Ontario is created to exclude Disabled people and other marginalized groups. Instead of building an environment for disabled students to thrive, they are instead viewed as incapable and as a burden on the system. Under the current special education model, disabled students are segregated instead of included. Exclusion of…

The 50th anniversary of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) is cause for celebrating the promise of a free appropriate public education (FAPE) made to all students with disabilities in the United States. This anniversary is also a time for special education leaders to be vigilant advocates so the promise of the law might be…

The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) marks its fiftieth anniversary this year--a milestone in the nation's ongoing commitment to educational equity and civil rights. Yet, the very system intended to uphold its central promise of a free appropriate public education (FAPE) is showing clear signs of strain. What began as a…

Special educators working in self-contained settings for students with extensive behavioral needs face high rates of teacher burnout and attrition. Research also indicates that these professionals face notable environmental stressors and poor working conditions, even when compared to special educators in other settings. To address teacher burnout…

Students with qualifying disabilities have the right to a free and appropriate public education (FAPE) under the Individuals with Disabilities in Education Act (IDEA, 2004). An Individualized Education Program (IEP) is a legally binding document that maps out the students' educational program, including any specially designed instruction and…

In 1954, the Supreme Court's ruling in "Brown v. Board of Education" set the stage for the passage of the Education for All Handicapped Children Act. On November 29, 1975, President Gerald Ford signed the Education for All Handicapped Children Act into law, transforming public education in the United States. In 1990, the name of the…