In 2014, OSEP instituted the Statewide Systemic Improvement Plan (SSIP) reporting requirement. The SSIP was designed as a comprehensive multi-year plan for improving results for infants and toddlers with disabilities and their families through system strengthening efforts. States/entities work to improve their infrastructure, implement…

The Department Children, Youth, and Families (DCYF) is a new cabinet level agency focused on the well-being of children. The vision is to ensure that "Washington state's children and youth grow up safe and healthy-thriving physically, emotionally and academically, nurtured by family and community." (House Bill 1661) DCYF serves as the…

Faced with poor retention and graduation rates for students with disabilities, postsecondary institutions have experimented with interventions to help students succeed in college. This practice brief describes a pilot initiative in which 41 students with disabilities pursuing science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) degrees at…

The polio vaccine became available in 1955, due almost entirely to the efforts of the March of Dimes. In 1921, Franklin Roosevelt gave a public face to polio and mounted a campaign to prevent it, establishing the National Foundation for Infantile Paralysis in 1938. During the Depression, U.S. citizens were asked to contribute one dime. Entertainer…

Implementation science defines training and coaching as two important competency components to support fidelity of implementation of evidence-based practices. The present study explores the perspectives of 21 preschool teachers, located in the United States, about the professional development (PD) they received, which included training and…

A collaboration of postsecondary institutions nationwide undertook a project to apply research in developing methods and materials to help instructors more fully include students with disabilities in their courses. These institutions conducted a needs assessment; developed content and delivery modes; undertook a rigorous formative evaluation;…

This report summarizes research studies on the effectiveness of early intervention for children with disabilities in Washington state. In chart form, each summary includes information on the study program, study group, description of the research, outcome measures, and the results of the study. It includes 34 research studies and 20 theoretical…

The report synthesizes findings of seven studies on educational processes and outcomes of students with special needs in the State of Washington. Studies include a statewide assessment, statewide teacher survey, analysis of participation in categorical programs, evaluation of individual categorical programs, an investigation of an innovative…

This report describes options for study designs to evaluate the effect of early intervention on infants and toddlers, birth to three, with disabilities or developmental delays and their families in Washington state. Information was gathered from extensive literature reviews, a survey of local assessment efforts in Washington, a technical data…

Liberty High School's experimental project using correspondence courses to expand curriculum offerings, begun in 1977, increased vocational offerings from 12 to nearly 2,000 by 1979 and provided career exploration opportunities for its 187 students. All students and incoming freshmen for 1977-78 had an opportunity to select at least one…

This year the Center on Education Policy analyzed data on the achievement of different groups of students in two distinct ways. First, it looked at grade 4 test results to determine whether the performance of various groups improved at three achievement levels--basic and above, proficient and above, and advanced. Second, it looked at gaps between…

A study assessed the attitudes of 702 Washington State employers toward vocational education at the secondary and postsecondary levels. The majority of respondents perceived community colleges and vocational-technical institutes, but not public high schools, to be doing a very good job of preparing students for job and careers. Over 90 percent…