Research nationally demonstrates that children and youth experiencing foster care and/or homelessness achieve academic outcomes significantly below their peers due to trauma and loss, multiple changes in homes and schools, and emotional upheaval. When youth fail to graduate from high school, they are much more likely to live in poverty, require…

Child First is a national campaign to ensure that deaf children have their right to language recognized and fulfilled regardless of which educational method is specified in the Individualized Education Program (IEP). Whether the child's family embraces American Sign Language (ASL), speech reading, a system of signs that encodes English, or a…

The purpose of this study was to gather information from educators and parents on their perceptions of the effectiveness of Individualized Learning Plans (ILPs) in assisting students with disabilities in gaining the experiences needed to develop college and career readiness skills. Results from focus groups and surveys of 1,117 parents and 484…

This article reports on a case that resulted in a published court decision which illustrates a dilemma at the intersection of the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). On first impression, the finding that teachers were operating based on professional principle seems to validate their actions.…

This special education reopening guidance has been developed as a companion resource to "Reopening Washington Schools 2020: District Planning Guide" (ED606044) to provide information and resources for supporting students with disabilities throughout the school reopening process. The intent of this document is to offer guidance for all…

English language learners (ELLs) with disabilities are an increasing presence in schools in the United States. Title I and Title III of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act require that these students meet the same academic grade-level standards and participate in content assessments as their fluent-English speaking peers without…

Over the last 37 years, the Individualized Education Program (IEP) has been the guiding document that outlines the needs of a student who receives special education services. Washington State utilizes an IEP Review form as the means to determine if an IEP has been properly written and formulated. This information partially fulfills the Federal…

In response to the rising demand for market-responsive education reform across the U.S., since 1998 more than twenty states have created Individual Learning or Graduation Plan (ILP/IGP) state policies. Using extensive policy document analyses and stakeholder interview data from four early-adopting ILP/IGP states, the goal of this four-state case…

There is a growing emphasis on academic performance and educational outcomes for students with disabilities. This focus is demonstrated, in part, by the federal requirement to collect post-school outcome data from these former students (i.e., Indicator 14). The purpose of this paper is to introduce two states' approaches to collecting post-school…

Special educators struggle to develop legitimate Individualized Educational Plans (IEPs) that describe student needs and lead to academic achievement. The purpose of this study was to determine if using a rubric to create an IEP resulted in an increase in academic achievement. The conceptual framework is drawn from a synthesis of the literature on…

With support from the John Templeton Foundation, the authors held a Summit on Acceleration at The University of Iowa in May 2003. They invited distinguished scholars and educators from around the country to help them formulate a national report on acceleration. This first volume of the Templeton Report on acceleration trumpets an alarm to the…

SEATTLE, WASHINGTON, HAS MADE EFFORTS TO IMPROVE RACIAL BALANCE IN THE SCHOOLS BY INSTITUTING VOLUNTARY, MANDATORY, AND REVERSE TRANSFER PROGRAMS, IN WHICH 1500 NEGRO AND 90 WHITE STUDENTS HAVE ALREADY PARTICIPATED. MOREOVER IN ANTICIPATION OF INCREASED INMIGRATION, THE CITY HAS DEVELOPED A NEW TYPE OF SCHOOL STRUCTURE FOR URBAN LIVING, THE…

The document reports the Washington component of Project IEP (individualized education program), a project designed to identify and clarify perceptions related to roles in the IEP process as mandated by P.L. 94-142, the Education for All Handicapped Children Act. It is explained that under Project IEP approximately 200 persons (including state and…

This report, the second of two relating to the activities of the Southeast Education Center, describes the middle school facilities of the Center. The Center was organized on the "Continuous Progress Concept"--that in which a student will move at his own pace in an individualized program. The entire Southeast Education Center proposes to…

The projected "continuous progress" plan to be featured by a Seattle southeast area Middle School is an integrated organization of professional educators, curriculum, instructional modes and media, facilities, and administrative management in a program which guides the cognitive and affective development of individual students throughout…