Traditional teacher-led Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) typically provide limited opportunities for students receiving special education services to meaningfully participate in the process. Even with a significant body of literature supporting the benefits of student-led IEPs, many school-based personnel maintain the traditional…

Providing opportunities for students with disabilities to engage in activities that can promote self-determination is deemed best practice (Landmark et al., 2010; Wehmeyer et al., 2013). One setting where these skills may be continually refined is during an Individualized Education Program (IEP) meeting (Agran & Hughes, 2008; Arndt et al.,…

Purpose: This purpose of this national survey study was to assess K-5 school-based speech-language pathologists' (SLPs') perceived knowledge, training, support, and experiences related to collaborative language and literacy instruction with general education teachers. Method: The authors developed and disseminated a 47-item electronic survey…

To optimise school-based service delivery for students with disabilities, it is important to understand roles and needs of school staff. This study aimed to clarify ideal and actual roles of school staff (teachers, special educators, administrators) working with students with special needs, and to identify potential strategies to support actual…

Leadership plays a central role in improving and sustaining quality in Early Childhood Development (ECD) settings in the South African context. This article explored the leadership of the Inclusive Education Policy (IEP) and the challenges experienced by ECD centre managers and teachers. Children with disabilities are most vulnerable,…

This article describes a study of online educators' use of technology as part of the accommodations they provided to students with disabilities at their school. Specifically, research focused on four teachers who were members of an interdisciplinary team in a large virtual school program, in a state with established policies regarding online…

Highly politicized educational reforms in New York City have seen special education become marginalized as a casualty of the accountability movement. There is a liminal space between "old" and "new" ways where special education administrators find themselves as they consider their roles and responsibilities in continuing to…

The Common Core State Standards (CCSS) have been described as the next chapter in American education with the promise to deliver "fewer, clearer, and higher" standards aimed at preparing "all" students for college "and" career (Rothman, 2013). Though CCSS articulates minimum expectations for what college and…

This study examines the mentoring experiences of prospective and beginning special education administrators to determine whether on the job mentoring is a viable method of equipping the prospective and beginning special education administrator with essential knowledge and skills. Three research questions were asked: What is the attainment of…

This qualitative study investigates information sharing practices between comprehensive high schools and an offsite Career Technical School with a focus on Students With Disabilities (SWD). The case study approach examined how student information is communicated in support of new federal and state policies related to college and career…

This study examines the current state of special education provision and resources in Finland after the extensive reform of the government transfer system and Basic Education Act implemented in 2010-2011. Data were collected from a survey of compulsory school principals and from interviews with the highest-ranking officials in municipal education…

Early in 1992, Ruth Heitin embarked upon her career as a private special education consultant. As a special education advocate, she serves as an independent specialist, offering a second opinion on educational issues. In general, this type of advocate works for parents, either directly or through a nonprofit group, but their real clients are…

At the 2011 Office of Special Education Leadership Mega Conference in Crystal City, VA, demographer Jim Johnson, of the Frank Hawkins Kenan Institute of Private Enterprise and the University of North Carolina, discussed the changing demographics of the US, coining one of his six observations on the changes ahead as the "silver tsunami…

English language learners (ELLs) with disabilities are a growing part of the K-12 school population and will be included in the next generation of accountability assessments, just as they are now included in state assessments. These learners have some unique characteristics and may demonstrate their knowledge and skills in particular ways because…

The rights of all students to participate in extracurricular programs are required by current law but are often nonexistent, misunderstood, or even sometimes purposely not shared with parents. This article is addressed to parents regarding the rights of their children with disabilities to participate in extracurricular sport activities. Included…