Scholars, advocates, and policymakers have long expressed concern that programs subsidizing private education with a taxpayer-funded voucher would not serve children with disabilities in similar proportions as public schools. The Wisconsin Institute for Law and Liberty in collaboration with School Choice Wisconsin published a report in January…

The Council for Exceptional Children (CEC) maintains that it should be the goal of all educators and policymakers to understand, support, and facilitate the transition of children and youth with disabilities to post-school life. This includes supporting children and youth to achieve their respective goals regarding postsecondary education and…

We acknowledge that some students with severe disabilities are not being taught in general education. We do not agree that inclusion in general education is inherently better, nor do we think it is always appropriate, and we provide some reasons that a full continuum of alternative placements is not only legally mandated but appropriate. We are…

For this 10th article in the series reviewing recent court decisions concerning appropriate school psychology practice from both professional and legal perspectives, the focus is eligibility under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). For this purpose, the courts have generally agreed that, based on the definitions in the IDEA's…

In this issue, Professor Perry Zirkel argues that the points presented in the Dixon, Eusebio, Turton, Wright, and Hale treatise of the Forest Grove School District v. T.A. Supreme Court case confuses "legal requirements with professional norms." Although we appreciate Zirkel's acknowledgment that our position reflects the professional…

Hunt and McDonnell have provided an excellent overview of one of the most important aspects of planning for students with severe disabilities--an ecological curricular framework that is created with input from the student, family, and needs of current and future environments. The standards-based reform-movement has created tension for educators to…

The concept of children's rights evolved during the 1980s giving prominence to the role of children as active participants in the construction of their lives. The rhetoric of children's rights has emerged as an important consideration in all policy and practice relating to children. Implementation of children's rights in practice is necessary to…

Inclusion of students with disabilities, especially those with mental retardation, has come to mean the placement of all students in general education classrooms, sometimes with limited planning for the individual needs of each student. Several court cases, laws, and movements have brought about the level of inclusion that exists today. However,…

This article discusses how the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) encourages educational reform if that reform is guided by research and improves special education for children with disabilities and examines how the IDEA discourages educational practices that minimize the individual needs of the disabled through standardization of…

This paper reviews the Supreme Court's Zebley decision which expanded the definition of disability in young children by including functional equivalence; compares regulations and practices under the Social Security Administration and Part H of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act; and offers guidelines concerning the intent of the law,…

Addresses five questions concerning special education for students with disabilities: Why are so many students considered disabled? What are their educational needs? How should appropriate, individualized services be funded? Are Individuals with Disabilities Education Act's procedural protections necessary? and Can regular education meet needs of…

The controversy over minimum competency assessment has special implications for the handicapped, since federal law requires that handicapped students must be afforded equal educational opportunities. Problems will arise in establishing criteria of competence and in administering minimum competency programs for students with learning disabilities.…

Discussion of the British Code of Practice for the Identification and Assessment of Special Educational Needs focuses on the need to implement the Code in the context of the National Curriculum, modified as necessary, and individualized in the student's Individualized Education Plan. (DB)

Dr. Mitchell Yell, an expert in special-education law, is interviewed on the 1997 amendments to the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act that will affect the discipline of students with disabilities. He addresses suspension and expulsion of students with disabilities, the required manifestation determination hearing, and…

This article addresses whether or not the assumptions upon which the Individuals with Disabilities Act (IDEA) is based remain valid as we approach the 21st century. Eligibility and labeling, free and appropriate public education, the individualized education program, and the least restrictive environment requirements are examined, and…