While professional development is a requirement for all educators, many teachers have a negative opinion of PD. Districts have attempted to use professional learning communities and the presence of instructional coaches as an answer to the concerns of irrelevant professional development. This study examined educators' opinions of an opt-in…

The purpose of this quantitative correlational-predictive study was to assess if and to what extent the Proportion of IEP Students, Years of Teaching Experience, and Grade Level Taught in an inclusion classroom, individually and combined, predict Job Satisfaction among general education teachers who teach in an inclusion classroom in the United…

School-based speech-language pathologists serve a growing population of students with complex communication needs, many using augmentative and alternative communication. The problem was the inconsistent assessment of communication and language skills that led to varied communication descriptions and reduced diversity of communication goals in…

The Commonwealth of Virginia's Joint Legislative Audit Review Commission (JLARC) reviewed the K-12 special education services throughout the state; the findings revealed deficiencies in how Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) are developed. The purpose of this study was to investigate special education teachers' self-efficacy in developing…

Individuals who work in special education services and the stakeholders in the Individualized Education Program meetings (IEPs) must make educational decisions impacting the child's academic, behavioral, and social development through their academic journey. The mixed-method study sought to investigate administrators' effectiveness at IEP…

The purpose of this study was to examine how communication between Latino parents and special education teachers influenced collaboration and involvement in the development of the Individualized Education Program in Southern California. The study used Ogbu's (1992) cultural ecological theory and Epstein's (1995) six steps types of parental…

The purpose of this phenomenological study was to describe the experiences of active-duty, Reserve, and National Guard military parents concerning their efforts to cultivate an environment of academic success for their children diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Bowlby and Ainsworth's theory on attachment guided this…

This critical narrative study examined the disconnect between special education law and practice in the rural Desert/Mountain region of Southern California. The Desert/Mountain region encompasses over 18,000 square miles, creating a geographic isolation that impacts special education service delivery and implementation of Individualized Education…

Chronic health conditions (CHCs) impact approximately 20% of youth under the age of 18 years. Youth with CHCs are at a greater risk for poor outcomes across domains of development including behavioral, academic, cognitive, physical, and social-emotional than peers without CHCs. Advances in medical treatments make it possible for youth with CHCs to…

As the educational environment is moving more towards a technology-rich system, students with visual impairments (VI) educated in general education classrooms must be guaranteed equitable access to content curricula. The purpose of this study was to understand the experiences of middle school students with VI when accessing and using technologies…

The purpose of this study was to gain insight into the self-perceptions and practices of credentialed, practicing full-time special education teachers towards student-led IEPs. The problem for this study was the lack of information related to special education teachers' self-perceptions of students with disabilities and their practices related to…

Public schools in the United States have a legal mandate to provide families with an opportunity to be actively involved in the decision making process regarding the education of their children with disabilities. However the majority of parents remain passive participants in the special education process. Culturally and linguistically diverse…

Research has shown that inclusive practices have positive outcomes for students with and without IEPs. These practices and the inclusive stance that they require to be effectively implemented are in direct conflict with the dominant discourses of special education and audit culture. Thus, despite the research demonstrating positive outcomes of…

As the population of English Language Learners (ELLs) continues to grow in schools, so does the concern for their lack of academic progress and the possible inequitable representation of this culturally and linguistically diverse population in special education (Artiles, Rueda, Salazar, & Higareda, 2005; Guiberson, 2009; Mac Swan &…

The purpose of this study was to explore the use of Individualized Education Programs (IEP) by general education teachers at the elementary level to develop instructional plans for students with disabilities included in the general education classroom. An additional purpose of the study was to determine what role general education teachers at the…