Building stronger relationships between families and schools is increasingly identified as a way to address many vexing issues--teacher shortages, chronic absenteeism, lingering academic and social-emotional effects of COVID-19, and perceived divisions between parents and educators. Because policies and practices around family engagement vary…

The assessment of Intellectual Disability (ID) under the Individuals With Disabilities Education Improvement Act 2004 (IDEIA; Public Law 108-446, 2004) requires the measurement of both intelligence and adaptive behavior (i.e., conceptual, social, and practical skills). This study expands past research by examining current state special education…

Behavior threat assessment and management (BTAM) is a process for identifying students who pose a threat of violence. When BTAM results in a removal from school (e.g., suspension, expulsion, hospitalization), teams need to plan for the student's potential return. This article describes best practices for reintegrating a student into school…

Universal Design for Learning (UDL) is a framework for designing lessons that is grounded in data and recognized as best practice under IDEA and ESSA. The use of the method allows for greater intervention with students socially, emotionally, and academically. UDL allows intentional and purposeful work with populations that are normally…

Students with an educational classification of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) make up 1.1% of the total enrollment in public schools and 8.3% of the total number of students receiving special education services and is the fastest growing disability classification (U.S. Department of Education, 2016). As more students with these unique needs begin…

The purpose of this guidebook is to: (1) Assist Speech-Language Pathology service providers as they support the educational goals of eligible students with disabilities in the District of Columbia Public Schools (DCPS); and (2) Ensure that all Speech-Language Pathologists (SLPs) in the District of Columbia Public Schools (DCPS) operate with the…

This installment of "Equity by Design" brief will review civil rights law, federal disability laws, and related best practices to help schools conceptualize nondiscriminatory, effective services to their growing English Learner (also known as English Language Learners or ELLs) populations, particularly for students with disabilities, and…

In this report, we summarize research on the identification of SLD and make recommendations for practice. The report begins with a summary of the legal requirements for SLD identification and what constitutes a comprehensive evaluation. It then discusses the attributes of SLD according to different conceptual frameworks and reviews research on the…

Part C early intervention services should be family centered and occur in the context of families' natural environments and daily routines; yet research suggests that many early interventionists continue to work directly with the child and lack a full understanding of how they can implement best practices in the community. To help improve this…

Accusations pertaining to insufficient accountability for private schools that provide alternative educational options for special education students have led to opposition to those same schools. The opposition results in part from the schools' acceptance of state funded vouchers and scholarships. In Florida, state vouchers provide funds which…

The United States has seen an increase focus in science education at the same time that more students with disabilities (SWDs) are educated in a general education classroom. Because of this, science teachers must know how to implement best practices of working with SWDs. However, many science teachers report they do not feel prepared for this.…

There is an overrepresentation of students with disabilities within the population of students excluded (i.e., suspended or expelled) from school. Students with disabilities are suspended for behaviors that are, for the most part, nonviolent and not unlike the behaviors of their general education peers. The Individuals With Disabilities Education…

A Toolkit of Emerging Best Practices and Opportunities for Charter Support Organizations Approximately 6.4 million students--roughly 13 percent of the student population between ages 6-21--receive special education and related services in public schools every year. While students identified as eligible for special education require supports and…

There is a discrepancy in attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) services between students who receive a 504 plan and those found eligible under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act for special education services under the other health impairment category (Spiel et al., 2014). As school-based administrators are…

The purpose of this multiple-case study was to explore the experiences of two students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in a full-inclusion music education context and how those experiences aligned with stakeholder perspectives regarding the role of music education for this population. Three themes emerged from the data: The Not-So-Atypical…