State accountability systems have been a primary school reform initiative in the US for the past 20 years, but often produce unintended negative consequences. In 2004, the Texas Education Agency (TEA) implemented the Performance Based Monitoring and Analysis System (PBMAS), which included an accountability indicator focused on the percentage of…

Although researchers have studied dyslexia for over a century, there is still much debate about how dyslexia differs from other reading difficulties and how to support students labeled dyslexic. Nevertheless, dyslexia policy and practice are steeped in authoritative discourse that speaks of a definitive definition, unique characteristics, and…

The purpose of this qualitative study was to expand the scarce information available on how mothers first observe their children's early development, assess potential problems, and then come to recognize their concerns. In-depth knowledge about mothers' perspectives on the discovery process can help social workers to promote identification of…

The purpose of this study was to understand the ways in which three parents of students with disabilities and three public school campus administrators negotiated dilemmas through discourse during Admission, Review, and Dismissal (ARD) meetings in a South Texas public school district. The participants in this study included the stakeholders in ARD…

More than 85 percent of the physicians surveyed indicated they are the initial informants to parents regarding the existence of a handicap and the information is immediately presented after birth to both parents, including specific diagnostic labels, possible causation, prognosis, and resources for the family. (Author)

The Texas Interagency Council on Early Childhood Intervention (ECI) serves 23,000 children a year and funds 71 comprehensive programs and 12 Milestones programs throughout Texas. Comprehensive programs offer a variety of services to help families who have babies and toddlers with disabilities or delays, providing services in the home or integrated…

Contains information on incidence of handicapping conditions among Texas Hispanic students; delivery of special education services to handicapped Texas Hispanics; a specific example of the application of a human resource planning model to bilingual handicapped students; significant staffing needs associated with serving exceptional Hispanics.…

States and localities face a range of issues related to English language learners (ELLs) or limited English proficient (LEP) students with disabilities, including referral and identification, service delivery, staffing, data collection and parent outreach. Much of the research has focused on the identification process and has shown that there are…