Why are IEP meetings often uncomfortable, awkward, and stiff? Educators and families all have a common goal--to support the growth of a child. Yet educators often feel confused that families act like reluctant participants who are just fulfilling a requirement. And families often feel that they're viewed as intruders, whose insights and dreams for…

The individualized education program (IEP) is the foundation for the provision of special education services for a child with a disability. While special education teachers learn about IEP writing in their teacher preparation programs, it can still be difficult to translate this knowledge into practice. Therefore, when faced with the task of…

Educating students with disabilities has been an evolving process. This evolution has come from students with disabilities not being educated within the public school system to students with disabilities being mainstreamed within general education to the maximum extent possible. Even though special education has come a long way, there is a lot of…

In New York City (NYC), the process of developing a child's kindergarten Individualized Education Program (IEP) happens during the year before kindergarten. This process is commonly called Turning 5. Approximately 30,000 NYC children between the ages of three and five are classified as being preschoolers with disabilities. The Turning 5 work…

Although federal legislation requires parent involvement in the development of Individualized Education Programs, parents often lack adequate background knowledge to partner with school personnel in the development of programs for their child. In an effort to provide all stakeholders with information pertaining to the education of children with…

The topic of special education can be confusing and frightening for parents who suspect their child has a disability or has difficulty learning. Parents in this situation want to know how to get help for their child. This guide is intended as a reference for people who have questions about special education for a child. It summarizes the basic…

Beginning special education teachers have been shown to experience attrition at an increasing rate. The literature has identified many factors contributing to special education teachers leaving the profession. Some of those factors include lack of knowledge regarding special education laws, the special education referral process, individualized…

As classrooms are becoming more diverse, teachers are now faced with the responsibility of creating an inclusive classroom community. As such, researching classroom pedagogies and practices is an imperative step in curriculum planning. The "Handbook of Research on Classroom Diversity and Inclusive Education Practice" is an authoritative…

In recent years the issue of how well students with disabilities are prepared for post high school opportunities has generated interest in designing more effective transition programs in school districts. Employment rates for students with disabilities after leaving high school are greatly impacted by their experiences and opportunities to develop…

Student growth is one of two essential components of South Dakota's Teacher and Principal Effectiveness Systems. In the state systems, student growth is defined as a positive change in student achievement between two or more points in time. "The South Dakota SLO Handbook" provides support and guidance to public schools and school…

Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act (IDEIA, 2004) mandates that each student with a disability has an individualized education program (IEP). The IEP serves as the curriculum roadmap for special education services. In order to generate a clear roadmap, full team communication is necessary. The purpose of this paper is to…

This report summarizes the findings and recommendations of Individualized Learning Plan (ILP) research and technical assistance activities that were completed between 2007 and 2013. The purpose of these activities was to investigate whether ILPs should be considered a promising practice for youth with and without disabilities and to identify…

Special and general educators rely on the school library for many reasons, such as the wealth of resources that are used to motivate students and individualize instruction and the fact that many students with disabilities enjoy spending time there (Smith-Canter, Voytecki, Zambone, and Jones 2009). In the June 2009 issue of "School Library…

This article contains specific planning, partnering, and performing techniques for fully integrating dancers with special needs into a dance pedagogy program. Each aspect is discussed within the context of the domains of learning. Fundamental partnering strategies are related to each domain as part of the integration process. The authors recommend…

This study examined (a) the main effects of professional development on the quality of postsecondary goals in employment and postsecondary education/training, (b) the main effects of student and teacher characteristics on goal quality, and (c) whether professional development moderated the relationship between the impact of these characteristics…