The present study evaluated the effectiveness of a non-randomized summer reading program offered by a school district meeting or exceeding all National Summer Learning Project recommendations. The district had 10 years of experience delivering the program to Grades 1-5 students with or at risk of reading disabilities. Voluntary participation had…

College options for students with intellectual disabilities continue to grow. However, there is a gap among students and families about available college opportunities. This study provides evidence of a weeklong summer academy that bridges the gap between high school and college. Results showed the summer academy increased participants' awareness…

Purpose: An increasing number of autistic students are pursuing higher education to enhance career opportunities, achieve personal growth, and increase independence. Nonetheless, many encounter difficulties in transitioning to and thriving in this environment, despite the support offered by universities. Here, we review the preliminary data from a…

LGBTQ+, racial/ethnic minorities, youth from low-income contexts, and youth with cognitive and/or physical disabilities often face constraints to access and participation based on social and structural inequality. Understanding access and inclusion in summertime recreation program and camp settings for LGBTQ+, racial/ethnic minorities, individuals…

Measuring reading engagement is critical for monitoring student involvement in academic tasks, as it predicts student reading achievement and further academic success (Anderson et al., 2021; Guthrie et al., 2012). As a multidimensional construct, researchers have employed various methods to assess reading engagement (Gill & Remedios, 2013; Lee…

Learning to read is an essential skill for later academic success, positive self-esteem, and gainful employment. Students who display reading difficulties/disabilities at the end of third grade are less likely to succeed in content areas and graduate from high school. Recent data suggests that many students in today's schools do not become skilled…

During a school day, children make several transitions between activities, which can take away from instructional time and result in challenging behaviors. This study investigates the impact positive engagement and behavioral supports have on children's behavior while transitioning. Participants (N = 40; 77.5% Male; 92.5% Hispanic) were enrolled…

The purpose of this qualitative study was to evaluate a summer music camp, designed using principles of Universal Design for Learning, for children with disabilities. Data included one parent-child group interview, a children's musical self-efficacy rating scale, children's drawings, and children's explanations of their drawings. Participants were…

Although the Universal Design for Learning (UDL) Framework has been effective in designing tools and lessons, implementation of the Framework to design entire learning environments possesses its own limitations in research. This paper describes a quasi-experimental study of the effects of a professional development program on teachers'…

Applying to university can be an anxiety-provoking time for many autistic students, though enrolment can be increased by actively involving them in transition planning. We provide an evaluation of a transition to university pilot programme (Autism Summer School) for autistic students (16-19 years) who are seeking to apply/attend university. The…

The COVID-19 pandemic has been one of the most dramatic and far-reaching events to impact education in recent years. At the onset of this global crisis, schools were required to pivot, with little warning or planning, to educate the more than 50 million school-age children in the United States through some form of nontraditional instruction (NTI),…

Background: A small group of transition-aged students with intellectual disabilities participated in a short-term summer work experience programme under the mentorship of a job coach. Methods: Dyadic interview technique was used to identify student and mentor participants' perceptions of student participant work motivation pre- and post-programme.…

College students with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and/or learning disabilities are frequently allowed to complete examinations in a separate, distraction-reduced setting. Although separate room test accommodations are believed to provide students with equal access to testing and thereby improve performance, little experimental…

This report examines the implementation of Summer 305, an enhanced summer program which operated from June 20 through July 25, 2023 at 111 sites in Miami-Dade County Public Schools (M-DCPS). Twenty-two programs were offered to accelerate learning recovery, develop foundational skills, and address social and emotional needs. Enrolled students…

New computer science standards are being rapidly introduced at the elementary level but little is known about how to prepare teachers to learn and teach the content of these standards, or how to support students with disabilities in learning computer science. Accordingly, we designed and studied the Inclusive Computer Science Model of Professional…