Meeting the academic and behavioral needs of students with and without disabilities and improving educational outcomes requires effective school-based and special education teaming. Yet, more often than not, frontline practitioners have been prepared to work individually rather than together in problem-solving teams. Furthermore, teachers receive…

This qualitative research explored pre-service teachers' understanding of special education transition planning. Findings suggest pre-service teachers increased their understanding of transition planning, accessing post-secondary services, and supporting students obtaining and maintaining employment. By including expert community members,…

Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) are the legal documents guiding the education of students with disabilities served under IDEA. Despite the importance of these documents, noncompliance and lack of quality remain in the present levels of academic and functional performance, annual goals and objectives, and supplementary aids and services…

"Related Services in Special Education: Working Together as a Team" is a resource for anyone who works with school-age children with disabilities to showcase the professional expertise and value-add related services providers bring to the IEP team and school community. With a theme of intentional collaboration and communication, this…

This article examines the perceptions, attitudes, understanding, and knowledge of special education case managers in the United States working with students with disabilities who identify as LGBTQ+. Through a qualitative descriptive study grounded in descriptive phenomenological theory, the study examines the case managers' personal experiences…

The Model Classroom Initiative (MCI) was conceptualized to improve learning and IEP goal attainment while decreasing maladaptive behaviors in specialized instructional program classrooms. The MCI Coaching Model was utilized to assist teachers with the implementation of MCI components in three specialized instructional program classrooms, all of…

The writing of legally compliant Individualized Education Programs (IEP) has been a difficult task for many educators. Poor quality writing of IEPs has caused a myriad of issues. Parents have brought lawsuits upon school districts and inaccurately written IEPs have been interpreted erroneously or presented an incorrect picture of the student.…

This study aimed to determine prior teacher and educational diagnostician knowledge of Indicator 13 and how to use Indicator 13 to improve post-school outcomes for students with moderate to severe disabilities. This study examined students with moderate to severe disabilities' indicator 13 results at the Learning Independency for Everyday…

Malaysia launched the Inclusive Education Program (IEP) in 1997 to integrate students with special needs into mainstream classrooms and local researchers have recently asserted that more training is necessary for Malaysian teachers to effectively work with IEP students. The purposes of this research, therefore, were to (1) introduce the use of…

Utilizing effective data collection methods to track student progress on Individual Education Program (IEP) goals is essential to quality programming and meeting each student's specific needs. This study surveyed special education teachers in four midwestern states to understand IEP data collection methods and assessment training. Results…

Assistive technology (AT) is not only beneficial for allowing children with disabilities access to their environment and the curriculum, it is also a required consideration in every IEP according to IDEA. AT is especially important in preschool years as young children are transitioning to public school and gaining valuable new skills. However,…

The problem that drove this study was the need to improve the inclusive practices for high school student athletes with disabilities in a large, diverse school district. The purpose of this study was to examine how high school coaches and athletic directors provide accommodations for students with disabilities (SWD) and the perceived needs of the…

Communicating with parents is a key role for teachers to foster relationships that will support student learning. This essay and discussion article focuses on a range of strategies teachers can use to promote effective communication with parents of children with special needs. The increasing prevalence of students with disabilities in our schools…

The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological study was to understand parental or guardian involvement and the challenges and barriers to their involvement in the individual education process (IEP) of middle school students as viewed by special education teachers at an urban middle school in southeastern Wisconsin. This study began with the…

One major responsibility of K-12 teachers in United States public schools is to meet the needs of disabled students. While many preservice and in-service teacher training programs present educators with information related to service delivery as outlined in a student's Individualized Education Program or 504 plan, they rarely address how to talk…