Background/Context: English learners (ELs) have the potential to bring much-needed multilingual skills to the workforce, and most ELs aspire to graduate high school and earn a post-secondary credential (Gwynne, Pareja, Ehrlich, & Allensworth, 2012; Shi & Watkinson, 2019). But active ELs graduate high school at far lower rates than their…

In some instances, a local school district may determine that it cannot provide free appropriate public education (FAPE) for a student with a disability within their district. In partnership with the student's family and teachers, the district may decide that the student would be best served in a private school or facility better suited to meet…

Students attending school today can have a wide variety of needs in the classroom, both academically and behaviorally. One student group often regarded as challenging to support is students who have an emotional disturbance (ED; see discussion in Algozzine, 2017). Students with an ED usually require a different level of support to be successful at…

This Research Brief examines the success of Miami-Dade County Public Schools (MDCPS) 12th grade students in meeting missing assessment graduation requirements through the non-reportable (NR) American College Testing ACT and the College Board SAT exams. 1337 students took either one of the exams or both in the spring of 2024, and most students took…

This article examines current technology-aided instruction and intervention (TAII) available for autistic transition-age youth (TAY) in the United States and existing policies that may support or hinder the delivery of these interventions. Specifically, we focus on policies that might influence the delivery of TAII to autistic TAY. After a careful…

School absenteeism among children and adolescents has been associated with a myriad of adverse outcomes. Despite a substantial amount of research on school attendance, our understanding of absenteeism in elementary-aged children with mental health difficulties is limited. The current study used a mixed-method sequential explanatory design to gain…

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…

The difficulties faced by teachers at a Special Public School in teaching Balinese script literacy to visually impaired children have resulted in low literacy skills in Balinese script among these students. In order to maximize Balinese script learning, appropriate learning media tailored to the characteristics of visually impaired children are…

The What Works Clearinghouse (WWC) at the Institute of Education Sciences reviews rigorous research on educational practices, policies, programs, and products with a goal of identifying 'what works' and making that information accessible to the public. One critique of the WWC is the need to more closely examine 'what works' for whom, in which…

Middle school students lack coping skills which cause misbehaviors and disruptions to their education. The misbehaviors are higher among middle school students with disabilities and middle school special education teachers are struggling to implement effective strategies to address the disruptive behaviors of their students in a suburban…

This study explores the educational implications of autism spectrum traits as assessed by the Deenz Autism Spectrum Profile Assessment Scale (DASPAS-42). The scale evaluates 14 dimensions: socialization, communication, sensory processing, flexibility, routine adherence, repetition, emotional sensitivity, anxiety, empathy, motor skills, attention,…

For many years state education agencies (SEAs) have sought to create assessment systems that include all students, including students with disabilities. In order to improve outcomes for students with disabilities, there is an urgent need for cross-agency collaboration between special education and assessment offices, but other offices (e.g.,…

This report updates the needs assessment conducted in 2019 as part of Maine's Preschool Development Grant (PDG-Birth to 5). The 2019 Needs Assessment1 was the foundation for the 2020 Strategic Plan2 which has contributed to policy and funding initiatives over the past 4 years. While the policy and practice landscape changed in many ways during the…

The purpose of this report is to discuss the sustainability and scalability of Math for All (MFA) by returning to talk with past MFA program participants. Drawing on qualitative research methods, this report derives its findings from interviews with 12 teachers, 6 facilitators, and 5 administrators within two years of their participation in MFA.…

This study examined the relationship between demographic, disability-related, and transition planning experiences and accessing disability-specific and universally available supports at 2- and 4-year colleges by postsecondary students identified in secondary school as English learners with disabilities. Findings were based on secondary analysis of…