This study examines parental perceptions of their participation in the special education process at a high school in southern Illinois. Eleven parents were interviewed based on either self-reported low socioeconomic status or non-participation in a formal IEP meeting during the previous year. Regarding the quality and the quantity of their…

Some children with disabilities may not receive a free appropriate public education (FAPE) unless they receive needed services during time periods when other children, whether they have a disability or not, normally would not be served. As part of the individualized education program (IEP) process, a multidisciplinary team must determine if a…

Individualized education programs are considered the cornerstone of the Individuals With Disabilities Education Act and serve as the means to determine whether qualified students with disabilities receive a Free Appropriate Public Education. This article aims to examine a recent circuit court ruling regarding the applicability of retrospective…

In this practice brief, we describe several current examples of approaches that are aimed at improving outcomes for students entering high school. Additionally, we present strategies to disrupt the negative trajectory for students with EBD, who seldom receive coordinated, individualized supports during the critical transition from middle to high…

Each year, funds from federal, state, and local sources are directed to provide special education and related services to nearly 725,000 students with disabilities in California. To increase equitable outcomes for these students, who comprise nearly 12 percent of California's K-12 population, state-decision-makers agree that more research and…

Inclusive educational practices are rooted in a body of research indicating that when students in need of support through special education are meaningfully included in schools, academic and social outcomes improve for all students. To realize this promise of better outcomes, traditional schools with separate classrooms and even schools designated…

The Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) is committed to the cognitive, linguistic, and socio-emotional development of all children in Illinois. ISBE's Multilingual Department is focused on ensuring that students with diverse linguistic repertoires and those who may benefit from additional support have equitable access to academic instruction…

The purpose of this study was to investigate Chinese-speaking families' perspectives of their advocacy for the education of their children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and provided perspectives that enabled educational stakeholders to understand the barriers diverse families encounter. Children with disabilities had historically received…

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is common in the United States. All age groups are at risk for TBI, but there is a larger occurrence among school-age children and young adults. No matter the severity of a student's injury, he or she can benefit from music education, whether listening to music, singing, or performing on an instrument. Students can…

This qualitative case study explored how three expert secondary special education teachers in Hawaii successfully negotiated their job demands. Purposeful sampling was used to select one secondary school on the Leeward coast of Oahu. We used reputational-case sampling to select participants that fit Dreyfus and Dreyfus' (1980) expert theoretical…

The authors examined 85 cases decided in 2013 where the facts centered on violations of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) and the provision of a Free Appropriate Public Education (FAPE) for students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Trends in prevailing party by geographic location, court circuit, gender, and other…

Effective communication between parents of children with disabilities and other team members positively impacts family-school collaboration. Parents of children with special needs were asked how and how often they communicated with their children's preschool teams. The frequency of both formal and informal meetings varied tremendously. Parents…

Following the recommendations and conventions of the United Nations on inclusion, many educational systems provide inclusive support for children with special educational needs (SEN) within mainstream classrooms. In this context, multiprofessional planning of inclusive support is crucial and individual educational plans (IEPs) are essential tools…

African American students receive placements in special education in numbers disproportionate to their representation in the population at large. They are also placed in most restrictive settings in large numbers. The current quantitative study was designed to examine the influence of participation in ARD/IEP meetings by African American parents…

This study utilized symbolic interaction theory and a phenomenological methodology to explore the meanings and perceptions of special education by parents whose children have special needs (i.e., disabilities) and their experiences working with school professionals. Parents who accepted Individualized Educational Plan (IEP) services and parents…