The U.S. Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights (OCR) and U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) released joint guidance on January 7, 2015, reminding states, school districts, and schools of their obligations under federal law to ensure that English Learners (ELs) have equal access to a high-quality education and the opportunity to achieve…

This guide is designed for use by information technology administrators, data specialists, and program staff responsible for the "content" in data reports, as well as education leaders (e.g., administrators who prioritize tasks for technical and data staff), and other stakeholders who have an interest in seeing that schools, school…

With more than half of children with disabilities being educated in the general education classroom, and with federal education law requiring improved learning outcomes for these students, preparing general education teachers to work effectively with all students is critical. This report on teacher certification requirements in the nine Northeast…

State Education Agencies (SEAs) lead the charge for effective change, impact, and sustainability in the adoption and implementation of programs and practices that promote school completion. Steps taken by state and local education agencies to decrease dropout include (a) collection, analysis, and public reporting of "dropout" rates and related…

The emphasis on research-based instructional methods makes it especially important for educators to be using instructional strategies known to be effective for English language learners (ELLs) with disabilities. Unfortunately, the literature base that addresses instructional strategies for diverse populations of students with varying language…

A 3-year project was undertaken to assist states in facilitating the development of a needs assessment management system in special education with a specific focus on the needs of physical educators serving handicapped students. During the first year the project staff met with state education agency personnel responsible for the Comprehensive…

Federal regulations have set forth specific performance standards for the provision of services for children with disabilities in Head Start programs. These regulations provide state and local education agencies and Head Start grantees with unique opportunities to collaborate to provide comprehensive, family-centered, and appropriate services to…

This brief paper summarizes information collected from state education agencies concerning: (1) state-level special education data collected by gender; and (2) gender and special education issues identified as concerns. A section on the study's background notes that about two-thirds of students receiving special education services are boys,…

This digest summarizes the role of the dean or department chair in dealing with legal issues in higher education. It considers the types of legal issues which might arise for these administrators (such as contract and tort matters for staff and students), the erosion of the legislative and judicial deference given to academic decision making, and…

This report examines the role of the college dean or department head in relation to legal issues in higher education. The first section offers principles of the law, the courts, and counsel. It addresses types of legal issues, internal and external sources of the law, deference to academic and behavioral decisions, the distinction between public…

This document explains complaint resolution procedures for individuals who file a complaint with the Florida Department of Education (DOE) on behalf of one or more students with disabilities, or one or more parents of students with disabilities, alleging a public agency has violated the educational rights of a student with disabilities under the…

This resource guide on self-assessment of programs and services for students with disabilities is directed to chief state school officers and their agency staff as well as school district and school level staff. The first three parts are organized as individual self-assessments for state education agencies, local education agencies, and schools.…

Ten state education agencies participated in a satellite teleconferencing project which trained 128 attorneys as due process hearing officers. High-quality instruction was designed and methods were developed to ensure that participants were "on task." Satellite teleconferencing is concluded to be a compelling option for cost-effectively…

This monograph presents the plan of the Intra-Agency Council of the New York State Department of Education to increase physical and programmatic accessibility of all Department programs and services. First, the mission and goals of the Council as well as its activities are briefly reviewed. Next, the process for developing the department plan is…

A survey of 10 department heads or coordinators of special education programs in Virginia higher education institutions found most special education faculty are not involved in formal services but many are participating informally in various institutional service functions benefiting students with disabilities. Faculty interpretation of…