Successful transition planning for students with disabilities from school into adulthood seems to be a complex and difficult process. The 1997 amendments to the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) promote the development of successful transition planning; however, research has shown that special educators are not likely to engage in…

For decades, critics of special education have been questioning whether the field has succeeded in its mission of educating students with disabilities. They argue that service delivery is fragmented, curriculum and instruction is inadequate, and student outcomes are poor, particularly in secondary settings. In this study, the author examines…

Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) "Special Education at a Glance," which includes a copy of the "Guide to Planning and Assessing School-Based Special Education Programs," provides in a single document, information about the special education population at each Montgomery County (Maryland public school, including…

This qualitative study examines the perspectives of special education/resource teachers in Winnipeg on current transition services to prepare high school students with disabilities for adulthood. The data were collected by individual in-depth interviews with 6 teachers responsible for coordinating transition services. The main themes emerging from…

Friend (2000) describes effective co-teaching as a special educator and a general educator teaching together in the general education classroom during some portion of the instructional day to accommodate the needs of students with and without disabilities. District administrators invited two University faculty into secondary co-taught classes to…

There is very limited information regarding current practices in the field of assistive technology, particularly in Canada. This research project was undertaken to address this limitation and to gather information in the following areas: 1) the current levels of and satisfaction with training in assistive technology; 2) current funders of…

This descriptive study examined school professionals' perspectives of the effects of high-stakes assessment for students with and without disabilities. Participants were 249 general education teachers, special education teachers, and school psychologists from 99 schools across 19 states that have required high school exit exams. Participants…

A qualitative case study design was used to investigate the extent that special education program serves the student or serves the organization. If special education serves the student, then a researcher should be able to identify resulting agency and emancipation among the students. However, if special education is serving the organization, then…

The 1997 reauthorization of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) called for an increase in student involvement in individualized education program (IEP) meetings. To determine the extent of student involvement in educational planning, this study observed 109 middle and high school IEP meetings; 90% of the participants completed a…

The involvement of high school students with disabilities in after-school and cocurricular activities declined nationwide between 2001 and 2006 (Institute of Education Sciences, n.d.). The Partners Club at East Anchorage High School in Alaska, however, is an example of how such activities can support relationships between nondisabled students and…

We examined the peer interactions and academic engagement of 23 middle and high school students with developmental disabilities within inclusive academic and elective classrooms. The extent to which students with and without disabilities interacted socially was highly variable and influenced by instructional format, the proximity of general and…

Reform efforts in response to the inclusion of students with disabilities into general education classrooms have become necessary to shift students' placements into the science classroom. An investigation into the effects of co-teaching in high school biology classrooms was conducted to explore the impact of two models of co-teaching on biology…

In this reanalysis of narrative notes collected in a larger study of co-teaching, the reading and writing demands of high school social studies classes were explored. Eight pairs of teachers (one special education teacher, one social studies teacher) from five high schools in Western Pennsylvania and New York were observed co-teaching in social…

Building the capacity of education professionals to make effective assistive technology (AT) decisions requires varying supports. One effective approach used in Central Illinois is to develop and maintain user groups comprising skilled practitioners and those interested in developing new AT skill sets. Over the past several years, AT user groups…

The purpose of this study was to examine teachers' attitudes and perceptions toward the use of technology-based instruction (i.e., "Inspiration 6 software") as an effective instructional strategy in inclusive social studies classes. Three high school social studies teachers, one general education and two special education teachers, completed a…