As state and federal governments place an increasing emphasis on academic outcomes, should they be used to determine adequate funding for students with disabilities (SWD)? Although adequacy is determined through a political process, it requires an understanding of cost -- the expenditure required to reach a specific outcome. Therefore, with the…

The literature extensively documents the detrimental effects of exclusionary discipline on student outcomes, despite its continued excessive utilization. Exclusionary discipline often results in teachers not having the necessary support and training to deal effectively with problematic behaviors, which are useful for students who need behavioral…

A host of recent literature suggests benefits to Black children of being matched to same-race teachers. We extend this literature to explore whether being matched to a Black teacher is related to Black students' likelihood of being identified for two types of discretionary educational services in the following academic year: gifted education and…

Students with disabilities are 200% more likely to be restrained by school personnel compared to nondisabled peers (Katsiyannis et al., 2020). The purpose of this study was to examine the effectiveness of Nonviolent Crisis Intervention (NVCI) in de-escalating the risk behavior of children with disabilities from exceptional children (EC) teacher…

Ample research investigates returns to teacher preparation and other instructional inputs for the general student population, yet evidence is lacking for students with disabilities (SWDs). This study uses North Carolina data to estimate achievement returns to teacher preparation by classroom type and level of classroom support for SWDs. I find…

Determining the level and distribution of special education funding is an ongoing issue. Attempting to meet the extensive range of students' needs, while balancing funding coming from federal, state, and local sources leads to uneven funding burdens and questions about whether all student needs are being met. Traditionally, funding for special…

Funding for special education has traditionally focused on providing some form of equity for students identified as having a disability (Dragoo, 2018; Hargrove et al., 1983; Zettel & Ballard, 1979). However, the pressure to raise standards for all students led to questions of funding adequacy and efficiency (Baker, 2018; Hanushek, 2007).The…

A problem exists in NC Montessori schools with effective data analysis for specific learning disabilities (SLD) placement. The purpose of this study was to identify administrators' and teachers' perceptions of data collection and analysis within multitiered systems of support (MTSS) in a Montessori school. Fixsen's implementation science theory…

The purpose of this transcendental phenomenological study was to describe the experiences of special education teachers with general education teachers who are not in a co-teaching model of inclusion in North Carolina high schools. The study examined how inclusion is implemented at the school level and how special education teachers and general…

Disabled university students, as well as disabled faculty, staff, and other community members, face an array of challenges in conducting their studies and in navigating their daily lives. The authors relay their experiences as disabled members of a university community, and recount the work they did to gather information about the experiences of…

Longitudinal analyses have revealed informative patterns about health, mental health, adaptive skills, autism symptoms, and social skills during the transition to adulthood for autistic individuals. This study expands on these findings by investigating the trajectories of positive affect from age 15 to 30 years using a heterogeneous cohort (n =…

It is beneficial to keep the information concerning quality of care offered to infants and toddlers current to maximize children's outcomes. This study analyzed the data collected from 2016 to 2018 in order to examine the current status of quality of care for infants/toddlers in licensed child-care centers in North Carolina and compared findings…

When parents enroll their children who qualify for special education services in fully online schools, that decision was an exercise of agency. Less is known about how parents understand and negotiate their agencies "after enrolling." Researchers interviewed 18 parents of children with special educational needs in fully online schools in…

We examined special education classifications among students aged 3-21 in North Carolina public schools, highlighting autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and intellectual disability (ID). Results revealed variability by county in ASD and ID prevalence, and in county-level ratios of ID vs. ASD classifications. Sociodemographic characteristics predicted…

We examine effects of the pandemic on student attendance, course grades, and grade retention in North Carolina in 2020-2021 and 2021-2022 using descriptive and regression analyses. We find each outcome worsened on average in 2020-2021, with larger changes at the high end of the absence distribution, the low end of the grade distribution, and among…