Due to the changes in disability legislation that protect persons with disabilities from discrimination, and allow for free, appropriate public education along with equal access to education, more and more students with disabilities are choosing to attend postsecondary educational settings. The transition planning process as outlined in the…

The 2009 "State Teacher Policy Yearbook" provided a comprehensive review of states' policies that impact the teaching profession. As a companion to last year's comprehensive state-by-state analysis, the 2010 edition provides each state with an individualized "Blueprint for Change," building off last year's "Yearbook"…

Madeline Smith, a new elementary principal in northeastern Pennsylvania, wrestles with how to handle a dilemma involving one of her special education teachers who is wearing a head wrap while working. Wearing the head wrap is a violation of district policy, and if the head wrap is a religious symbol, then the employee is also violating the state…

Because children who are deaf or hard of hearing are being identified at birth, fitted with advanced hearing technology, and enrolled in early intervention programs, families increasingly seek professionals who can provide services that support their choice of listening and spoken language. The increased demand for these services and shortages of…

Among the national survey's findings was that, while most states do not presently offer an equivalent to Pennsylvania's Comprehensive Certificate in special education, almost half have already adopted a program of noncategorical, comprehensive certification or appear to be considering a change in that direction. (DLS)

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…

A survey of 158 Pennsylvania elementary teachers who had experience including children with disabilities in general classrooms found that special and general educators reported similar levels of need for resources, but special educators reported greater availability of resources. A high percentage of respondents reported a need for training, and a…

This study identifies special needs students, by category of definition, who were enrolled in vocational agriculture programs in Pennsylvania during the 1980-81 school year. It further identifies program-related problems encountered by vocational agriculture teachers and it provides teachers' perceived level of competence for teaching handicapped…

This article describes development and delivery of Pennsylvania's Literary Braille Refresher Course, intended to both refresh literary Braille skills and teach instructional strategies to the 20 teachers enrolled. The article covers the course's goals and objectives, participants, structure, evaluation, and analysis of results. The course's…

Although Pennsylvania has long made programming for all handicapped children mandatory, the passage of P.L. 94-142 has necessitated some changes even in this state. The major hurdle in the implementation of such a law is confusion and misinterpretation. Educators fear that the handicapped may be dumped into regular classes in an arbitrary manner.…

For five years running, the National Council on Teacher Quality (NCTQ) has tracked states' teacher policies, preparing a detailed and thorough compendium of teacher policy in the United States on topics related to teacher preparation, licensure, evaluation, career advancement, tenure, compensation, pensions and dismissal. The 2011 State Teacher…

Four state court cases are discussed, involving the issue of employing noncertified versus certified teachers in gifted education and teachers with seniority versus gifted education experience. Based on the two West Virginia cases and two Pennsylvania cases, it is concluded that mandatory certification provides greater legal protection for gifted…

Collaborative teamwork is viewed by many as a characteristic of effective working relationships between adults who provide special education and related services in educational settings. Although a substantial body of research exists on the philosophy and practice of collaborative teamwork, the contributions of veteran team members regarding which…

Reported is a study of special education teacher supply and demand trends at the elementary and secondary levels for Pennsylvania. The supply and demand model of the study is explained including components such as entry rate of graduates and annual withdrawal of teachers. Twenty-six tables provide statistics on topics such as: number of special…