The first Early Intervention Conference was in Georgia in August of 2023. The first day of the conference was a tremendous success. Attendees called their friends and colleagues encouraging them to attend the following day. There was evidence of enthusiasm and enjoyment throughout the venue from snippets of networking conversations to selfies…

Public schools located within urban environments are a critical component of a larger social network in their communities, with important reciprocal interactions occurring across settings. This is especially important for students with emotional and behavioral disorders (EBD), as integration and alignment of home, community, and school…

The McGill Action Planning System (also referred to as Making Action Plans or MAPS) is a supportive, strengths-based process that enables teams to understand each other and work together to support students in achieving their dreams. This process can work very well with all transitioning students with disabilities and their families, including…

Strong family involvement in children's education supports positive academic and social-emotional outcomes. Therefore, developing early childhood (EC) professionals' competence in engaging and involving families in their children's education is emphasized across state licensure requirements, personnel preparation standards, and professional…

Every year, children enter PreK and kindergarten with varied early education experiences, and the COVID-19 pandemic has heightened the problem. The need to respond to students' changing situations gives school districts and states an opportunity to reconsider how they are helping children and their families make the transition into kindergarten.…

Implementing evidence-based practices requires not only knowledge of various interventions and practices but also professional judgment in selecting and applying an intervention that best meets the needs of the child and the family. Previous work on decision-making in evidence-based practices has focused on describing evidence-based practices, how…

Transition is an important and ongoing aspect of life that everyone experiences. For students who are deaf/hard of hearing (d/DHH) and their families, transitions related to education can be daunting and, at times, confusing. This chapter will focus on three important educational transitions: early intervention, school age, and adulthood. For each…

With the expansion of school choice systems, policymakers and researchers are increasingly focused on making the school choice process accessible and clear for families. Essentially, school district offices of enrollment and outreach are acting as "choice architects" for parents and students: those who design the environment or organize…

Attention to the educational programming of secondary students with mild intellectual disability has declined in recent decades, although the need for the attention has not, particularly when considering the postschool outcomes of this population. This paper discusses the current state postschool outcomes and secondary education services for…

This Wallace "Perspective" delves into what makes for a high-quality, voluntary summer learning program, one that provides children from disadvantaged communities with engaging academics as well as stimulating enrichment activities during the interval between the end of the school year and back-to-school time. Interest in these programs…

Transition planning and processes can greatly influence the quality of schooling transitions for students with learning disabilities. Student-focused planning and family involvement are two integral components of transition planning that do not always receive the emphasis that they deserve. The educational transitions of one student are examined…

Several agencies have emphasized the importance of establishing clear protocols or procedures to address the needs of youths who are identified as suicidal through suicide prevention programs or in emergency department settings. What constitutes optimal guidelines for developing and implementing such protocols, however, is unclear. At the request…

This training activity was created to support participants' understanding of the criteria needed to develop and write high quality, participation-based Individualized Education Program (IEP) goals. The term "functional" is often used to describe what goals ought to be, yet many Early Childhood Special Education (ECSE) staff (e.g.,…

This brief describes findings from a study of teachers who were rated less than proficient on one or more standards on a large urban district's newly developed educator evaluation system. Evaluators prescribed professional development activities, such as courses, workshops, coaching, and mentoring, and professional practice activities, such as the…

There is a widespread misconception that transition planning and programming begin in high school. However, there are many opportunities for teachers to infuse transition-focused education into teaching and learning activities for their elementary-grade students. Teachers can engage students with disabilities and their families in…