Over time, education has become increasingly more legalistic and litigious. The danger of litigation is an imminent threat for agricultural educators due to the potential financial and professional ramifications. In many cases, agricultural educators may be at higher risk for a lawsuit than teachers of other subjects due to the increased liability…

The focus of this exploratory study was to examine the experiences of students with disabilities and their families being serviced through public schools in the state of Georgia and to better understand parent perceptions of special education services pre-pandemic, during, and as schools emerge from the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. The study…

The U.S. Department of Education, under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, underscores every child's right to integrate, receive support, and fully participate in school life. The problem is that significant disparities exist in reading growth scores between students with disabilities taught in special-education resource settings and…

Local education agencies often misidentify ELLs as students with disabilities, given the difficulty distinguishing between language proficiency and learning disability when evaluating causes for minimal academic achievement. This study sought to explore factors of instructional self-efficacy influencing the academic outcomes of Hispanic English…

Students with disabilities face challenges with low parental engagement and low student achievement in a rural Georgia school district. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to examine educators' perceptions of parental engagement and student achievement for students with special needs. The problem addressed the low parental engagement…

The problem that drove this study was the need to improve the inclusive practices for high school student athletes with disabilities in a large, diverse school district. The purpose of this study was to examine how high school coaches and athletic directors provide accommodations for students with disabilities (SWD) and the perceived needs of the…

The problem that was addressed in this study was a rural school district in southeastern Georgia was identified by the Georgia Department of Education as overidentifying African American students as having an intellectual disability (ID). The purpose of this study was to examine the perceptions of special education eligibility team members…

Transitioning from high school to the real world is a difficult issue for students with disabilities. Special education students may get lost not knowing what their future holds. Special education teachers are most times challenged in the process of linking transition plans to academic Individual education plan(IEP) goals. The problem addressed by…

There are challenges and opportunities when teaching in an integrated elementary and special education (ELEM/SPED) dual certification program. Infusing special education in general education courses and collaborating with general education colleagues to create a truly integrated program is imperative. In this article, we provide a case study of…

The purpose of this quantitative study was to examine the perceptions of special education teachers who apply Applied Behavioral Analysis interventions with high functioning students who are diagnosed with autism spectrum disorders. Participants in this research study were located in one central Georgia middle school that contains an autism…

This Spotlight explores key aspects of MTSS implementation, including its relationship to special education and effectiveness in improving student outcomes. Discover how MTSS can be used to support social-emotional learning, address discipline disparities, and ensure equitable access to resources and support. By combining data-driven…

In this study, research centered on the degree to which principals felt knowledgeable about basic generic leadership as well as special education functions. Current principals were selected from the 2018 state DOE databases from five states--Georgia, New York, Michigan, Vermont, and Oregon representing a wide demographic base. Ten (10) functions…

A Toolkit of Emerging Best Practices and Opportunities for Charter Support Organizations Approximately 6.4 million students--roughly 13 percent of the student population between ages 6-21--receive special education and related services in public schools every year. While students identified as eligible for special education require supports and…

Whether students of color are more or less likely to be identified as having disabilities than similarly situated students who are White in U.S. states with histories of de jure and de facto racial segregation is currently unknown. Unadjusted analyses of large samples of students attending elementary and middle schools in the U.S. South yielded…

Paraeducators perform multiple roles in U.S. classrooms, including among others preparing classroom activities, working with students individually and in small groups, supporting individualized programming for students with disabilities, managing classroom behavior, and engaging with parents and communities. Yet, little research provides insights…