Classroom observation is an accountability practice which promotes the evaluation of teachers' capacity to meet standards, improve teaching practices, and enhance student learning outcomes. Prior research has revealed that these practices are not without bias: the reliability of observation can be challenged because of classroom or observer…

Special educators are increasingly drawing from intersectionality and Black feminist theory to make sense of the disproportionate deleterious outcomes experienced by racialized students labeled with disabilities. While intersectionality gains a stronger hold in special education discourse, agencies like the Florida Department of Education are…

The purpose of this study was to explore the role of special education professionals in Denmark, Finland, Norway, and Sweden in light of educational policies and reforms. The study places emphasis on (a) the policy context of inclusion and special needs education, (b) the formal qualifications required of special education professionals, and (c)…

The purpose of this phenomenological qualitative study was to learn more about the experiences of school principals pertaining to special education leadership and the management of special education teachers in their buildings. The researcher hoped to become aware of how public-school building principals first learned about special education and…

This article provides foundational information to stimulate and facilitate assessment of the distinctive role of law in this field. For example, has the balance of costs and benefits reached the point of over-legalization? Similarly, to what extent is legal literacy essential for special education teachers and related service personnel as compared…

'Twice exceptionality' describes the coexistence of a learning difficulty or disability (SEN/D) and exceptional performance in one area of learning. A popular discourse around autism and savantism in the United States promotes a hierarchical differentiation of the 'twice exceptional' based on measured intelligence and commodifies support for this…

Every student receiving special education services in a school must have an Individualized Education Program describing all supports and services needed to support the student. An IEP is the avenue for students with disabilities to have access to education. Ensuring that special education teachers are competent in writing and implementing…

This article presents engaging and practical methods of helping educators to "remix" the evidence-based and high-leverage practices they are already familiar with to include the new capabilities of artificial intelligence (AI). Transformational modern technologies can be powerful and disruptive, possessing the potential to impact…

Considering the salience of emotions in their work, special educators should think of them as an important source of data to inform and improve their practice. Special educators' emotions and emotional labor are a rich and accessible form of data that can directly inform their delivery of high-quality instruction. Although special educators…

Migration to Europe in recent years has made the issue of educational support for recently arrived immigrant pupils critically important, and, especially for pupils who are in need of special educational support. Schools in Sweden have special needs educators (SNEs) supporting pupils in need of special education, but little is known about the work…

Special education teachers' (SETs) working conditions play a crucial role in shaping the size, quality, and effectiveness of the U.S. SET workforce and thereby shape the quality of instruction provided to students with disabilities. Valid measures of SETs' working conditions are essential for conducting robust research on how to improve working…

Although the importance of assistive technology (AT) has been supported in the literature, preservice special education teachers (PSETs) are still graduating with inadequate AT knowledge and skills. In this study, an educational technology course was modified and the PSETs' perceptions about their AT knowledge and skills and the course were…

This study examined the shared understanding between principals and special education teachers (SETs) regarding the instructional practices and components essential for special education teacher evaluations. Shared mental models and Cultural Consensus Theory (CCT) guided the methodology. Cultural Domain Analysis (CDA), Cultural Consensus Analysis…

As instructional leaders, principals establish a vision of effective instruction in their schools and support that vision through evaluation and development efforts. Thus, their beliefs about instruction in special education may have direct consequences for special educators and their students. Though research suggests principals lack experience…

Principals, with their unwavering dedication, manage a diverse array of responsibilities, including overseeing the instructional program, daily operations, school governance, budgets, human resources, and school maintenance. They also strive to foster an inclusive environment that ensures a free and appropriate public education (FAPE) for students…