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This document provides policy recommendations of the Council for Children with Behavioral Disorders (CCBD) regarding disproportionality in special education and the need for federal policy driving state regulations to support efforts to eliminate this outcome in schools. CCBD is committed to advancing knowledge, effective instruction, and advocacy for students with emotional and behavioral disabilities, a special education population particularly vulnerable to disproportionate practices. Monitoring requirements in the 1997 and 2004 amendments to the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) acknowledged the extent of racial and ethnic disproportionality in special education, especially when Congress designated this concern among the top three priority areas for monitoring and enforcement in IDEA 2004. However, federal interpretations of the 2004 requirements by the US Department of Education have created confusion at the State (SEA) and Local Education Agency (LEA) levels. While quantitative indices of racial and ethnic disparities remain high, an increasing number of states are finding no LEAs with disproportionality when it must be shown that disproportionality was caused by inappropriate identification. Such data suggest that federal interpretations of IDEA 2004, subsequent regulatory guidelines, and the design of indicators for monitoring and enforcement have not been effective in addressing disproportionate representation in special education. This policy paper includes (a) a review of information on the extent, status, and causes of special education disproportionality; (b) a review of the history and issues involved in the enforcement of IDEA'S disciplinary provisions; and (c) recommendations for improving federal policy regarding disproportionality in special education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although there is an increased focus on reading instruction in schools, little is known about how teachers of students with extensive support needs are prepared to provide literacy instruction for this group of students. This paper reports the results of an exploratory study of how literary instruction is addressed within teacher education programs at institutions of higher education that prepare preservice and inservice teachers to work with students with extensive support needs. We conducted telephone interviews with nine teacher educators in university programs across the country that prepare special educators, asking about their experiences and perceptions of what works well and what presents difficulty in preparing teachers to effectively teach literacy skills to students with significant disability, what additional research and practice knowledge is needed in this area, and how they view literacy instruction for students with extensive support needs fitting into the current national debate on reading instruction methodology- Content analysis of respondents' interviews yielded three broad themes that we describe and discuss: challenges, changes, and future directions for the field. We explore the implications of the study s findings for teacher preparation programs and directions for future research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Significant issues still confront the field of emotional or behavioral disorders (E/BD) in providing a free, appropriate, public educational (FAPE) program for these students. This paper reviews recent case law for several critical areas of concern to the field today, including: (a) response to intervention (RTI) and child find procedures, (b) required mental health services, and (c) the controversial use of restraint to manage aggressive behaviors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hypothetical job candidates varying in chronological age and national origin were created through the use of paper credentials designed to depict them as candidates for either a teaching position or an assistant principal position. These credentials were mailed to a national random sample of high school principals, and these principals were requested to screen the credentials of candidates as if these persons were seeking a position within their school building. Ratings of principals were cast into a 3x3x2 factorial design and submitted to a multivariate analysis of variance. Results indicate that screening decisions made by high school principals are influenced by the chronological age and national origin of candidates and type of focal position sought. These results are examined through the lens of social distance theory, and this theory is used to interpolate effects likely for future job candidates at the screening stage of the selection process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article reports that the National Education Association in the United States has published the report, "Education for All Handicapped Children: Consensus, Conflict, and Challenge," which indicates the reactions of educators, citizen groups and legislators to the criteria of Public Law 94-142. The most frequent criticism was on the huge demands on teacher time caused by individualized education program conferences, staff planning, paper work and in-service training. Suggestions include flexible scheduling, reduction of teacher-student contact, and weighted enrollments based on the severity of the handicap.