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National rates of juvenile incarceration show that about 33% of the population in correctional confinement has disabilities such as behavioral disorders or specific learning disabilities. All students identified under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act (IDEIA) as having a disability are entitled to special education and transition services when they are incarcerated if they need specialized services. Despite the requirements for education and transition, research shows that rates of recidivism increase from about 55% for the general population of incarcerated youth to approximately 85% for youth with disabilities. This article addresses three related questions: (a) What educational and transitional services does IDEIA require schools to offer students in juvenile correctional facilities in the United States? (b) How are parents involved with the education and rehabilitation of their children with disabilities in correctional confinement? (c) What are the challenges associated with parental involvement and transition to and from incarceration for students with disabilities? [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Algebra is considered an important high school course because it is recognized as the gateway to higher mathematics, college opportunities, and well-paying jobs. In the United States, most secondary schools require students to be proficient in algebra to be able to graduate from high school. One major component of algebra is word problem solving, which is used in algebra courses to teach students mathematical modeling and applied problem-solving skills. However, word problem solving is often a significantly challenging area for students with learning disabilities because it involves computing mathematical equations and implementing a myriad of cognitive processes that require conceptual knowledge. Diagrams are considered an effective and powerful visualization strategy because they help students see the hidden mathematical structure of the problem. The use of diagrams is recommended as students work toward more complex math concepts in middle school and high school. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents information on teaching elementary school students with disabilities about choice making in the U.S. The authors discuss steps for teaching choice making, which include creating scenarios, providing three choices, and evaluating the choices. The authors also look at critical skills for students with disabilities, how choice making can impact the transition into middle school, and the positive effect that choice making has on graduation rates, postsecondary success, and employment outcomes.

The article discusses the ability for students with disabilities to have service animals in school in the U.S. The authors present information on the 2004 U.S. Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act (IDEIA), the 1990 U.S. Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), and the 1973 U.S. Rehabilitation Act. They argue that under these laws, students with disabilities are allowed free appropriate public education (FAPE), individualized education programs (IEP), and service animals when necessary to receive meaningful educational benefits in the U.S.

Schools are tasked with the challenge of not only raising graduation rates for students with and without disabilities but also preparing these students to meet college and career readiness standards. Recent studies and reviews of the literature suggest promising practices to ensure that educators meet these goals by increasing students’ engagement in school. This article provides an overview of the research on evidence-based drop-out prevention practices organized within the framework of the six recommendations provided by the Institute of Education Sciences. After an explanation of each drop-out prevention intervention component, implications for practice are highlighted, with particular emphasis on academic and behavioral practices that can be readily implemented to prevent students with and without learning and behavioral disabilities from dropping out of school. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The article presents an interview with education professor James M. Kauffman. The article discusses Kauffman's work with students with emotional and behavioral disorders, the U.S. Public Law (P.L.) 94-142, now known as the U.S. Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), and Kauffman's book "Toward a Science of Education: The Battle Between Rogue and Real Science."

The authors suggest that special education teachers must be politically active in order to maintain educational standards and services for students with disabilities in the socioeconomic conditions of the U.S. in 2012. An overview of special education advocacy is presented, including policy groups such as the Consortium for Citizens with Disabilities (CCD), the Association for Retarded Citizens (ARC), and the Autism Society of America (ASA), as well as advice on how educators can evaluate the ideological and practical factors of disability advocacy organizations. Tactics to promote special education such as letters of support to policy makers, active membership in advocacy organizations, and teacher collaboration are discussed.

The article discusses the benefits of teaching teams across the varying stages of the research process in special education in the U.S. It explores the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act and the No Child Left Behind Act that requires teachers of students with disabilities to apply the research-based practices in the least restrictive environment. Details on stages of research which include the planning, implementation, and evaluation are also discussed. A chart depicting the methods and benefits of teacher involvement in research is presented.

Reading is a critical skill for student success in school and postschool opportunities. Although a number of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) will develop the decoding skills necessary to read text, many will continue to struggle with reading comprehension. No Child Left Behind (NCLB) and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act (IDEIA) mandated that all children receive evidence-based reading instruction consistent with the National Reading Panel (NRP) recommendations. Beginning evidence suggests that children with ASD can benefit from instruction consistent with the NRP recommendations. This article illustrates how to implement question-and-answer relationships (QAR), a specific NRP-advocated strategy, using research-based instructional supports found responsive in meeting the learning needs of students with ASD. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The article discusses the educational resiliency as a teaching strategy for African American students with learning disabilities. The tactic focuses on increased probability of academic and social achievements despite of problems encountered by students in the home, school, and community. It reports that 18 percent of African Americans students between the ages of 16 and 24 drop out of school in 2006 and in the inner-city school districts showed a 50 percent drop-out rate in 2007. A chart depicting the individual resiliency instructional strategies is presented.

The article examines the ruling of the U.S. Supreme Court in the Forest Grove School District v. T.A. It highlights the issues that developed when parents of students with disabilities unilaterally put their children in residential settings or private schools because they believe a school district has not offered a free, appropriate public education (FAPE). It discusses the implications on the decision of the Supreme Court to parents, children and special educators served under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA).

In many general education classrooms today, teachers are using "reform" mathematics curricula. These curricula emphasize the application of mathematics in real-life contexts and include such practices as collaborative, group problem solving and student-generated algorithms. Students with learning disabilities in the area of mathematics can experience challenges with these curricula due to lack of content knowledge and requisite skills along with processing and strategy deficits. The purpose of this article is to present information on strategies that can be used to complement math reform curricula to meet the needs of students with math learning disabilities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on the management of students with Aspergers syndrome (AS) in the U.S. It describes persons with AS as having no clinically significant delays in language and intellectual ability. It highlights the significance of the career path binder project for high school students with AS. It notes that the project identifies student's interest areas and help student to develop a realistic career. It further discusses steps of the career path binder project which includes information gathering, research, and planning.

Two aspects of mathematics with which students with mathematics learning difficulty (MLD) often struggle are word problems and number-combination skills. This article describes a math program in which students receive instruction on using algebraic equations to represent the underlying problem structure for three word-problem types. Students also learn counting strategies for answering number combinations that they cannot retrieve from memory. Results from randomized-control trials indicated that embedding the counting strategies for number combinations produces superior word-problem and number-combination outcomes for students with MLD beyond tutoring programs that focus exclusively on number combinations or word problems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The inclusion of students with learning disabilities (LD) in assessment is deemed critical to improve the quality of educational opportunities for these students and to provide meaningful and useful information about student performance. Mandated inclusion and accountability for progress raise many interesting questions regarding how to fairly, effectively, and validly assess students with LD. This article summarizes and discusses current research on the differential boost theory as a measure of validity when accommodations are used on mathematics tests. Specific recommendations for determining appropriate testing accommodations, and the role instructional accommodations play in this process, are provided. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent legislation such as No Child Left Behind and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act of 2004 has made significant changes in how all students are assessed. Because scores on state and district tests have important implications for students, parents, and school personnel, teachers and students should approach testing with a serious and positive attitude. This article highlights several ways to prepare students with mild disabilities for taking state and district standardized assessments which can be effective practices for teachers. Readers may wish to choose from these practical suggestions to help their students perform optimally on state and district tests. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With fixed, uniform learning materials, teachers are left with the burden of individualizing instruction by providing supplementary adaptations or accommodations for students with special learning needs. Unfortunately, few teachers have either the time or expertise to adequately adapt the curriculum materials to meet the diverse needs of their students. The new view of curriculum and instruction that is a key feature of Universal Design has the potential to improve outcomes for all learners. For the first time in the history of federal special education legislation, the appropriateness of core instructional textbooks to meet the needs of students with disabilities is being addressed. This initiative creates the foundation for expanding learning alternatives to every student with a disability, and even to those students who might simply prefer to work with more flexible and supportive materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article presents guidelines for creating and refining digital learning materials for individuals with disabilities. Individuals with visual, motor, or learning disabilities constantly encounter the challenging predicament of attempting to use computer files, software, and Web sites that are not accessible. Any consumer of distance education, Web applications, packaged software, such as PowerPoint or Adobe Portable Document File documents, or software-based learning should be aware of accessibility issues. Although it has been declared that providing equal access to educational opportunities is the right thing to do, the responsiveness of developers to create accessible learning applications is allegedly questionable. It has been noted that of the nineteen 2001 Codie award-winning instructional software designers who responded to a survey regarding accessible design, only two indicated any level of awareness of accessibility considerations. The two companies that did report existing accessibility work commented that their efforts were constricted by the lack of nationally agreed-upon standards for instructional software. Apparently, the proliferation of online learning has reached monumental proportions. In fall 2002, 99% of public secondary schools in the United States had access to the Internet.

The article presents an interview with professors Asa G. Hilliard III and Alba A. Ortiz. Hilliard rated the act based from its two major goals as low in terms of achievement and high in terms of intent. Ortiz thinks that one of the positive aspects of the law is that it has focused attention on groups that There is heightened interest in the achievement of diverse learners, in ensuring that administrators and teachers understand the implications of the law for racial and ethnic groups,and for limited-English proficient students, and in training to help educators understand these learners. Hilliard thinks that the act is falling short because the intent was actualized mainly through bureaucracy that made some assumptions based largely on academics more than anything else, rather than practitioners and especially successful practitioners. Meanwhile, Ortiz said that his greatest concerns is that the accountability provisions have narrowly defined how students progress is going to be measured, and assessment of outcomes is based on testing programs that have historically been shown to have limited validity or reliability for diverse populations and for students with disabilities. Teachers are required to provide effective instruction but without curricula that have been shown to be effective for diverse learners and without assessments that reflect the linguistic and cultural backgrounds of these students.

Focuses on the service-learning projects for students in the United States. Effectivity of service-learning projects on students with learning disabilities; Attribution of service-learning project on academic skills, personal development, and volunteerism; Assumption of personal responsibility.

Focuses on a pilot program for at-risk high school students during the winter holiday break in New York, New York. Collaborative effort involving local education agency, higher education institution, and a museum of natural history; Development of an informal education setting; Suggestion for developing similar programs.

Presents an interview with special education expert Doctor Mitchell Yell regarding the amendments on the 1990 Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). Effect of IDEA amendments on disabled students being disciplined in schools; Description of the behavior intervention plan (BIP); Impact of the `stay-put' provision for disabled students.

Discusses the development of Section 504 accommodation plans aimed at providing the necessary support that students with disabilities need in order to succeed in the general education classroom. Kinds of accommodations; Case study.

Discusses a service delivery program for students with disabilities move into inclusive education programs in the United States. Need for the restructuring of educational systems; Issues in public education; Discussion of the Content Mastery program.

Discusses the use of computers in the classroom for students with mild disabilities in the United States. Legislative history of assistive technology; Benefits of computers to students with mild disabilities; Assistive productivity tools.

Presents an update on litigation regarding residential placement of students with disabilities within the legal parameters of the Individuals With Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). Cases; Proposal by the Commonwealth of Virginia Department of Planning and Budget of alternative services.

The article discusses a school-based collaboration in the U.S. The directive of the 2004 Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act (IDEIA) and the No Child Left behind Act (NCLB) of 2001 emphasizes the need for school-based collaboration. The two acts require students with disabilities to have access to the general education curriculum and be educated in the least-restrictive environment and also require teachers in general education to attend individualized education curriculum meetings and provide input. It talks about the definition of school-based collaboration defined by school staff and its effectiveness.

Provides an overview of legal procedures available to school administrators under federal disability laws dealing with the suspension and expulsion of handicapped students in the United States. Analysis of common disciplinary procedures; School-enforced absences; Administrators' assumption of reactive roles when executing disciplinary measures.

Features the artworks of Anthony Reeves, a student with learning disability at Egret Lake Elementary School in Palm Beach County, Florida.

This article presents a list of congresses and conventions, which discuss issues regarding to the education of students with learning disabilities. The 115th annual conference of the American Psychological Association will be held in San Francisco, California, from August 16, 2007 to August 19, 2007. The 19th Annual International Conference on Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder will be held in Washington, D.C., from October 24, 2007 to October 27, 2007. The annual meeting of the American Association on Mental Retardation will be held in Atlanta, Georgia, from May 21, 2007 to May 24, 2007.

Features a resume database for college graduates with disabilities designed by the National Business and Disability Council in the United States. Assistance in finding employment for qualified handicapped students; Contact information.