Improving the Reading and Writing Skills of America's Students

1996 ◽  
Vol 19 (2) ◽  
pp. 67-69 ◽  
Author(s):  
Richard W. Riley
Keyword(s):  
Learning Disabilities ◽  
Public Schools ◽  
Students With Disabilities ◽  
Daily Basis ◽  
Drop Out ◽  
Grade Point ◽  
Reading And Writing ◽  
Education Act ◽  
Transition Study ◽  
Out Of School

We have learned a great deal about the academic challenges that children with learning disabilities face in school. The National Longitudinal Transition Study (Valdes, Williamson, & Wagner, 1990) data show, for example, that grade point averages of children with learning disabilities are lower than those of other students, that children with learning disabilities frequently receive failing grades, and that they are more likely to drop out of school entirely. Only 61% of out-of-school youth with learning disabilities graduated from high school compared to 76% for the general population of youth. The group of students ages 6 to 21 who are identified as having specific learning disabilities and served under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) is the largest among all disability groups served — around 2.5 million students, representing more than half of all students with disabilities. This number continues to grow. We have learned some promising practices for teaching reading and writing to children with learning disabilities. The practices involve beginning early and working with the children on a daily basis, including the summer months. Most children who are classified as having learning disabilities in public schools have reading disabilities (Kavale & Forness, 1985).

Mental Health Services, Free Appropriate Public Education, and Students With Disabilities: Legal Considerations in Identifying, Evaluating, and Providing Services

2017 ◽  
Vol 20 (2) ◽  
pp. 67-77 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mitchell Yell ◽  
Carl Smith ◽  
Antonis Katsiyannis ◽  
Mickey Losinski
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Public Schools ◽  
Public Education ◽  
School District ◽  
Mental Health Services ◽  
Health Services ◽  
Students With Disabilities ◽  
Related Services ◽  
Free Appropriate Public Education ◽  
Education Act

In the past few years, the provision of mental health services in public schools has received considerable attention. When students with disabilities are eligible for special education and related services under the Individuals With Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), mental health services are required if such services are needed to provide students with a free appropriate public education (FAPE). That is, when a student’s individualized education program (IEP) team determines that he or she needs mental health services to receive a FAPE, a school district is required to provide these services. Our purpose is to discuss when school district personnel should identify, evaluate, and serve students with disabilities who may have mental health needs.

The Legal History of Special Education

1998 ◽  
Vol 19 (4) ◽  
pp. 219-228 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mitchell L. Yell ◽  
David Rogers ◽  
Elisabeth Lodge Rogers
Keyword(s):  
Special Education ◽  
Public Schools ◽  
Students With Disabilities ◽  
Legal History ◽  
Educational Opportunity ◽  
Unequal Treatment ◽  
History Of Special Education ◽  
History Of ◽  
Education Act ◽  
Appropriate Education

ABSTRACT Children and youth with disabilities have historically received unequal treatment in the public education system. In the early 20th century, the enactment of compulsory attendance laws in the states began to change the educational opportunities for these students. Opportunities for admittance to public schools were greater, but many students nevertheless did not receive an effective or appropriate education. Beginning in the late 1960s and early 1970s, parents and advocates for students with disabilities began to use the courts in an attempt to force states to provide an equal educational opportunity for these students. These efforts were very successful and eventually led to the passage of federal legislation to ensure these rights. The purpose of this article is to examine the legal history of special education. We will examine these early efforts to ensure a free appropriate education for students with disabilities up to and including the enactment of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act Amendments of 1997.

Under the Law

2017 ◽  
Vol 99 (3) ◽  
pp. 76-77
Author(s):  
Julie Underwood
Keyword(s):  
Public Schools ◽  
Students With Disabilities ◽  
Private Schools ◽  
Due Process ◽  
Court Decision ◽  
Federal Regulations ◽  
State Law ◽  
Individuals With Disabilities ◽  
Disabilities Education Act ◽  
Education Act

Since a 1997 amendment to the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, students with disabilities who attend private schools have not had the same rights to services and due process that are afforded to those who attend public schools. However, as a recent Minnesota court decision makes clear, state law may grant rights that the federal regulations do not.

Endrew F. v. Douglas County School District (2017): The U.S. Supreme Court and Special Education

2017 ◽  
Vol 53 (5) ◽  
pp. 321-324 ◽  
Author(s):  
Angela M. T. Prince ◽  
Mitchell L. Yell ◽  
Antonis Katsiyannis
Keyword(s):  
Special Education ◽  
Public Schools ◽  
Public Education ◽  
School District ◽  
Supreme Court ◽  
Students With Disabilities ◽  
Free Appropriate Public Education ◽  
Disabilities Education Act ◽  
Education Act ◽  
The U.S

On March 22, 2017, the U.S. Supreme Court announced its decision in Endrew F. v. Douglas County School District. This case addressed the question how much educational benefit are public schools required to provide to students with disabilities under the Individuals With Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) to confer a free appropriate public education (FAPE). The purpose of this legal update is to provide a brief overview of court developments regarding FAPE, summarize Endrew, and provide implications for practice.

scholarly journals The Lost Promise of Disability Rights

2021 ◽  
pp. 933
Author(s):  
Claire Raj
Keyword(s):  
Public Schools ◽  
Public Education ◽  
Students With Disabilities ◽  
Educational Opportunity ◽  
Section 504 ◽  
Equal Access ◽  
Disability Rights ◽  
Free Appropriate Public Education ◽  
The Difference ◽  
Education Act

Children with disabilities are among the most vulnerable students in public schools. They are the most likely to be bullied, harassed, restrained, or segregated. For these and other reasons, they also have the poorest academic outcomes. Overcoming these challenges requires full use of the laws enacted to protect these students’ affirmative right to equal access and an environment free from discrimination. Yet, courts routinely deny their access to two such laws—the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (section 504). Courts too often overlook the affirmative obligations contained in these two disability rights laws and instead assume that students with disabilities’ only legal recourse is the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). Regrettably the IDEA is not capable of remedying all the harms students endure. In fact, the IDEA, by its terms, extends to only a subset of students with disabilities. Even so, courts force all students to exhaust the IDEA’s administrative procedures before invoking remedies under the other two disability rights laws. By narrowly construing antidiscrimination principles and ignoring the affirmative obligations contained in disability rights laws, courts unduly restrict students’ protections under these laws. This Article solves that problem by explaining and clarifying the nuance that drives confusion in this area: the difference between the IDEA’s guarantee of a free appropriate public education and the ADA and section 504’s guarantee of equal access to public education. With that distinction clear, this Article disaggregates the types of claims that are most often erroneously obstructed by the IDEA’s exhaustion clause and then creates a framework that would allow courts to analyze and correctly apply the exhaustion clause. In doing so, it hopes to remove these laws from the IDEA’s shadow and renew their promise of equal access to educational opportunity.

scholarly journals Free Appropriate Public Education in the Time of COVID-19

2020 ◽  
Vol 39 (4) ◽  
pp. 181-192
Author(s):  
J. Matt Jameson ◽  
Sondra M. Stegenga ◽  
Joanna Ryan ◽  
Ambra Green
Keyword(s):  
Public Schools ◽  
Students With Disabilities ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
The United States ◽  
Federal Law ◽  
Health Crisis ◽  
Free Appropriate Public Education ◽  
Legal Implications ◽  
Provision Of Services ◽  
Education Act

In the spring of 2020, public schools across the United States were forced to close their campuses due to an emerging public health crisis caused by the detection of the first cases of the COVID-19 virus. Although schools closed their buildings, the delivery of educational services did not stop. This included the ongoing provision of services mandated by federal law under the Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA) and the Individuals With Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), which establish educational protections, processes, and rights for students with disabilities and their families to ensure educational equity. In this article, we describe the potential legal implications of COVID-19 for schools, students with disabilities, and their families with a focus on challenges faced in rural areas. Strategies for mitigating legal impacts are described.

A good school is good for students of all abilities

2020 ◽  
Vol 102 (3) ◽  
pp. 18-22
Author(s):  
Lauren Morando Rhim
Keyword(s):  
Public Schools ◽  
Students With Disabilities ◽  
Learning Needs ◽  
School Year ◽  
Disabilities Education Act ◽  
Good School ◽  
Good For ◽  
Education Act ◽  
Effective Inclusion ◽  
Good Schools

A school cannot be “good” unless it is good for all students — including those with disabilities. In the 2018-19 school year, 14% of students in U.S. public schools received special education services under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, yet effective inclusion of students with disabilities is too often an afterthought. Lauren Morando Rhim describes how good schools recognize and embrace the unique learning needs of students with disabilities, creating an environment in which all students can thrive.

scholarly journals The Transition and Adjustment to First-Year Students with Specific Learning Disabilities

2019 ◽  
Vol 17 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Wanda M. Hadley
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Learning Disabilities ◽  
Students With Disabilities ◽  
Colleges And Universities ◽  
First Year ◽  
Students With Learning Disabilities ◽  
Individuals With Disabilities ◽  
First Year Students ◽  
Transition To Higher Education ◽  
Education Act

Students with learning disabilities are one of the fastest growing student population attending colleges and universities. Students with learning disabilities in the pre-kindergarten through twelfth grade (PK-12) educational system are protected by the Education of All Handicapped Children Act of 1975 and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEIA) of 1990/Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act (IDEIA) of 2004. Conversely, when students with learning disabilities transition to higher education they are no longer covered by these legislations. Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990 prohibit colleges and universities from discriminating against students with disabilities and mandate that accommodations be provided. The types and levels of accommodations and services offered in higher education, however, are not as extensive as those required to be provided in the PK-12 system. This article comes from a four-year study of the same group of 10 first-year students with dyslexia and/or reading problems. It chronicles their adjustments to the academic expectations of the college environment as they transitioned from high school to college. Chichering (1969; Chickering & Reisser, 1993) provies the theoretical framework for the study. The study begins durign the students' first year of college and concludes four years later when the students are seniors preparing to graduate. Questions in the study were asked of the students over a four-year period.

scholarly journals Predicting College Completion Among Students With Learning Disabilities

2018 ◽  
Vol 41 (4) ◽  
pp. 234-244 ◽  
Author(s):  
Meifang Yu ◽  
Jeanne A. Novak ◽  
Matthew Ryan Lavery ◽  
Brooks R. Vostal ◽  
Julia M. Matuga
Keyword(s):  
Learning Disabilities ◽  
Transition Planning ◽  
College Preparatory ◽  
College Completion ◽  
Students With Learning Disabilities ◽  
Grade Point ◽  
College Preparatory Curriculum ◽  
Transition Study ◽  
National Longitudinal Transition Study ◽  
College Bound Students

The authors analyzed National Longitudinal Transition Study–2 (NLTS2) data to examine the role of high school academic preparation and receipt of postsecondary academic support services (PASS) in predicting college completion among students with learning disabilities. Logistic regression analyses revealed that students who earned a 3.0 grade point average (GPA) in a college preparatory curriculum were more than twice as likely to complete college than those with a similar GPA who did not complete a college preparatory curriculum. Furthermore, among students who completed a college preparatory curriculum, earning a higher GPA and accessing PASS both dramatically increased the likelihood that they would complete college. Results underscore the importance of incorporating a college preparatory curriculum into transition planning for college-bound students with learning disabilities.

Introduction to the Special Issue: Successful Inclusion for Students With Disabilities Who Are Learning English

2018 ◽  
Vol 54 (1) ◽  
pp. 3-5
Author(s):  
Tracy G. Spies ◽  
Gregory A. Cheatham
Keyword(s):  
Public Schools ◽  
Students With Disabilities ◽  
Inclusive Practices ◽  
Special Issue ◽  
General Curriculum ◽  
Disabilities Education Act ◽  
Education Act ◽  
Restrictive Environment ◽  
Education Of Students ◽  
Learning English

Students who are learning English is one of the fastest growing groups of students in U.S. public schools. Evidence suggests that students learning English are often placed in segregated special education classrooms seemingly contradicting the Individuals With Disabilities Education Act mandate for the education of students with disabilities to occur within the least restrictive environment including modifications and adaptations to the general curriculum. Successful inclusive practices for students with disabilities who are learning English highlight and build on the cultural, academic, and linguistic strengths students bring to the classroom. This special issue features a variety of articles focused on collaborative, inclusive practices that build on the cultural, academic, and linguistic strengths of students with disabilities who are learning English. The issue focuses on two themes: (a) instruction and support and (b) collaboration and partnerships.

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