IEPs

A paraprofessional assists a student in a special education program fill out a ballot during an Election Day lesson at Watkins Elementary on Nov. 4, 2025, in Wylie, Texas.
A paraprofessional assists a student in a special education program in filling out a ballot during an Election Day lesson at Watkins Elementary on Nov. 4, 2025, in Wylie, Texas. Determining the supports students with disabilities need to succeed in school starts with deciding whether they will be best served by an individualized education program or a 504 plan.
Angela Piazza/The Dallas Morning News via TNS
Special Education Download How Is an IEP Different From a 504 Plan? At-a-Glance Guide
The support plans are crucial for students with disabilities to access the same curriculum, educational experiences as their peers
Caitlynn Peetz Stephens & Gina Tomko, August 20, 2026
•
1 min read
IEP 504
Collage by Laura Baker/Education Week + Canva
Special Education Explainer The Differences Between IEPs and 504 Plans: A Special Education Explainer
What educators need to know about the special education plans.
Caitlynn Peetz Stephens, August 13, 2026
•
8 min read
Thu., June 04, 2026, 2:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m. ET
This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
Special Education Webinar Hidden Costs of Special Ed Vacancies: Solutions for Your District
When provider vacancies hit, students feel it first. Hear what district leaders are doing to keep IEP-related services on track.
Content provided by Huddle Up
Register
Education Week opinion letters submissions
Gwen Keraval for Education Week
Special Education Letter to the Editor AI Isn’t the Real Threat to Special Education
Educators must leverage the tool to improve the field, writes an advocate.
February 27, 2026
•
1 min read
Female student retrieving an IEP document from a giant laptop equipped with artificial intelligence.
iStock/Getty Images + Vanessa Solis/Education Week
Special Education Teachers Are Using AI to Help Write IEPs. Advocates Have Concerns
Experts call for guardrails around the ethical, legal, and instructional concerns.
Evie Blad, October 29, 2025
•
9 min read
Thu., October 03, 2024, 2:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m. ET
This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
Special Education Webinar How Early Adopters of Remote Therapy are Improving IEPs
Learn how schools are using remote therapy to improve IEP compliance & scalability while delivering outcomes comparable to onsite providers.
Content provided by Huddle Up
Register
Instructor working with adult special needs student.
iStock
Special Education Many Students Can Get Special Ed. Until Age 22. What Districts Should Do
School districts' responsibilities under federal special education law aren't always clear-cut.
Mark Lieberman, June 27, 2024
•
4 min read
Thu., June 20, 2024, 2:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m. ET
Special Education K-12 Essentials Forum Innovative Approaches to Special Education
Join this free virtual event to explore innovations in the evolving landscape of special education.
Register
June 20, 2024
Glossary abstract concept open book with special education iconography
Vanessa Solis/Education Week + iStock/Getty Images
Special Education Explainer A Guide to Special Education Terms
The number of students in special education has increased steadily in the last four decades. Here are some of the common terms used.
Brooke Schultz, May 21, 2024
•
7 min read
Student being assisted by AI
Nicole Xu for Education Week
Artificial Intelligence The Pros and Cons of AI in Special Education
AI can make special educators' jobs easier by handling paperwork and serving as an adaptive tool. But there are privacy and other concerns.
Alyson Klein, May 13, 2024
•
9 min read
North Carolina Wesleyan University professor Patricia Brewer gives education major Makaela Stokes a hug after a tutoring session at the school in Rocky Mount, N.C., on March 18, 2024.
North Carolina Wesleyan University professor Patricia Brewer gives education major Makaela Stokes a hug after a tutoring session at the school in Rocky Mount, N.C., on March 18, 2024. For the past nine years, Brewer has hosted an after-school program for local families of students with disabilities where students receive tutoring from special education teacher candidates while Brewer teaches their parents to advocate for their kids.
Alex Boerner for Education Week
Families & the Community Should Working With Families Be a Core Skill for Teachers?
Just half of educator preparation programs offer a course on parent and family engagement.
Libby Stanford, April 25, 2024
•
12 min read
Waist-up view of early 30s teacher sitting with 11 year old Hispanic student at library round table and holding book as she pronounces the words.
E+
English Learners How Special Ed. and English-Learner Teachers Can Collaborate: A Guide
School and district leaders share how they got two departments to more deeply collaborate to support their students.
Ileana Najarro, October 19, 2023
•
4 min read
Elementary math teacher Margie Howells teaches a fifth grade class at Wheeling Country Day School in Wheeling, WV, on Tuesday, Sept. 5, 2023. Howells said that she turned to the science of math after wondering why there weren't as many resources for dyscalculia as there were for dyslexia. The share of students in special education have been increasing over the past 46 years.
Elementary math teacher Margie Howells teaches a 5th grade class at Wheeling Country Day School in Wheeling, W.Va., on Tuesday, Sept. 5, 2023. Howells said that she turned to the science of math after wondering why there weren't as many resources for dyscalculia as there were for dyslexia. The share of students in special education has been increasing over the past 46 years.
Gene J. Puskar/AP
Special Education 3 Reasons Why More Students Are in Special Education
Over the past 40 years, the number of students in special education has doubled due to better identification and less stigma, experts said.
Eesha Pendharkar, October 10, 2023
•
5 min read
Images shows colorful speech bubbles that say "Q," "&," and "A."
iStock/Getty
Special Education Opinion 'I Dread Being at This Table.' How to Improve the IEP Process
IEP meetings take an emotional toll on families. But they can be turned into a forum where hope for the possibilities of schooling prevail.
Larry Ferlazzo, September 21, 2023
•
8 min read