Special Education Law
IDEA. The Americans with Disabilities Act. Learn more about what laws govern special education and how they affect schools and students
Special Education
Our Most-Read Special Education Stories of 2019
The most popular special education stories of the year examined the broken promises of special education, the aftermath of the lead crisis in Flint, Mich., and how educators lack confidence in their ability to meet the needs of children with disabilities.
Special Education
Help for Principals Who Want to Support Special Education Teachers and Students
A new guide offers advice on how school leaders can best serve students with disabilities and support special education teachers.
Special Education
Preparing Students for Life After Special Education? Here's How Federal Dollars Can Help
When can schools use federal funds to help students with disabilities prepare for life after special education? A new resource from the federal education department offers a road map.
Student Well-Being & Movement
Do Distressed Students Have a Right to Trauma-Sensitive Schooling?
Three lawsuits argue schools have a responsibility to consider and mitigate the effects of students' personal traumas on their learning.
English Learners
Ways to Better Serve Often-Misunderstood English-Learners With Disabilities
Identifying and supporting students who are eligible for English-language acquisition and special education support can leave teachers feeling underprepared and overwhelmed. A new policy paper offers support.
Special Education
Schools' Racial Makeup Can Sway Disability Diagnoses
Three new studies show that a web of factors appear to influence how often black and Hispanic children are identified for special education compared to similar white peers.
Special Education
Opinion
Students With Disabilities Deserve Inclusion. It's Also the Best Way to Teach
Inclusion doesn't just mean throwing disabled students into general education classrooms without support.
Special Education
Parent of Spec. Ed. Student Spotlights Powerful Tool for Advocacy
One mother’s complaint to the state of Oklahoma regarding her child prompts a state order affecting students with disabilities throughout Tulsa.
Special Education
Report Roundup
Research Report: Special Education
Differences in how states identify and evaluate students with disabilities may lead to big state differences in the percentage of children served under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, finds a new report by the federal Government Accountability Office.
Special Education
Catching Up on a Federal Rule Involving Bias in Special Education
A federal judge told the Trump administration it can't delay a policy aimed at drawing closer attention to minority over-representation in special education. Here are seven key things to know.
Special Education
Feds Can't Delay Special Education Bias Rule, Judge Says
The Education Department made an "arbitrary and capricious" decision in delaying an Obama-era rule that would change the way states monitor how minority students are identified and served in special education, a federal judge rules.
Special Education
National School Boards Association Pushes for Federal Special Education Law Overhaul
The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act was last revamped in 2004, and the NSBA would like to see Congress take on reauthorization as well as increase funding to states.
Special Education
Reported Essay
Special Education Is Broken
Forty years after students with disabilities were legally guaranteed an education, many still don’t receive what they deserve.
Education
Appeals Court Says Catholic School Is Not Exempt From Fired Teacher's ADA Suit
The 9th federal Circuit Court ruled in an anti-discrimination case involving a 5th grade teacher the school did not qualify for a "ministerial exception."