This report has been provided to the Legislature on an annual basis since 2000 when the legislature amended the language of G.L. c. 71B to align Massachusetts special education terminology with the federal Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). This year reports the context of a major change in the way state systems of special…

Updates a 1993 article describing two successful full-inclusion cases involving disabled students. In a 1994 case, a disruptive junior high student with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder and Tourette Syndrome was placed temporarily in an off-campus, self-contained program. The Ninth Circuit Court affirmed the trial court's decision…

Movement for full inclusion of students with disabilities in regular classrooms asks educators to take landmark 1975 Education of the Handicapped (recently reauthorized as the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act) a step farther. All five of the 1993-94 inclusion-related legal cases favored general education environments--even for severely…

Although disabled students in two major cases have won inclusionary placement in regular classes, numerous other "full inclusion" cases recently were decided in school districts' favor. This article provides a recent illustrative case (a disruptive student with ADHD and Tourette Syndrome) and a question/answer discussion about…

Asserts that 25 years after Congress passed the Education for All Handicapped Children Act (now called the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act), many educators and administrators still do not understand the law or how to implement it. Discusses three reasons for this situation and suggests benefits of understanding the law. (PKP)

This transcript of a hearing on the reauthorization of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act includes statements by representatives of Hofstra University (New York), Advocates for Children (New York), Self-Initiated Living Options (New York), the National Center on Educational Restructuring and Inclusion (New York), National Center on…

School administrators are caught between the special education requirements of a free appropriate education and the mainstreaming preference embodied in federal law. This article analyzes circuit court cases and explains four overlapping judicial standards that influence mainstreaming decisions. Administrators should avoid blanket-separation and…

Full inclusion is a confusing topic. Many people misunderstand the "least restrictive environment" provision of the federal Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. Districts need not educate every disabled child in a regular classroom for the entire day, but have numerous options, so long as each child is carefully evaluated. Recent…

In the United States, national legislation was created to protect disabled students' education rights. Courts have provided tests for integrating such students into school systems. Some are concerned this advocacy has gone too far and that court decisions authorizing "full inclusion" misinterpret the law's intent. This article examines…

This book explains federal guidelines for program directors and child care personnel for daily practices and procedures when children with disabilities are admitted to child care programs. The handbook addresses inclusion issues to raise the importance of involving all staff in preparation for efforts to become an inclusive program. Part I begins…

This report provides an overview of programs authorized under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) and discusses potential reauthorization issues. Programs include the Grants to States program, preschool program, infants and toddlers program, and discretionary grant programs. For each program, information includes fiscal year…

This Congressional hearing on the reauthorization of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act was held to define the necessary elements and supports that must be in place in order to make inclusion work successfully for students with disabilities, parents, and teachers. It contains statements and supplemental materials from: (1)…

This transcript presents testimony given at a House of Representatives committee hearing on the reauthorization of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. Included is the text of an amendment, the Braille Literacy Amendment, which is intended to improve the literacy rate among children with visual impairments. This amendment calls for an…

The 19th annual report to Congress on the implementation of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) is organized around a model which views educational results as products of three sets of factors: the context and environment in which the education is provided, student characteristics, and school programs and services. Section 1, on…

This document records testimony from a hearing held to help students succeed through the power of school choice. Across the country, efforts are underway to empower parents with more options when it comes to their children's education. Member statements were presented by: (1) Honorable Jared Polis, Ranking Member, Subcommittee on Early Childhood,…