This article explores issues that secondary general education teachers face in planning lessons that include students with disabilities. We briefly explain the concepts of inclusive education and inclusive pedagogy and then identify six tenets of inclusive instructional planning: high standards for everybody in the class, multiple entry and exit…

This single site case study examines the ways a particular STEM school in its first year of operation meets the unique needs of freshmen students with disabilities (SWD). Specific research questions address primary supports and challenges to the learning of SWD, and the working relationship among general and special educators and administrators. A…

Paraprofessionals are critical to special education service delivery in inclusive classrooms where they are used to support teachers in reading instruction. This qualitative case study examines the use of paraprofessionals in reading instruction in an adolescent reading program. The study focuses on their roles, training, and the feedback…

This article provides teachers and administrators with a description of foundational principles and curricular approaches to create meaningful educational experiences for secondary students with intellectual disabilities in inclusive general education classes. The four principles provide: (a) the least dangerous assumption, (b) partial…

Including students with special needs in the general education classroom is being widely promoted in the public schools. This practice places a heavy burden on the general educator who is often inadequately trained to meet the needs of such a diverse classroom. Co-teaching has been one of the support strategies used to address the challenges and…

The author studied a public junior high school identified as successfully implementing authentic instruction. Such instruction emphasizes higher order thinking, deep knowledge, substantive conversation, and value beyond school. To determine in what ways higher order thinking was fostered both for students with and without disabilities, the author…

Secondary schools continue to face significant challenges as they work to support increasing numbers of students in inclusion settings. Career and Technical Education (CTE) high schools have typically offered students with special needs valuable learning opportunities. Nevertheless, little research has been done to identify the strengths and needs…

Self-Determination is a central concept in special education practice and policy. Research indicates that students who possess specific self-determination skills have better outcomes and enhanced quality of life. Self-determination is a broad term and can be looked at in a variety of ways with differing values of importance. The concept of…

The purpose of this study was to examine teacher qualification factors believed to affect reading achievement of students with disabilities in intensive reading classes after controlling for certain student and teacher demographics using ANCOVA. Results indicated that there was no statistically significant difference between the reading…

Many preservice secondary teachers feel well prepared by their teacher preparation programs to teach their content area. However, these same preservice teachers overwhelmingly indicated that more instruction in serving students with special needs-modifications, management techniques, paperwork and educational terms-was warranted. They understand…

This article highlights issues that secondary special education teachers are facing as a result of the legally mandated "highly qualified teacher" (HQT) requirement. The valid demand for teachers to document core subject area competency is often compounded for secondary special education teachers by the requirement to teach multiple core areas.…

As more students with disabilities are included in general education classrooms, many obstacles must be overcome before parents, teachers, students, and administrators deem inclusion effective. This article identifies seven "sins", which are barriers to inclusive practices in secondary schools: Negative teacher perspectives; lack of knowledge…

School safety is a concern of administrators, teachers, parents and students. Federal legislation has been enacted to address school safety, including the discipline of students with disabilities. One option available to school districts is to place potentially dangerous or disruptive students in an interim alternative educational setting (IAES).…

This paper examined the effectiveness of in-school suspension (ISS) with high-school students who are protected under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). The accepted purpose of ISS is to remove disruptive students from the classroom, thus giving these students the benefit of remaining in school where they can continue to work…

The rise in numbers of students with disabilities entering higher education necessitates stronger transition programs between high schools and postsecondary institutions. Under current transition plans, many students with disabilities leave high school without the self-advocacy skills they need to survive in college. Further, although some…