This study compared differences in diploma and graduation dropout rates among students with and without disabilities, analyzed differences in various graduation-types by disabilities, and offered recommendations to improve graduation rates through evidence-based practices. The geographic catchment area of this study was limited to twelve Southern…

Successful transition to postsecondary education for students with learning disabilities requires application of both academic and non-academic skills to meet the increased demands of the college environment. While academic skills are often of primary consideration, this article addresses critical non-academic factors that impact the academic…

Focus group interviews and individual interviews were conducted with 47 faculty members and administrators in a rural school district in Western Pennsylvania to determine strategies for consideration when attempting to establish and implement a co-teaching program. Participants were part of a school district in its second year of adopting a…

The Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act (IDEA 2004) requires that each local education agency provide a transition summary document, commonly called a Summary of Performance (SOP), to all special education students who are graduating with a regular diploma or reaching the maximum age for services. However, other than specifying…

This study examined the relationship between GPAs and attendance at individualized tutoring sessions for 530 students with learning disabilities enrolled in a student support program. Student GPA and attendance records for individualized tutoring sessions identified two groups: four or fewer and five or more no shows over a nine-semester period.…

Important legal and policy changes in recent years have made postsecondary education an increasingly viable option for students with learning disabilities. These include substantive changes in the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA, 2004) in the area of transition planning, research examining the importance of a college degree on…

In this study focus group interviews were conducted with educational administrators to examine how the inclusion of students with learning disabilities has changed their professional lives in ways they did not expect, and how inclusion has changed the lives of students with learning disabilities and the lives of other students in their schools in…

In this article, we summarize the findings from eight separate focus group studies, conducted with various stakeholders--special education teachers, general education teachers, administrators, school psychologists, students with learning disabilities, parents of students with learning disabilities, teacher educators, and higher education faculty…

The No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) firmly insists that performance analyses use disaggregated scores. Disaggregation, according to NCLB, involves measuring and reporting achievement for separate subgroups of children so that achievement problems in any one subgroup are not disguised when averaged or aggregated with higher achieving children in…

The report submitted by the President's Commission on Excellence in Special Education includes faulty claims and reasoning that devalue special education and hinder efforts to better meet the needs of students with disabilities. We question the commission's findings and recommendations regarding closing the achievement gap, practicing prevention,…

Within the United States, public schools are required to meet the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) standards mandated by federal law. Institutions of Higher Education (IHE) are challenged to interpret information presented by students for eligibility documentation in light of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) standards.…

Two hundred four (204) college students who had difficulties in both foreign language and math (FLD/MD), only math difficulties (MD), or only foreign language difficulties (FLD) were studied. Analysis of prevalence of presenting problems indicated that FLD and FLD/MD are relatively uncommon, compared to MD. Comparisons among the three groups…

Most adolescents with learning disabilities spend the majority of their school day in general education classes and are expected to meet most, if not all, of the academic requirements of these classes. This review of the literature describes interventions shown to positively impact academic performance of students with learning disabilities in…

A study of 172 male and 120 female college students with learning disabilities investigated interaction of gender and ability on cognitive, language, and achievement variables. Most measures were strongly related to general cognitive ability. Gender differences were found for general short-term memory on one cognitive measure and the…

Results of a study conducted of 12 self-contained special education high school classes (n=74 students) indicated that cooperative learning was more effective than traditional noncooperative learning in improving academic achievement in these students with learning disabilities. Increased self-esteem in cooperative learning students was not found.…