Education Commons^™

The Importance Of Endrew: Analyzing The Influence Of A New Legal Precedent In Pennsylvania Due Process Hearing Officer Decisions Before And After Covid-19 Closures, David H. Rush

Journal of Human Services: Training, Research, and Practice

In 2017, a new standard for determining substantive violations of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) was established with the ruling for Endrew F. v. Douglas County School District. Recently, the United States Department of Education and State Education Agencies have cited the Endrew decision as being important in defining what constitutes a free and appropriate public education (FAPE) under the IDEA, in light of mandated school closures due to the COVID-19 Pandemic. Despite its noted importance, there has been limited analysis into how this new legal precedent has influenced special education due process hearing officer decisions. …

Exploring The Use Of Witness Testimony In Special Education Due Process Hearings, Mary E. Sheppard, Samantha Riggleman, William Blackwell

Journal of Human Services: Training, Research, and Practice

The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act 2004 (IDEA) protects the rights of parents and/or guardians of children with disabilities to utilize the due process system to settle disagreements with school districts regarding their children’s Individualized Education Program (IEP). In the event that these disputes move before a due process hearing officer, it is common for each side to enlist experts to provide testimony to support one of the parties involved. In the current study, we examined the use of expert witness testimony in due process hearings in five large states throughout the United States. Findings indicated several concerning trends, such …

Making All Students "Our" Students: Where To Start?, Frank E. Mullins Ph.D., Janice Murdock Ph.D., Phoebe A. Okungu Ph.D., Deann A. Lechtenberg Ph.D.

Journal of Human Services: Training, Research, and Practice

The collaborative team approach is an approach in which general education and special education teachers work together in a single classroom to provide instruction to all students. Neither teacher has more authority than the other.

Education should not be compartments in which one has a mindset of “my students” and “your students”. The mindset must be changed to “our students”. This change in mindsets must begin in pre-service programs in order to carry on to PreK-12 classrooms. As inclusion becomes more and more accepted in public education, educators must be taught strategies that will enable them to work collaboratively with …