"Special Education Policy and Practice" addresses the policy shift in special education from procedural compliance to standards-based accountability and the changing conditions of practice under reform. It covers the major problems of implementing reform and presents several practices and models to improve the conditions of special education practice. The authors support a collaborative environment for service delivery and inclusive work atmospheres with research-based instructional practices. The book gives prevention and intervention strategies including specific reading, writing, and mathematics instructional techniques. Other topics include transition, self-determination, school violence, health needs, and literacy instruction for Latino students. The focus in the last part of the book is oriented to human needs and opportunities that will shape special education practice in the future, including individual and environmental conditions. These include welfare of children working across social contexts and providing a planning framework for achieving integrated services.
The features include: clear explanation of policy shifts from procedural compliance with federal and state law to academic performance of students with disabilities; recommends strategies for improving academic learning for students with disabilities; considers human needs and environmental conditions that contribute to educational achievement of children; and provides an action-oriented planning framework for achieving integrated services.