It is through the school programs provided to students that the educational system has the greatest opportunity to support positive student outcomes. School programs also present the greatest opportunity for change and improvement as effective educational structures, methods, and approaches are discovered. Because they contribute much to the quality of students’ educational experiences and the outcomes they achieve, SEELS will need to identify in some detail the scope of the school programs offered to students, both in the classroom and in the larger context of the total school day. Some possible factors to be included in SEELS are:

• Classroom configuration — Classrooms differ in the number of students they serve, whether single or multiple ages or grades are included, whether they are taught by a single teacher or a team of teachers, and other factors.
• Placement — Special education occurs in a variety of contexts. The characteristics and frequency of the range of instructional placements, including general education, pull out classes, self contained classes, special purpose day schools, and residential schools can be expected to influence students’ educational experiences and results.
• Curriculum — The curriculum provides the framework for instructional content, including the subject matter, sequence, and difficulty. Students in special education are exposed to a range of curricula, from those that are identical to general education to highly individualized curricula that reflect individual learning goals.
• Instructional practices — Students in special education experience a wide variety of instructional practices that may influence their educational progress, including inquiry learning, direct instruction, cognitive strategy training, cooperative learning, community based instruction, precision teaching, peer mediated instruction, and small group or individual instruction.
• Accommodations — There is increasing acknowledgment that students in special education are more likely to achieve positive outcomes when appropriate accommodations in instruction and/or assessment are provided. SEELS could ascertain the use of assignment/assessment adjustments (e.g. time to complete tests), adapted instructional or testing materials, tutors, readers, assistive technologies, etc.
• Related services — Access to related services can be an essential component of a program designed to meet individual student needs. SEELS could describe the type and frequency used under each of the mandated IDEA categories.
• Use of time — Time is a finite quantity in schools. Many worthy efforts compete with each other for time to conduct the activities that will lead to their goals. SEELS could describe the allocation of time in the school day of students in special education.
• Teaching and related service personnel - A range of instructional staff touch the lives of students in special education. It could be important to understand the types of teaching and service personnel who work with students in special education, including for example:
• Primary role (e.g., general education teacher, special education teacher, related service provider).
• Educational background and experience (e.g., degrees, certification, years of experience).
• Extent of collaboration and consultation.

Table 5

Potential Research Questions — School Programs

Descriptive Questions

• In what ways are students in special education present and participating in their schools? To what extent are they present in their neighborhood schools and in regular education classrooms?

• What are the characteristics of the classrooms in which students in special education are instructed? E.g., how many students and adults are there?

• What are the goals and expected outcomes specified for students in special education?

• To what kinds of curricula are students in special education exposed? To what degree are they participating in the general education curriculum? To what extent are community-based and vocational experiences included in the curriculum?

• What specific instructional approaches are used with students in special education? How is instructional time used?

• How is student progress evaluated? To what extent are students in special education who are in regular classrooms expected to work up to the performance standards of other students in the classroom?

• What accommodations do students in special education receive in instruction and evaluation?

• What related services do students in special education receive as part of their special education programs? What is the duration, intensity, and source of these services?

• What are the characteristics of instructional personnel who deliver services to students in special education?

• What preparation or support for the transition from elementary to middle and middle to high schools do students in special education receive?

• What is postsecondary transition planning like for students in special education, and when does it begin?

• How safe are children at school? To what extent have students with disabilities been victims of threatening or violent incidents at school (i.e., fights, stealing, bullying)?

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Comparative & Explanatory Questions

• How do school programs vary among disability categories and for students with different demographic and household characteristics?

• How do school programs and experiences of students in special education compare with those of the general student population?

• Are there aspects of school programs that are related to better outcomes? In which domains?

• How do school programs change over time? What are the program changes students experience in moving from elementary to middle and middle to high school?

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