This article presents a profile of early career special educators' (n = 1,153) working conditions, induction support, and career plans using data from the Study of Personnel Needs in Special Education (SPeNSE). The majority of respondents are Caucasion and female, and 80% are certified for their main assignments. Most respondents reported receiving informal support from other teachers and viewed this informal support as more valuable than other forms of support. Approximately 60% of respondents participated in formal mentoring, although one third did not find this support helpful. Those who reported higher levels of induction support reported greater job manageability and success in getting through to difficult students. School climate was related to teachers' intent to remain in special education.

The Pre-Elementary Education Longitudinal Study (PEELS) examines the preschool and early elementary school experiences of a nationally representative sample of 3,104 children ages 3-5 with disabilities from 2004 through 2009. This paper describes the special education and related services received by a subsample of 186 preschoolers with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) in 2003-2004 and parental satisfaction with those services. Past research and patterns of litigation suggest that parents of children with ASD are not wholly satisfied with the special education and related services their children receive. In the current study, the authors found many similarities between children with ASD and children with other disabilities in the type of services received under IDEA and in parent satisfaction with these services. Still, some significant differences emerged in the number of services received, the amount of time children with ASD spent in special education settings, and parent satisfaction with the amount of time children spent with typically developing peers. Implications about the importance of parent satisfaction and social validity measures are discussed.

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The authors used data from a large, national sample to examine the interaction of various literacy measures among young children with disabilities. Using structural equation modeling, they examined the relationships among measures of phonemic awareness, decoding, vocabulary, and reading comprehension. Child and family factors, including sex, severity of disability, race/ethnicity, household income, and mother's education were used as covariates. The model supported the notion of 2 unique paths to reading comprehension, one through decoding and a second through vocabulary.

Each year 7% of Michigan's special education students return to full-time general education programs through declassification. In a preliminary investigation of declassification from special education, the authors analyzed data collected by the Michigan Department of Education over the past 5 years. Respondents suggested that, as a group, students declassified from special education are academically, socially, and behaviorally well adjusted; but teachers or counselors of 11% of the declassified students felt that these students continued to require special education services. Within 3 years, 4% of declassified students had returned to special education. Particularly noteworthy were the relatively poor results for declassified students with emotional impairments.