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JAASEP is pleased to announce our upcoming special issue!

Download the details below as a PDF here.

The Journal of the American Academy of Special Education Professionals (JAASEP) invites submissions for a special issue focused on strengthening IEP and IFSP implementation within state and local systems. This issue seeks to bring together research, policy analysis, and practice-based insights that illuminate how individualized supports for children with disabilities and their families can be designed and delivered more effectively. By examining the interplay between policy, practice, and equity, this special issue aims to advance the field’s understanding of what makes IEP and IFSP processes meaningful, collaborative, and impactful.

Purpose

This special issue seeks to advance dialogue on how individualized planning can move beyond compliance to become a lever for equity and meaningful collaboration among educators, families, and system leaders. 

Rationale

The Individualized Education Program (IEP) and Individualized Family Service Plan (IFSP) are central to ensuring that children with disabilities and their families receive the supports and services they need to thrive. Yet implementation of these plans is shaped by complex system-level factors, including state and federal accountability requirements, funding priorities, evolving guidance, workforce capacity, and equity mandates. These contextual forces can both enable and constrain the extent to which individualized plans achieve their intended purpose of improving outcomes for children and families.

This special issue invites scholarship that critically examines how birth to postsecondary special education are implemented within diverse state and local contexts. We are especially interested in studies that illuminate how practitioners, families, and leaders work within these systems to make individualized planning meaningful, collaborative, and effective. Submissions may explore the tensions and innovations that arise as educators and service providers translate policy into practice and seek to strengthen IEP and IFSP implementation across varied settings.

Types of Papers Invited

This special issue welcomes diverse forms of scholarship that advance understanding and practice related to IEP and IFSP implementation. Manuscripts should clearly articulate implications for practice, policy, or research within special education and early intervention. Submissions representing diverse cultural, linguistic, and disciplinary perspectives are encouraged, as are manuscripts co-authored by family members, practitioners, or community partners. Manuscripts representing interdisciplinary perspectives or collaborative partnerships between researchers and practitioners are especially encouraged. Submissions may include, but are not limited to, the following types:

• Policy Analyses: Examinations of how federal, state, or local policies, including funding priorities and accountability structures, shape IEP or IFSP implementation and outcomes.
• Innovative Practices: Evidence-informed approaches, tools, or strategies that strengthen the delivery of IEPs or IFSPs, with direct implications for educators, service providers, and families.
• Conceptual and Theoretical Papers: Frameworks or models that deepen understanding of the challenges, opportunities, and evolving contexts of individualized planning.

Intervention and Service Models: Empirical studies or practice-based reports that describe, evaluate, or replicate models that improve IEP or IFSP implementation and resulting outcomes for children and families.

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Allie Boquet, Louisiana State University

Dr. Chelsea Morris, University of New Mexico

Special Issue Guidelines

Manuscripts should align with the theme of the special issue and fit within one of the invited paper types. All submissions must clearly highlight implications for practice, policy, or research relevant to special education and early intervention.

Submissions should generally range from 16 to 28 double-spaced pages (excluding references) and follow APA 7th edition style. Please review and follow the full JAASEP Author Guidelines before submission to ensure proper formatting and compliance with journal policies. Submissions must be made through the online portal at https://www.aasep.org/about/submissions. An accompanying cover letter should specify the article is being submitted for the Special Issue.

All manuscripts will undergo double-blind peer review in accordance with JAASEP’s editorial standards.

Timeline

Call for Papers Released October 2025

Manuscript Submission Due March 1, 2026

Notification of First Review Decisions March 30, 2026

Issue Publication May 1, 2026