With the extended school closures happening throughout the United States, many States, districts, schools, parents, families, and students are having to learn in entirely new ways and facing challenges when it comes to learning during these unprecedented times. It is important to provide continuity of learning and growth for all children and youth, particularly those with disabilities.

Mitchell L. Yell, PhD, is the Fred and Francis Lester Palmetto Chair of teacher education and a professor in Programs in Special Education at the University of South Carolina. Dr. Yell is a nationally recognized expert in special education law and IEP development. His textbook entitled The Law and Special Education, published by Pearson, is now in its fifth edition. He is the editor and writer of a special issue of Teaching Exceptional Children titled IEPs: Policy and Practice, and co-author of a forthcoming book on developing IEPs, published by Roman Littlefield. Dr.

Christopher Lemons, PhD, is an Associate Professor of Special Education at Stanford University. His research focuses on improving academic outcomes for children and adolescents with intellectual, developmental, and learning disabilities. His recent research has focused on developing and evaluating reading interventions for individuals with Down syndrome. Dr. Lemons is a recipient of the Pueschel-Tjossem Research Award from the National Down Syndrome Congress and the Distinguished Early Career Research Award from the Council for Exceptional Children’s Division for Research.

Kathleen Airhart, EdD, serves as Program Director for Special Education Outcomes at the Council of Chief State School Officers. She leads work related to supporting students with disabilities and assists in implementation of key elements of the strategic plan.

Lynn Fuchs, PhD, is the Dunn Family Chair in Psychoeducational Assessment at Vanderbilt University, co-investigator of the National Center for Leadership in Intensive Intervention (NCLII), and senior advisor for the National Center on Intensive Intervention. She has conducted programmatic research on assessment methods for enhancing instructional planning, instructional methods for improving mathematics and reading outcomes for students with learning disabilities, and the cognitive and linguistic student charac

Douglas Fuchs, PhD, is professor and Nicholas Hobbs Chair in Special Education and Human Development and a member of the Vanderbilt-Kennedy Center.

David F. Bateman, PhD, is a professor at Shippensburg University in the Department of Educational Leadership and Special Education where he teaches courses on special education law, assessment, and facilitating inclusion. He is a former due process hearing officer for Pennsylvania, where he was involved in more than 580 hearings. He uses his knowledge of special education litigation to assist school and district leaders in providing appropriate supports for students with disabilities and to prevent and recover from due process hearings.

Lindsay Jones, JD, is the president and CEO of the National Center for Learning Disabilities (NCLD), a national nonprofit organization that seeks to improve the lives of the one in five individuals with learning disabilities and attention issues and their families. Ms. Jones has been with NCLD for more than 5 years and previously served as NCLD’s vice president, chief policy and advocacy officer. Before NCLD, Ms.

Nicole Bucka M.A., is an MTSS Implementation Specialist who brings diverse professional experiences to her work. Nicole began her career as a teacher in California: special education, secondary English, and English Language Development, evolving to hold a variety of leadership positions. From there, she moved into teacher training and administration support.

Perry A. Zirkel is university professor emeritus of education and law at Lehigh University, where he formerly was dean of the College of Education, subsequently held the Iacocca Chair in Education for its five-year term. He has a Ph.D. in Educational Administration and a J.D. from the University of Connecticut, and a Master of Laws degree from Yale University. He has done presentations in every state in the U.S. He has also written more than 1,600 publications on various aspects of school law, with an emphasis on legal issues in special education. Dr.