The textbook, Writing a Legal, Robust and Useful IEP: The Foundation of an Effective Special Education Program (from the Series Evidence-Based Instruction in Special Education), published by Routledge, will be released on September 25th, 2025, Authored by SOE Professor Annmarie Urso, Ph.D., and Dee Berlinghoff, Phd., Professor of Special Education Emeritus from Mount St. Mary’s College, the text addresses how to write the component parts of the Individualized Education Program (IEP), as well as provide the legal foundations of the IEP. The text was written specifically for those that are involved in the IEP development process, including teachers, families, and special education committee members. The text includes a chapter on the legal foundations of special education law authored by Geneseo alumnus, Patrick McNellis, Esq., U ’04.
The Individualized Education Program is the foundation of special education for 459,771 students in the state of New York and 7.5 million students nationwide in 2024. The IEP, defined and protected by the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act of 2004 (first signed in 1975 as the Education of All Handicapped Children Act), provides children ages 3-21, nationwide, and 3-22 in New York State, with a free and appropriate public education by outlining goals, supports, and services that a child with a disability.