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Teacher Education and Professional Development

Montclair State University

Special education

Publication Year

Articles 1 - 5 of 5

Full-Text Articles in Education

From Advocacy To Activism: Families, Communities, And Collective Change, Janet Story Sauer, Priya Lalvani Mar 2017

From Advocacy To Activism: Families, Communities, And Collective Change, Janet Story Sauer, Priya Lalvani

Department of Teaching and Learning Scholarship and Creative Works

Although countries across the globe support the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (2006), when faced with competing economic priorities, their policies and practices too often negatively impact children with disabilities and their families (Ferguson,). Current social and educational structures are implicated in inequitable services, particularly for those families from nondominant languages and minority racial and ethnic groups (McCall & Skrtic, Ong-Dean,). Recognizing the importance of contexts and power imbalances, we posit that the broader communities in which families live and that determine the opportunities they are afforded, should be explicitly addressed when evaluating a family's …


The Impact Of Standards-Based Reform: Applying Brantlinger's Critique Of Hierarchical Ideologies, Jessica Bacon, Beth Ferri Dec 2013

The Impact Of Standards-Based Reform: Applying Brantlinger's Critique Of Hierarchical Ideologies, Jessica Bacon, Beth Ferri

Department of Teaching and Learning Scholarship and Creative Works

Brantlinger's [2004b. "Ideologies Discerned, Values Determined: Getting past the Hierarchies of Special Education." In Ideology and the Politics of (in)Exclusion, edited by L. Ware, 11-31. New York: Peter Lang Publishing] critique of hierarchical ideologies lays bare the logics embedded in standards-based reform. Drawing on Brantlinger's insightful analysis, we trace how hierarchical ideologies impacted inclusive practice at one urban elementary school, deemed failing under the No Child Left Behind Act. Drawing on the qualitative analysis of data from interviews, public forums, and documents, we chart some of the negative effects of hierarchical ideologies on inclusive practice. We illustrate, for instance, how …


Land Of Misfit Toys: Mothers Perceptions Of Educational Environments For Their Children With Down Syndrome, Priya Lalvani May 2013

Land Of Misfit Toys: Mothers Perceptions Of Educational Environments For Their Children With Down Syndrome, Priya Lalvani

Department of Teaching and Learning Scholarship and Creative Works

In this qualitative study, 19 mothers discussed the education of their children with Down syndrome. Mothers reflected on their expectations and perceptions of different educational environments, focussing particularly on their understanding of inclusive education. The findings suggest that mothers beliefs and decisions related to the education of their children with Down syndrome were embedded in culturally constructed notions of normalcy and stigma. Their support for particular educational programmes was inextricably linked with their understanding of the sociocultural meaning of Down syndrome. Findings revealed the existence of institutional resistance to inclusive education as well as dominant educational discourses that positioned students …


Privilege, Compromise, Or Social Justice: Teachers' Conceptualizations Of Inclusive Education, Priya Lalvani Jan 2013

Privilege, Compromise, Or Social Justice: Teachers' Conceptualizations Of Inclusive Education, Priya Lalvani

Department of Teaching and Learning Scholarship and Creative Works

This qualitative study explored the beliefs of teachers in the USA about the education of students with disabilities, focusing on their conceptualizations of inclusive education. Data were obtained through in-depth interviews with 30 teachers. The findings highlight multiple interpretations of inclusive education and suggest that teachers' support for inclusive education may be linked with the ways in which they conceptualize this practice. Most teachers' beliefs about the education of students with disabilities were embedded in dominant educational discourses that centered on the otherness of some students, and an unquestioned acceptance of implicit assumptions in special education. Findings support the need …


Disability Studies In Education: The Need For A Plurality Of Perspectives On Disability, Susan Baglieri, Jan W. Valle, David J. Connor, Deborah J. Gallagher Jul 2011

Disability Studies In Education: The Need For A Plurality Of Perspectives On Disability, Susan Baglieri, Jan W. Valle, David J. Connor, Deborah J. Gallagher

Department of Teaching and Learning Scholarship and Creative Works

This article asserts that the field of special education, historically founded on conceptions of disability originating within scientific, psychological, and medical frame works, will benefit from acknowledging broader understandings of disability. Although well intended, traditional understandings of disability in special education have inadvertently inhibited the development of theory,limited research methods, narrowed pedagogical practice, and determined largely segregated policies for educating students with disabilities. Since the passage of P.L. 94-142, along with the growth of the Disability Rights Movements, meanings of disability have expanded and evolved, no longer constrained to the deficit-based medical model. For many individuals, disability is primarily best …