Education Commons^™

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 Perceptions Of Caucasian Female Elementary Teachers And The Overrepresentation Of African-American Males In Special Education, Thomas Seaberry

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

There is a disproportionate amount of African-American males in special education programs. Several factors have been offered by researchers as to why this phenomenon continues to be a problem throughout the county. The purpose of this study was to understand how Caucasian female teachers' perceptions of African-American male students might influence their overrepresentation in special education. This qualitative study employed an ethnographic case study method, and relied primarily on a pilot study and teacher interviews to obtain data related to this phenomenon. Using this research design, the researcher established six themes related to the research phenomenon: (1) cultural discontinuity between …

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

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

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

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 …

The Status Of Students With Special Needs In The Instrumental Musical Ensemble And The Effect Of Selected Educator And Institutional Variables On Rates Of Inclusion, Edward C. Hoffman Iii

Glenn Korff School of Music: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Creative Work, and Performance

The purpose of this study was to describe the current status of students with special needs in the instrumental musical ensemble and to examine the effect of selected educator and institutional variables on rates of inclusion. An online survey was designed by the researcher and distributed electronically to 600 practicing K-12 instrumental music educators in the states of Idaho, Mississippi, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, and Rhode Island. While 13.6% of the total school-aged population nationwide received special education services, demographic data provided by respondents revealed that students with special needs accounted for 6.8% of all students participating in bands, orchestras, …

Learning Ideas - Special Education Tips For Foster Parents Who Are Surrogate Parents, University Of Maine Center For Community Inclusion And Disability Studies

Education

Surrogate parents are appointed to represent children with disabilities whenever the birth parents or guardian of a child with a disability cannot be identified, located, or when the child is in the custody of the state. They have all the rights of birth parents for educational matters, e.g. permission for evaluation and placement, release information and request for educational hearing. The primary responsibility of surrogate parents is to ensure that children with disabilities are provided with a free, appropriate public education. (Adapted from http://www.maine.gov/doe/special ed/programs/surrogate/index.html)

Examining Teachers' Knowledge And Perceptions Of Response To Intervention, Ashley Elizabeth Moore Swigart

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Response to Intervention (RTI) is a multi-step approach to providing interventions to students within general and special education. This study investigated the relationship between elementary, middle, and high school teachers’ perceptions of RTI and (a) whether they taught general versus special education, (b) grade level taught, (c) knowledge level of RTI, and (d) presence in a school implementing RTI and participation in the process. Understanding teachers’ perceptions is of particular importance to school psychologists and can be used to ensure that teachers participate fully in the RTI process. Participants were given a questionnaire to complete that assessed their perceptions and …

Audio-Assisted Reading With Digital Audiobooks For Upper Elementary Students With Reading Disabilities, Kelli J. Esteves

Scholarship and Professional Work – Education

Audio-assisted reading has been used as an effective instructional intervention for students with learning disabilities (Carbo, 1978; Gilbert, Williams, & McLaughlin, 1996) and with struggling readers (Chomsky, 1976; Hollingsworth, 1978; Hoskisson & Krohm, 1974; Koskinen, Blum, Bisson, Phillips, Creamer, & Baker, 2000; Rasinski, 1990). The strategy involves reading along while listening to an audio recording of a fluent model (Evans, 1997).

The goal of this study was to compare the efficacy o f audio-assisted reading with digital audiobooks against the traditional practice of sustained silent reading in terms of reading fluency rates and reading attitude scores with upper elementary students …