Education Commons^™

Behavioral Contract, Chesley Craine, Amy Lieber

Applied Behavior Analysis (SPED 432) and Intervention Strategies for Literacy (SPED 431)

The purpose of this poster is to answer the questions: a) How can behavior contracts be utilized in the classroom; and b) How effective are behavioral contracts in a classroom behavior management system? The related research includes an article that demonstrated the effectiveness of using behavioral contracts with middle school students who were labeled with Emotional and Behavioral Disorders (EBD). When behavior contracts were in place the inappropriate behavior within the classroom decreased. Behavior contracts seem to be effective for behavior modification of middle school students. It is recommended that behavior contracts be considered for use in classrooms or individual …

The Relationship Between Reading And Mathematics Achievement Of Students With Disabilities And Least Restrictive Environment Practices In Kentucky, Rhonda Kelly Simpson

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between Kentucky least restrictive environment (LRE) practices and KCCT assessment annual measureable objectives (AMO) in reading and mathematics for students with disabilities. This research was designed to determine whether districts achieved AMO targets for reading, mathematics and LRE. Also, it examined whether a relationship exists between special education students’ placement and assessment scores attained for the with disability subpopulation AYP category.

This quantitative, correlation study utilized data from the Kentucky Department of Education Open House, 2011 No Child Left Behind Adequate Yearly Progress Reports for each school district, and KCCT …

High School Teachers' Perceptions Of Inclusion, Carmen Wiggins

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

With the reauthorization of No Child Left Behind, school systems must ensure students with disabilities receive instruction in general education classrooms. Implementing the inclusion model has been challenging for many school systems as the systems try to find ways to meet the needs of their diverse student populations. The purpose of this quantitative casual-comparative and correlational study is to identify high school teachers' perceptions of inclusion. One hundred seventy-three high school teachers from six school districts located in a southeastern metropolitan area completed a survey to allow the researcher to examine if a relationship existed between teachers' perceptions of inclusion …

Peeking Inside Pandora’S Box: One University’S Journey Into The Redesign Of Teacher Educator Preparation, Frank Dykes, Brenda K. Gilliam, Joanna Neel, Kathleen Everling

Education Faculty Publications and Presentations

In the last two decades, there have been various calls for reform in teacher education programs to address the needs of students from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds and students with disabilities. Consequently, many teacher education preparation programs are reviewing and redesigning their programs to meet the needs of the teacher of the 21st century. This manuscript will describe the development and implementation of a new certification program that integrates preservice teacher preparation, Special Education and English as a second language into a 123 hour degree program.

When Rights, Incentives, And Institutions All Clash: The Case Of School Vouchers And Special Education In Milwaukee, Patrick J. Wolf, John F. Witte, David J. Fleming

Education Reform Faculty and Graduate Students Publications

Two highly controversial issues in the field of K-12 education in the U.S. are special education and parental school choice. Those two policy concerns converge surrounding the question of what proportion of students in school voucher programs compared to public schools have education-related disabilities, and whether or not the two school sectors are properly classifying and serving students with special education needs. We might expect private voucher-receiving schools to serve fewer students with disabilities than local public school systems due to the legal framework and institutional incentives surrounding special education and private schools. Most federal disability laws do not apply …

The Co-Teaching Journey: A Systematic Grounded Theory Study Investigating How Secondary School Teachers Resolve Challenges In Co-Teaching, Sharon Gerst

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this systematic grounded theory study was to explain how problems inherent in co-teaching relationships are resolved by secondary school special education and general education teachers at an urban school district in Eastern Iowa. The participants were general and special education secondary school teachers involved in effective co-teaching partnerships. Data was collected from five partnerships, utilizing focus groups, interpersonal behavior theory questionnaires, classroom observations, and individual interviews. The researcher analyzed the data using systematic grounded theory procedures of open coding, axial coding, and selective coding to develop a theory grounded in the data collected about the process by …

Challenges Native Chinese Teachers Face In Teaching Chinese As A Foreign Language To Non-Native Chinese Students In U.S. Classrooms, Hui Xu

Department of Teaching, Learning, and Teacher Education: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

This qualitative case study targeted the perceptions of Chinese teachers (n= 7) who had teaching experiences in China or Taiwan and the challenges they faced in transitioning to teach non-native Chinese students in U.S. classrooms, specifically about their teaching beliefs, styles, pedagogy, classroom management strategies which may be different from that of American education system. Results showed that Chinese teacher participants encountered numerous challenges including language barriers and culture shock, different perceptions and expectations of the roles of the teacher and students, communication with parents, different teaching pedagogies and styles, classroom management, and inclusion of students with special needs. The …

Parent-Teacher Partnerships In Special Education, Cassandra Braley

Honors Projects

There is an old African proverb that says, “It takes a village to raise a child (Buzzell, 1996, p.1).” In today’s society, this saying is applicable to the idea of parent-teacher partnerships in education. The underlying assumption of such partnerships is that everyone who has a stake in a child’s life, including the parents, teachers, and community, should work together to give that child the best education possible. In reality, however, key stakeholders in a child’s life may have many different ideas and beliefs, and, as a result, a disconnect in communication and relationships among them can arise. In such …

Accommodations In Homeschool Settings For Children With Special Education Needs, Patricia Koelsch Stoudt

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This qualitative study was designed to examine how homeschooling parents in Pennsylvania make the determination to engage with public school districts to accommodate the special education needs (SEN) of their children. This phenomenological study used direct interviews with 30 Pennsylvania families who are homeschooling children with SEN. Data were analyzed by using the constant comparative method. The study found that even though Pennsylvania's law allows families and school districts to work together to provide services to address the children's SEN, this does not happen often. Most families in this study utilized services from private resources. These private services were paid …

Integrazione Scolastica In Italy: Implications For American Schooling Of Children With Disabilities, Michael Giangreco

College of Education and Social Services Faculty Publications

This sabbatical final report describes the preparation, activities, and initial outputs of a three month sabbatical journey to Italy in Fall 2011. Over the past two decades, educating students with disabilities in inclusive classrooms, alongside their peers without disabilities, has increasingly become a focus of global attention and advocacy (Ferguson, 2008; Vislie, 2003). In part, this has been evidenced internationally through the development and ratification of the Salamanca Agreement (UNESCO, 1994) and Article 24 (Education) of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (United Nations, 2006). These international accords strongly favor inclusive education for children and youth with …

Common-Law Interpretation Of Appropriate Education: The Road Not Taken In Rowley, Mark Weber

College of Law Faculty

Thirty years old in 2012, Board of Education v. Rowley is the case that established a some-benefit or floor-of-opportunity standard for the services public school districts must provide to children who have disabilities. But the some-benefit approach is by no means the only one the Court could have adopted. It could have endorsed the view of the lower courts that each child with a disability must be given the opportunity to achieve his or her potential commensurate with the opportunity offered other children. Or it could have adopted a standard based on achievement of the child’s full potential or the …

Data-Based Decisions Guidelines For Teachers Of Students With Severe Intellectual And Developmental Disabilities, Bree A. Jimenez, Pamela J. Mims, Diane M. Browder

ETSU Faculty Works

Effective practices in student data collection and implementation of data-based instructional decisions are needed for all educators, but are especially important when students have severe intellectual and develop- mental disabilities. Although research in the area of data-based instructional decisions for students with severe disabilities shows benefits for using data, there is limited research to demonstrate teachers in applied settings can acquire the decision-making skills required. The purpose of this research was to demonstrate how teachers from five states acquired a set of data-based decisions implementation guidelines through online professional development. Recommendations for practice and future research are included.

Effects Of A Treatment Package To Facilitate English/Language Arts Learning For Middle School Students With Moderate To Severe Disabilities, Pamela J. Mims, Angel Lee, Diane M. Browder, Tracie-Lynn Zakas, Susan Flynn

ETSU Faculty Works

This pilot study sought to develop and evaluate the use of a treatment package that included systematic and direct instruction on acquisition of literacy skills aligned with middle school English/Language Arts standards for students with moderate to severe disabilities, including autism. Participants included five teachers and 15 middle school students with moderate to severe disabilities who were primarily served in a self-contained setting. A one-group, nonrandomized, pre-posttest design was implemented to measure vocabulary, comprehen- sion of familiar text and unfamiliar text, poetry, research, and writing skills. Results indicated significant gains in vocabulary and comprehension of familiar text. Limitations, implications, and …