Education Commons^™

Of "Illustrators," "Narrators," "Editors," And "Readers": Describing Relations Between Significantly Disabled Students And Their Peers, Srikala Naraian

Dissertations

This paper interweaves several theoretical strands—disability studies, narrative theories, and sociocultural perspectives on learning—both as a means to understand current practice in the education of students with significant disabilities as well as to envisage other forms of participation for them. The aims of the study are derived from the argument made by Ferguson (2003) that the narratives of others in the lives of severely disabled individuals are critical to the formation of their identities. Appropriating this idea to the classroom, this study explores the notion that the narratives of classroom peers are vital to the participation of the severely disabled …

Come Saturday Morning ... At Bridgewater State College, Joseph H. Huber, Jamie L. Mackool

Bridgewater Review

No abstract provided.

Teaching Students With Exceptionalities, Jacqueline M. Goodman

Regis University Student Publications (comprehensive collection)

The purpose of this project will be to develop a handbook for elementary classroom teachers to be used as a reference guide to assist with the teaching and instruction of children with exceptionalities. The author of this handbook will identify best practices which are based on research. These best practices and recommendations can be immediately implemented in the classroom, based on the teacher's observations of the student's behaviors and. The purpose of this handbook is not to replace special education assistance in regard to students with exceptionalities, but would be used as a supplement to teacher expertise and guidance.

Differentiated Teacher Training For Differentiated Instruction, Kristi Steele

Regis University Student Publications (comprehensive collection)

Gifted, bright, unusual, struggling, and special education students are all intermixed in classrooms today. As a result, teachers are expected to differentiate their instruction to meet the varying needs of these students. Unfortunately, the training teachers receive is often inadequate. Experienced and inexperienced teachers have different needs. In this project, the author attempted to solve this problem by designing a staff development workshop that is broken into two sections. The first section is to discuss the reasoning behind differentiated instruction. The second section is for all teachers. This section examines how differentiated instruction stems from a clear purpose of instruction. …

Effective Co-Teaching Practices In Inclusive Settings, Rachel Jorgensen

Theses and Graduate Projects

Special education services may involve a variety of placement options for students with identified educational disabilities. Settings vary based on the extent to which students with disabilities receive their education alongside general education peers. Federal law mandates that students with disabilities experience access to general education peers and curricula to the greatest extent possible. Also, research supports the benefits of general education placement for students with a variety of disabilities. This study examines the inclusion courses at a school in suburban Minneapolis, developed to provide a general education experience for students with special needs. Specifically, it examines the practices teachers …

Educators' Perceptions Of Collaborative Planning Processes For Students With Disabilities, Nari Carter

Theses and Dissertations

When students with disabilities are included in general education classes, collaboration between special and general education teachers is necessary to ensure that the students have access to the general education curriculum and also have supports that enable them to benefit from their education. This paper reports the results of a phenomenological study that investigated the nature of a collaborative planning experience for pairs of special and general education teachers. From the teachers' descriptions of their experience, sharing common philosophies about educating students with disabilities was an important aspect of successful collaborative planning. Collaboration in this experience was voluntary and was …

Five Approaches To Literacy In Correctional Education, Thom Gehring, Gary H. Sherwin

Journal of Critical Issues in Educational Practice

This article introduces literacy from a few “big picture” perspectives, and then reviews five paradigms that have shaped the teaching and learning of literacy in residential confinement institutions for juveniles and adults. The paradigms are specific to correctional education, but they will be familiar to all alternative teachers and advocates of literacy instruction.

Students With Disabilities: Fundamentals To Determine The Best Academic Environment, Marlys Hickox

Master of Education Program Theses

Since the inception of Public Law 94-142 (the Education for All Handicapped Children Act of 1975), students with disabilities have gained access to regular education classrooms. Educating students with disabilities has changed significantly. Much discussion continues to find the basic fundamentals necessary to determine the best learning environment for students with disabilities. This descriptive paper identifies and examines the four fundamentals within the academic community that are responsible for determining and maintaining the best educational environments for students with disabilities: the parental role, the administrators’ support, the teachers’ attitude and aptitude, and the students’ evaluations. Past research studies are synthesized …

What Is In A Name? Labels And Terminologies Regarding Disability And Special Educational Needs: A Continuing Concern, Anupam Ahuja, Parvez Pirzado

Institute for Educational Development, Karachi

No abstract provided.

Professional Learning Communities: Where Does Special Education Fit In?, Jacqueline B. Shipley

Senior Honors Theses and Projects

This project will consist of an in-depth review of Professional Learning Communities (PLCs) and their increasing role in districts and schools across the country. This project will document successes of PLCs and those components of a PLC that are most essential to the success of beginning and maintaining one. It will also look at the barriers that arise in attempting to implement a PLC in a district and/or school, and how best to overcome those barriers. Finally, this project will focus on the implications for special education when formulating and implementing a PLC in a school.

Methodology will consist of …

Establishing An Internet-Based Special Education Community In Bulgaria: A Summary Of Preliminary Findings And Future Steps, R. Peterson

Faculty of Education - Papers (Archive)

Research behind the establishment of an Internet-based community of practice, called Special Ed Bulgaria, www.specialedbulgaria.org, is discussed. Preliminary results show that special education researchers and practitioners in Bulgaria are familiar enough with using the Internet to benefit from an online community. Results also indicate that there is sufficient access to the Internet. Usability results directed modifications to the prototype online community and led to the incorporation of a popular course management system called Moodle.

Highly Qualified Secondary Special Education Co-Teachier Definitions Among The Fifty States, Leslie Sena

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Rationale for this research was based on recent legislative requirements that all teachers must meet the No Child Left Behind of 2001 and Individuals with Disabilities Improvement Act of 2004 highly qualified requirements by the end of the 2005-2006 school year. The purpose of the study was to determine the extent to which state Department of Education officials representing the 50 states addressed the issue of NCLB of 2001 highly qualified personnel provisions for secondary special education co-teachers. Information for this study was represented by online documents that were retrieved from DOE websites across the United States. Findings suggested that …

Teaching Characteristics And Practices Which Affect Language And Literacy Development For Students With Complex Communication Needs, Laura King

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study examined teacher characteristics and practices identified as effective through current research for teaching students with complex communication needs. For this population, communication issues are more complex than those typically encountered in other settings. Specifically, the researcher asked: what are the desired characteristics and practices for this population, and are the desired characteristics and practices present in current settings? Working with six teachers in a large urban school district, this study utilized a multiple case study design. Criteria for participation included the teacher as the primary reading/language arts instructor for a student who used an augmentative and alternative communication …

Important Factors For Consideration When Litigating Special Education Due Process Hearings, Partick O'Halloran

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

.

A Study Of New Jersey's Assessment And Accountability System For Students With Disabilities And Its Impact On Special Education Services, Julie Moul Gardner

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

Use of high stakes assessment for special needs students is a key element in the current educational reform movement. State assessment systems use these tests to determine and report school accountability scores, distribute school funding, and assess school rewards and sanctions. The impact of including these students' test score on the district accountability reports has not yet been determined. Directors of special services, the primary individuals for supervising or coordinating district special education programs, have an extensive understanding of administrative and functional knowledge of special education services and are therefore able to provide insight concerning the impact of accountability on …

The Effects Of Mini-Conferencing Prior To Iep Meetings On Parental Involvement In The Iep Process, Beth Ashby Jones

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

This study sought to extend the literature on parent participation in the Individual Education Plan (IEP) process by implementing an intervention aimed at fostering parent participation in IEP meetings and comparing its results to those obtained using one school district’s standard IEP meeting procedures. This study also sought to determine the effects of SES and disability on parent participation in IEP meetings. Specifically, a mini-conference between parent(s) and special education teachers prior to the IEP meeting informed parents of their child’s competencies and allowed for collaboration on a proposed IEP. A control group of parents was exposed to routine procedures …