Education Commons^™

Online Learning And Mentors: Addressing The Shortage Of Rural Special Educators Through Technology And Collaboration, Evelyn S. Johnson, Michael J. Humphrey, Keith W. Allred

Keith W. Allred

This article describes a promising model in comprehensive special education personnel preparation to support the recruitment and retention of special education teachers in rural areas. The approach draws on several bodies of research to include best practices for teacher education, online service delivery, collaboration among key stakeholders, and the development of strong mentoring and induction programs. The implementation plan, based on evidence-based practice in special education and online learning, is presented. A key element of this plan is developing and maintaining strong relationships among rural districts, the state department of education, and higher education.

Patterns Of Service Utilization, Thomas Kochanek, Stephen Buka

Thomas T Kochanek

The purpose of this study was to examine relationships between service utilization patterns in early intervention programs and specific child, maternal, and service provider characteristics. Service utilization data for 133 infants and toddlers were gathered for 1 week out of every month for a 4 month duration. For each service encounter, the duration, location, type of service, and academic discipline of service provider was recorded. Findings revealed that families received an average of 1.7 hours per week of services (unduplicated hours). Older children (toddlers) and mothers with higher levels of education received significantly more service. Thirty-four percent of all services …

Influential Factors In The Utilization Of Early Intervention Services, Thomas Kochanek, Stephen Buka

Thomas T Kochanek

The purpose of this study was to examine utilization rates of scheduled early intervention services. Service utilization data reported for 1 week out of every month over a 4-month period were analyzed for a cohort of 146 infants and toddlers. Major findings included: (a) 69% of the families used the majority of their services; (b) child and maternal characteristics were not significantly related to service utilization; (c) providers who were younger and close in age to mothers evidenced significantly higher utilization rates; (d) families in which therapists served as the primary service provider had the lowest utilization rates; and (e) …

Fulfilling The Promise Of Early Intervention, Thomas Kochanek

Thomas T Kochanek

The purpose of this study was to examine utilization rates of infant-toddler services and to identify factors that significantly influenced the extent to which children and their families actually used planned services. This is an important policy implementation question for which there is scant information, and the authors of the study are to be commended for not only addressing the questions, but also using an existing, state-managed data base to probe for answers.

Interpreting Inclusivity: An Endeavour Of Great Proportions, Richard G. Berlach, Dianne Chambers

Dianne J Chambers

Commencing with a historical account of how special needs education has informed the inclusivity debate, the authors consider the knotty problem of what is meant by inclusivity. An examination of the characteristics of inclusivity is then undertaken, and a functional school-based inclusivity framework – a three-faceted model – is proposed. The model commences with a philosophical underpinning designed to generate a number of emphases to be determined by the school. Once agreed upon, these are then operationalised for classroom practices. It is contended that the model is a defensible way of facilitating the development of an inclusivity ethos within the …

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

Mark C. Weber

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 …

Culture Clash: Special Education In Charter Schools, Robert A. Garda Jr.

Robert A. Garda

Charter schools and special education for disabled students are based on conflicting education reforms and agency oversight principles. Charter schools operate in a culture of regulatory freedom and flexibility. They arose out of the modern era of accountability reform, in which student outcomes are the primary measure of school success and the driving engine of agency oversight. In stark contrast, special education laws were conceived in the civil rights era of education reform, which emphasized process and paid little attention to outcomes. The education of disabled students is steeped in a culture of regulatory oversight focused on rigid compliance with …

Establishing Special Education Programs: Experiences Of Christian School Principals, Gary Cookson, Samuel J. Smith

Samuel James Smith