Special Education Administration Commons^™

K-5 Elementary Alternative Program: A Case Study, William E. Scheuer Iv

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this case study was to examine how the K-5 elementary alternative program All Students Can Thrive (ASCT) used student-centered learning practices to influence the whole child. There is a lack of research on K-5 elementary alternative programs, such as ASCT, and specifically those that integrate student-centered learning practices to influence the whole child. Literature does not contain universally accepted interventions that are effective in the elementary alternative setting to help students return to the mainstream classroom setting better prepared to display appropriate behaviors when a student is removed from a mainstream classroom setting due to disruptive behaviors. …

Discipline Disproportionality Of Black Students With Disabilities: Principals' Perspectives, Wanda L. Van Dyke

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study is to examine the problem of practice found in discipline disproportionality of Black students with disabilities in an urban school district with a majority Black student and teacher population. Through personal interviews with building level administrators, data was gained to determine common themes that impact discipline disproportionality of Black students with disabilities. A qualitative inquiry approach, in the form of a case study was used to determine principals’ perspectives about factors that may impact discipline disproportionality. Student disciplinary records were examined to verify disproportionality and investigate patterns and categories related to students with and without …

La Integración De Las Necesidades Especiales Educativas En Aulas Convencionales Chilenos: Investigación Y Experiencias Vividas, Julia Alfiere

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

El movimiento hacia la integración de estudiantes con necesidades especiales educativas (NEE) en aulas convencionales ha ganado tracción en los últimos veinte años como un asunto no solamente del reforma educacional, pero de derechos para estudiantes con discapacidades y necesidades educativas especiales también. Este informe investiga los resultados del movimiento hacia la integración con relación a la experiencia de integración en sí, y el rendimiento académico y la experiencia en el aula de los estudiantes con NEE. En el proceso de investigación para este informe, se entrevistaron varios partes interesadas, como docentes de educación diferencial y padres de estudiantes con …

Como La Mejora De La Educación Especial Depende De La Sociedad, Peyton Locke

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Utilizando la observación participante y no participante, este estudio examina los factores que contribuyen a una educación exhaustiva para los niños y adultos con necesidades especiales. El objetivo de este estudio es investigar los diferentes tipos de educación especial que se ofrecen en la Ciudad de Buenos Aires y, por último, descubrir cómo la educación especial puede ser mejor para garantizar un sistema de educación especial igual y fuerte. Después de pasar un mes observando cinco escuelas diferentes dentro de cada escalafón, además de hablar con diferentes directores y docentes de educación especial, los resultados de este estudio llegaron a …

Elementary Teachers' Perspectives Of The Support Facilitation Instructional Model, Deborah Afolabi

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The problem in an elementary school in Southern Texas was poor reading performance on grade level and progress monitoring tests for students with disabilities (SWDs). SWDs may learn to read proficiently when reading instruction is provided using the support facilitation model (SFM) that features a special educator who helps SWDs in literacy or mathematics in inclusion settings. The purpose of this bounded qualitative case study was to explore the perspectives of special and general education teachers about SFM. The universal design for learning framework, used to plan lessons based on how students learn, guided this study. The research questions focused …

The Effectiveness Of Reading Interventions For Middle School Students With Learning Disabilities, Jennifer Hicks

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Students with learning disabilities are often unable to master reading comprehension and often fail to acquire reading comprehension skills at basic levels as measured on reading achievement assessments. Reading intervention programs Compass Learning and SRA Corrective Reading teach students how to apply strategies to their reading to improve their understanding of written text. The purpose of this quantitative ex-post facto research design was to determine the extent to which the reading intervention programs implemented at the research school improved reading achievement scores for seventh grade students with learning disabilities in reading, and to determine how much scores changed from the …

Teachers' And Parents' Perceptions Of Special Education Referral For African American Students, Darlene Smith

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Patterns of representation of African Americans in K-12 special education programs vary across the United States. A school district in Arizona has a 13% African American population, yet the African American special education representation is 17%. The purpose of this grounded theory study was to generate an understanding of the processes related to special education referral and assignment of African American elementary students as perceived by 7 teachers and 6 parents in the school district. Inductive analysis including open, axial, and selective coding led to the categorization of three themes: complexity in the referral process, inadequate teacher-parent communication and lack …

Uncovering Inequalities: Addressing The (Re)Production Of Power Relations Within Financial Aid Processes Utilizing Institutional Ethnography, Victoria A. Hill

MAIS Projects and Theses

The purpose of this research project is to critically map the University of Washington’s institutional practices concerning financial aid and related administrative policies and procedures related to the FAFSA application. This research was conducted by using institutional ethnography as a method to analyze the difficulty of carrying out organizational duties under complex federal, state and institutional policies. It also considers how the process of carrying out these duties creates tensions for staff, and how the unintended consequences of power relations are produced and reproduced between the process of staff carrying out their duties and students receiving aid. Information obtained from …

Effects Of Explicit Reading Comprehension Strategy Instruction For English Learners With Specific Learning Disabilities, Sara Lynn Jozwik

Theses and Dissertations

In this intervention study, I engaged principles of culturally responsive research to examine the effectiveness of explicit reading comprehension strategy instruction for English Learners (ELs) with specific learning disabilities (SLD). This study replicated and extended previous research (Jitendra, Hoppes, & Xin, 2000) by modifying instruction found to be effective for native English speakers (i.e., explicit reading comprehension strategy instruction with a self-monitoring procedure). Modifications included: (a) integrating culturally relevant text, (b) providing native language support, and (c) melding strategies from the fields of teaching English as a second language and special education. Through a co-teaching model, I provided instruction to …

Educators' Perceptions About African American Student Referrals To Special Education, Ydeaira Erica Ely

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The overrepresentation of African American (AA) students in special education is a problem in the United States, with concerns about the lack of uniformity in AA students' referrals to special education, and whether the referral process is applied consistently for all students. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to examine the perceptions of teachers, school counselors, and school administrators concerning the special education referral process, and whether the process was applied consistently for all students. The 2 theories providing the theoretical foundation were critical race theory and zone of proximal development. Criterion sampling was used to select 6 …

Design Strategy For The Development Of Applications For Autism Instruction, Nancy Jean Rasche

Open Access Theses

This paper explains my journey of exploration into the development of a mobile application for children with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) based on researching an area of instructional need. The direction spread to creating a tool to encourage collaboration between designers and educators to generate more mobile application educational opportunities for children with ASD. These two paths of development of touch screen mobile computer (TSMC) applications are explored in this paper. The first path of application development, based on a researched instructional need into improving the comprehension skills of children with ASD by teaching the emergent literacy skill of vocabulary …

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, …

The Perceptions Of African American Middle School Students About Participation In Gifted Programs: A Qualitative Study To Promote Social Justice In Gifted Education, Jenelle Susan Nisly

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

African American students have been historically underrepresented in gifted programs throughout the United States. Research about retaining identified African American students in gifted programs is limited. This qualitative phenomenological study examined the perceptions of a purposeful sample of seven identified talented and potentially talented African American middle school students about participation in gifted programs. The purpose of the study was to understand the meaning of participants' expectations, attitudes, and experiences with regard to participating and remaining in a gifted program or participating and then dropping out. Data were collected through individual interviews. Interpretative phenomenological analysis revealed that participants expected talented …

The Impact Of Enrollment In A Combined Reading And Learning Strategies Course On Exceptional Students' Fcat Reading Scale Scores, Coral Kathleen Hanson

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Previous research has shown that because remediation and support replace required and career-defining courses, exceptional students fall behind, ill equipped to act in society as autonomous adults. No Child Left Behind requires reading proficiency, so students failing standardized tests must take remedial courses. Individualized education plans often require support courses. However, there remains an important gap in the literature regarding the usefulness of reading, standardized testing, and leadership research to solve this problem. A class combining reading and support for students with exceptionalities exists at 1 high school. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to explore the combined program …

Mighty?, Craig Davis

Electronic Journal for Inclusive Education

The following poem was written by a teacher candidate at Wright State University in response to viewing the movie, The Mighty. This movie reveals the challenges and the triumphs two students with disabilities face as they forge a unique and enduring friendship.

June Moon, Catherine Vance

Electronic Journal for Inclusive Education

A poem written by Catherine Vance.

A Note To The Frozen Chosen, Thomas Knestrict Ed. D.

Electronic Journal for Inclusive Education

A poem written by Tom Knestrict (Turtlesongs 1997).

The Wisdom Of Youth, Thomas Knestrict Ed. D.

Electronic Journal for Inclusive Education

A poem written by Tom Knestrict (Turtlesongs 1994).

Editorial, Patricia R. Renick Ph.D.

Electronic Journal for Inclusive Education

As you can see this JOURNAL is a work in progress. We hope to have our first edition on-line by the end of March. The editorial staff is currently reviewing submissions and choosing what is to be included in the first edition.

New editions of the JOURNAL will be published quarterly, with timely articles and new perspectives concerning inclusive initiatives. It is our intent to provide a forum for articles concerning inclusive education and that many voices will be heard and diverse perspectives concerning inclusive education will be understood.

The JOURNAL defines inclusive education in the same spirit and with …