Education Commons^™

A Phenomenological Study Of School Psychologists: The Influence Of Implicit Bias On The Disproportionate Identification Rates Of African American Students Evaluated For Emotional Disturbance, Sonya Coe-Milo

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

As advocates, school psychologists remain ethically responsible and uniquely positioned to identify social injustices and promote nondiscriminatory practices in prekindergarten through grade 12 public education institutions. Implicit bias and its influence on African American students is one such practice. In public education, implicit bias contributes to discipline disproportionality, differentiated teacher support, pedagogical practices, and adult perceptions and expectations of appropriate and inappropriate behaviors. These factors directly correlate to the disproportionate identification rates of African American students for special education and related services. Therefore, this phenomenological qualitative study examined the personal, lived experiences and perceptions of school psychologists regarding implicit bias …

Adaptive Leadership: A Phenomenological Study On The Strategies Used By Special Education Directors To Build Adaptive Capacity, Amber Gallagher

Dissertations

Purpose: The purpose of this exploratory phenomenological study was to identify and describe the strategies used by special education directors to build an adaptive capacity based on the five key characteristics of adaptive leadership identified by Heifetz et al. (2009).

Methodology: This phenomenological study explored the lived experiences of special education directors serving in unified public school districts in Los Angeles, Orange, and San Bernardino counties in California. Purposeful, convenience sampling was used to identify the 10 participants who met the study’s criteria. The semistructured, open-ended interview protocol was developed by a thematic research team of nine peer researchers and …

Equalizing Postsecondary Transition For At-Promise Youth Receiving Special Education Services: A Chance To Succeed, Karla R. Sanchez

Dissertations

Postsecondary transition can be difficult for At-Promise Youth Receiving Special Education Services (APYRSES). Special educators supporting postsecondary transition often manifest traditional and institutionalized forms of oppressive education while dismissing collective values and beliefs.

This qualitative case study examined the beliefs and attitudes shared by three special education teachers after being introduced to a justice-focused, humanizing intervention to facilitate postsecondary transition for APYRSES. The conceptualized intervention was grounded in liberatory educational frameworks and drew from critical, culturally affirming, sustaining, and humanizing theories that foster cultural reciprocity, self-determination skills, and antiracist social–emotional justice learning to afford opportunities for APYRSES to succeed. The …

Overcoming The Impostor Phenomenon: Exploring The Strategies Special Education Charter School Leaders Used To Cope During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Damaris Ocasio Owens

Dissertations

Purpose: The purpose of this descriptive mixed method study was to explore and describe the coping skills used to overcome the nine behavioral characteristics by special education charter school leaders who identified as experiencing impostor phenomenon (IP) by the Clance Impostor Phenomenon Scale (Clance,1985), while leading the transition to distance learning in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Methodology: This descriptive mixed-methods research design used quantitative and qualitative data to identify special education leaders with IP and explore the coping skills they used during distance learning. The first phase of the study was a quantitative 20-question survey, the CIPS, used to …

Distress, Burnout, And Lived Experiences Of Special Education Teachers Working In Self-Contained Classrooms With Students With Emotional And Behavioral Disorders: Illuminating Their Perspectives And Experiences., Jennifer L. Wooldridge-Mccormick

Graduate Dissertations and Theses

This study was conducted to give voice to local special education teachers working with students with emotional disabilities, and to allow them to co-create meanings from their lived experiences in the classroom. It utilized a qualitative hermeneutic phenomenological approach through a series of three individual interviews over the course of a six-month period. Five special education teachers from three local school divisions and private day schools participated in the study between July 2021 and December 2021. Over the course of the three interviews, the five special education teachers in the study were situated as co-researchers. In addition to the three …

Mentorship And Teacher Retention: Analysis Of Beginning Special Education Teachers’ Experiences In Minnesota, Michele Barron-Albers

Culminating Projects in Education Administration and Leadership

Beginning special education teachers each year enter their classrooms with high expectations and best-practice strategies they are eager to employ. Related literature affirmed, however, that they are quickly faced with what Charlotte Danielson (1999) described as a “sink or swim in the deep end of the pool” culture (p. 251-7) as they grapple with the needed sudden transition from theory to practice. Done well, effective mentoring can become the bridge between preservice learning and classroom experience and guide beginning special education teachers toward a deeper and more impactful teaching practice.

This study’s purpose was to explore facets of new special …

How Exemplary Special Education Administrators Lead From The Heart Using Mark Crowley’S Four Principles (Building A Highly Engaged Team, Connecting On A Personal Level, Maximizing Employee Potential, And Valuing And Honoring Achievements) To Accomplish Extraordinary Results In Their Schools, Aimee Barnard

Dissertations

Purpose: The purpose of this phenomenological study was to describe how exemplary district-level special education administrators lead from the heart using Mark Crowley’s four principles (building a highly engaged team, connecting on a personal level, maximizing employee potential, and valuing and honoring achievements) to accomplish extraordinary results in their organizations.

Methodology: This qualitative phenomenological study explored the lived experiences and specific ways in which district-level special education administrators implemented and used Crowley’s (2011) four principles of heart-led strategies to understand the specific experiences and actions of the district-level special education administrators in relation to Crowley’s leading from the heart framework. …

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 …

Technology As A Tool For Support: Classroom Teachers And Resource Specialists In Collaboration And Communication Practices, Mackenzie Jones

Education | Master's Theses

Classroom teachers and resource specialists face hectic schedules that include supporting students and meeting the core curriculum standards. In order to support students with disabilities in the classroom, collaboration between classroom teachers and resource specialists is essential. With busy schedules and increasing demands that teachers face, there is an urgent need to support teachers with effective systems of collaboration. This research focuses on the problem of unorganized and ineffective systems of support, which teachers face when trying to collaborate and communicate with their colleagues. While many prior studies address the significance of providing time for educators to collaborate in the …

A Study Of Student Experiences In The Secondary Transition Program Through Student, Parent, And Teacher Perceptions, Kelley M. Sells

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this research study was to examine and analyze the perceptions of students with mild-moderate disabilities, teachers, and parents regarding the students’ experiences related to their secondary transition plan. More specifically, the qualitative single-case study sought to identify areas of alignment and divergence of these three key members’ perspectives since experiences and perceptions are unique to an individual based on the context and individual’s perspective of the event. These findings suggested that the district showed experiences of valuable student presence and input in their IEP meetings and trusting supportive student-teacher relationships. The study also revealed that significant barriers …

Building-Level Administrators And Collaborative Special Education Iep Meetings: Addressing Barriers To Active And Inclusive Participation, Trevor A. Addis

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to identify the factors serving as barriers to effective building-level administrator participation in special education individualized education program (IEP) meetings. For the purposes of this study, research was conducted in the multidisciplinary areas of social cognitive theory and self-efficacy, along with an examination of school-building administrators as instructional leaders, the role(s) of building-level leadership in special education and building administrator knowledge and understanding of special education policies and practices. A qualitative research approach was used to examine local building-level administrator participation in the special education IEP process. Building Level Administrators, in the district were …

A Comparison Of Student Hope And Social-Emotional Competence Between General Education And Special Education Settings, Whitley R. Hettenbaugh

Educational Leadership Theses, Dissertations, and Student Creative Activity

Hope, the ability to establish goals, plan for the future, persist in the face of challenges, and motivate oneself throughout the goal cycle, is a social endeavor requiring the collective support and resources of families, school staff, and peers. Schools that teach and reinforce life skills (i.e., hope and social-emotional competence) are able to positively impact student outcomes by teaching the skills necessary to build social support systems, improve the safety of the school by facilitating social-emotional expression, foster collaboration and collective success, and give students meaningful voice and choice. In doing so, schools increase the resources available to students …

How Do General Education Teachers Feel Prepared To Teach Individuals With Autism In The Classroom, Colin Valley

Leadership Education Capstones

This paper will deal with ways general education teachers can better serve individuals with autism in their classroom. This can be accomplished in many ways, and these ways will be discussed throughout. Research for this topic has been done in many different ways but overall, the root of how general education teachers feel about having individuals with autism in their classroom has not (Jones, A. P., & Frederickson, N. 2010). Throughout his study, the researcher will find ways to make general education teachers k-12 feel more prepared to teach individuals with autism in the general education classroom.

Elementary Principal And Special Education Teacher Perspectives Of Instructional Leadership For Special Education, Jennifer Norton

Education Dissertations

Focus on instructional leadership for school principals continues to be prominent in educational research and reform, as accountability for student achievement increases. The relationship between instructional leadership and special education needs more representation in research and literature. In this study, a review of relevant historical and current research regarding principal instructional leadership is presented with a contemporary conceptual framework of instructional leadership. Using the Principal Instructional Management Rating Scale (PIMRS), perceptions of principal engagement in instructional leadership behaviors were examined through the viewpoints of elementary principals and special education teachers in the State of Washington. Data generated by the PIMRS …

A Descriptive Study Of The Accommodations, Assistive Technologies, And Supports Chosen By Students With An Intellectual Disability Attending A Post-Secondary Institution, Lori Olson

All Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study used a mixed methods approach to investigate the perceptions of students with intellectual disabilities (ID) attending a Transition Postsecondary Program for Students with Intellectual Disabilities (TPSID). This study explored what they perceived to be the most chosen and helpful accommodations, assistive technologies, and supports and why they chose them. The researcher sent out an electronic survey to students with ID attending a Transition Program for Students with Intellectual Disabilities (TPSID) to determine the most chosen and helpful accommodations, assistive technologies, and supports and why they found them helpful.The top ranked accommodations used and found most helpful in this …

The Impact Of Covid-19 On Teacher Interactions With Students With Special Needs, Travis Depuydt

All NMU Master's Theses

This qualitative, phenomenological research study was designed to study the impact that the COVID-19 pandemic had on teacher interactions with students with special needs during the mandatory school closures that took place during March of 2020. This study consisted of seven interviews with special education teachers, from three different districts, located in Menominee and Delta counties in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. Participant responses to interview questions (See Appendix C), revealed six common themes:

1. Inability to consistently connect with students and a lack of participation amongst students.
2. Lack of training and no prior online teaching experience.
3. Lack of available technology …

Mixed Methods Study Of Special Education Training In Educational Leadership Preparation Programs In Rural Georgia, Robert Lewis-Vice

Theses and Dissertations

This research study addressed the problem that school leaders may not be adequately prepared to address the needs of an increasing population of students with special needs. The purpose of the study was to examine the difference between beliefs and perceptions of middle and high school leaders and special education teachers about the knowledge and skills necessary to implement special education programs effectively. The conceptual framework of this study focused on the preparation of principals and assistant principals at the university level through certification programs and district level programs. For this causal-comparative research design study, the quantitative and qualitative data …

Influences Impacting Child Study Team School Social Workers Decision-Making In A New Jersey Urban District On Placement Of Students Classified Emotionally Disturbed, Pia D. Moore

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

Research on students classified as Emotionally Disturbed (ED) shows that a disproportionate number of ED students are educated outside of the general education setting. In New Jersey a little more than half of students classified as ED are not educated in general education classrooms for most of their school day. The academic performance of ED students is often lower in self-contained environments than in the general education setting (Oelrich, 2012). ED students overall have poor academic and life experiences. The educational program and setting in which an ED student is primarily educated might have an impact on their current and …

Unifying Services To Students With Complex Needs Within A Newly Amalgamated School District, Meghan L. Miskolzie

The Dissertation in Practice at Western University

This Organizational Improvement Plan (OIP) addresses the inequitable services and supports currently available to students with complex needs throughout a newly amalgamated First Nations school district. This problem of practice explores how services for students with complex needs can be unified in a way that provides equity between schools, while being responsive to individual student needs. An overview of historical and current organizational contexts is provided, and personal and organizational leadership positions and lenses are investigated. Guiding questions emerging from this problem of practice are explored, including the capacity and professional learning needs of school-based staff, physical and human resourcing …

The Perceptions Of Public High School Administrators Regarding The Inclusion Of Students With Disabilities In The General Education Classroom: A Phenomenological Study By Jennifer A. Thomasian, Jennifer Thomasian

Dissertations

Purpose: The purpose of this phenomenological study was to describe the perceptions of high school administrators in Southern California regarding how they interpret and implement specific federal and state policies concerning the inclusion of students with disabilities in the general education classroom and to identify additional factors high school administrators perceive affect implementation. It was also the purpose of this study to describe how high school administrators perceive that their prior experiences with students with disabilities impact their interpretation and implementation of policies concerning inclusion.

Methodology: A sample of participants was selected from the target population of administrators serving at …

Assessment Of Inclusive Practices In Head Start Preschool Classrooms: Access, Participation, And Supports, Ifthika "Shine" Nissar

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

ABSTRACT

The purpose of this study was to assess inclusive practices in Head Start preschool classrooms. In 1972, Public Law PL 94-242 mandated Head Start enrollment to include 10% of students with disabilities (Allen & Cowdery, 2009). Research on assessment of inclusive practices within Head Start preschool classrooms is limited (Gallagher & Lambert, 2006; Muccio, 2012).

This study implemented a quantitative, descriptive design approach. Correlational analysis was conducted to explore answers to the research questions according to access, participation, and supports constructs (DEC/NAEYC, 2009). An Inclusion Crosswalk model was introduced. Data revealed that the underlying factor structure of the …

Improving Co-Teachers’ Relationship: How Teaching Experience Affects Perceptions Of Teamwork, Asher Samuel

Theses and Dissertations

Co-teaching is an instructional strategy wherein two teachers, a general education teacher and a special education teacher, share instructional responsibilities in a general education class that includes students with disabilities (SWDs) (Friend, 2010). Co-teaching has emerged as a strategy for ensuring that SWDs are taught to the general education curriculum while receiving specially designed instruction within the least restrictive environment (LRE) appropriate to their needs. One of the most important components of co-teaching is the relationship between the two teachers (Kohler-Evans, 2006), which has been described as a professional marriage (Friend, 2010). However, there is limited information on the factors …

Teacher Trust In The Principal: Does It Impact Achievement For Students With Disabilities And English Language Learners?, William Fahey

Theses and Dissertations

School improvement continues to remain a focus across the nation as evidenced in the U.S. Department of Education Performance Plan (2017) and the Every Student Succeed Act (ESSA). Achievement gaps continue to exist for certain populations, specifically Students with Disabilities (SWDs) and English Language Learners (ELLs). Building on the school improvement research of Bryk, Bende-Sebring, Allensworth and Luppescu (2010) and the relational trust research of Hoy and Tschannen-Moran (1998, 1999, 2003), this research study examined the relationship between teacher-principal trust items on the NYC School Survey and student achievement on state assessments over a four-year period for four student sub-groups: …

Let The Children Come To Me: Accommodating And Embracing Catholic High School Students With Intellectual Disabilities, Hani Zubi

LMU/LLS Theses and Dissertations

Current state and federal legislation mandate public schools to provide a vast array of educational services for students with disabilities. Catholic high schools are, for the most part, exempt from laws requiring them to provide those same services. Although many Catholic schools attempt to assist students with disabilities, the students they are willing to accept and accommodate generally have learning disabilities categorized as mild to moderate, who may not need the scope and breadth of services available to them in public schools. However, they are bound by their identity as Catholic to include and embrace all members of the community. …

Educator Knowledge And Usage Of Evidence-Based Interventions For Students With Emotional And Behavioral Disorders In Special Education Programs Across California, Thelmisha Vincent

Dissertations

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to identify the extent to which evidence-based interventions being utilized with students with emotional and behavioral disorders (EBD) by general education teachers, special education teachers, and behavior interventionists working in K-12 special education programs on comprehensive public and non- public school campuses in California.

Methodology: This mixed method study identified commonly used instructional strategies for students with (EBD) in public and non-public school settings. Respondents were purposefully chosen from general education teachers, special education teachers, and behavior interventionists across California. The data from online survey and interviews were analyzed through factorial ANOVA, descriptive …

Co-Teaching As A Vehicle To Inclusion In A Diverse Suburban Middle School: A Case Study, Luis Correa

Dissertations

Many school districts across the United States have adopted, or are considering adopting, full inclusion to meet academic and social-emotional needs of increasingly diverse student populations. Co-teaching has become a popular approach for districts committed to inclusion. This study is about a Midwestern school district which more than 10 years ago committed itself to inclusion and co-teaching. The primary research question was: How do we make co-teaching more effective in the Fairview School District? A survey was sent to 120 co-teachers from three middle schools about their experiences with co-teaching in the areas of sharing responsibilities, co-teaching relationships, planning time, …

Special Education Teachers' Self-Efficacy Regarding Improving The Reading Comprehension Of Students With Working Memory Deficits, Amy Miller

Theses and Dissertations

Significant discrepancies in reading comprehension rates exist for students with disabilities compared to their grade appropriate peers. Educational neuroscientists suggest that identifying breakdowns in the cognitive processes required for reading comprehension and applying specialized strategies have significant implications for improving the reading proficiency of students with working memory deficits. Despite the availability and implications of educational neuroscience, a significant gap between theory and classroom practice exists. The purpose of this explanatory sequential mixed methods research study was to examine special education teachers’ self-efficacy regarding their ability to increase the reading comprehension of students with working memory deficits. The quantitative phase, …

Training And Supervision Of Paraprofessionals In Special Education: A Qualitative Case Study, Catherine D. Stieg

All Theses And Dissertations

Researchers have identified educator concerns about inadequate paraprofessional training and supervision in PK-12 schools. Studies also show special educators are not adequately prepared to train and supervise the paraprofessionals. Additionally, the voices of special educators and paraprofessionals are narrowly represented in the literature. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to document the most effective methods of training and supervision, as perceived by special educators and paraprofessionals in the case study school district. This qualitative case study included two surveys which incorporated the Paraeducator Common Core Guidelines (PCCG) (CEC, 2015) and the concepts of adult learning by Drago-Severson (2015). The …

The Evolution Of Educational Rights Of School Officials And Parents Of Disabled Students: A Review Of Related Litigation, Laura C. Pawlak

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

This study attempts to examine the evolution of the rights of parents of students with disabilities. For more than 40 years since President Gerald Ford signed Public Law 94-142, The Education for All Handicapped Children Act, into law, the ability for parents to advocate for their child with a disability continues to evolve. At the same time, school officials continue to care for all students in loco parentis, advocating to have the educational needs of children met.

Often, when parents and school officials meet around the table to plan an Individualized Education Plan (IEP) for a student with a disability, …

Examination Of K-12 School Administrators’ Perceptions Of Their Preparation To Lead Special Education Programs, Jaime Davies

Doctor of Education in Educational Leadership Dissertations

Current research tells us that when school administrators are not prepared to lead special education, the result can be an educational detriment to the student involved and cause a costly fiscal impact to the school district. The researcher set out to ascertain school administrators’ perceptions of the skills necessary to effectively lead special education programs; it was also important to gauge school administrators’ preparation to lead special education programs based on their special education knowledge. Ball and Green (2014) state that it is the role of the school principal to develop teachers and related support within their buildings, while Pazey, …