Education Commons^™

Examining Social Capital And Its Role In Special Education Leadership, April K. Rist

Doctoral Dissertations

The purpose of this mixed-methods study was to analyze the relationships that existed between the special education leaders and other members of a district leadership team in order to measure their access to social capital. Quantitative data were collected using surveys of one school district’s leadership team and social network analysis (SNA) was used to visually analyze the connections between members of the team. Qualitative data were subsequently collected via semi-structured interviews of each of the 19 members of the leadership team. What types of ties do the special education administrators have to fellow administrators within district leadership teams? What …

Paraprofessional Training Materials, Program Implementation & Review, Breann Brewer

All Graduate Reports and Creative Projects, Fall 2023 to Present

If ever you enter a special education classroom, you may encounter a few events. You may witness a classroom of impressive, almost automatic interactions, delivered in a way so eloquent that the students and staff seem to be in an effortless dance with one another. Or, you may witness a classroom that feels heavy with needs; needs of more staff, more help, more hands, and more time. This visual exercise demonstrates how the structure of a special education classroom sets the tone for student growth and success.

One pivotal part of a special education classroom is the paraeducators. Paraeducators, also …

Improving Collaboration With Culturally And Linguistically Diverse Parents Of Students With Extensive Support Needs, Isabel Yates

Education | Master's Theses

The purpose of this research is to understand how to improve collaboration between schools and culturally and linguistically diverse parents of students with extensive support needs who receive special education services. Previous research defined collaboration as a conceptual construct in which principles of shared respect and responsibility are applied to practice (Emmons & Zager, 2018). The collaboration between families and schools is legally mandated but not explicitly explained to teachers or parents how to succeed in engaging respectfully with all families (Cheatham & Lim-Mullins, 2018). The increased complication of supporting nondominant, culturally and linguistically diverse families in addition to the …

Special Education Teacher Attrition: K-12 Administrator Perspectives, Tia Alove Stevens-Hicks

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Abstract

Teacher attrition is a significant contributor to the teacher shortages, with preretirement attrition accounting for two thirds of all attrition. Special education teachers leave teaching at significantly higher rates than their general education peers. In addition, there is a greater demand for special education teachers due to the increase in public school students requiring special education services. As a result, many K–12 administrators and other educational leaders often fill vacant positions with unqualified or new teachers with less experience than their predecessors. Special education teachers have reported that teachers who remained in their positions reported high levels of administrative …

Investigating Evidence-Based Practices And Interventions Using Multifaceted Learning Theory For Students In A Special Education Self-Contained Classroom, Adam Maitland

Ed.D. Dissertations

Teachers working in a special education self-contained classroom were required to implement evidence-based practices and interventions, rarely researched in a school setting, with fidelity to meet the needs of students with intellectual disabilities. Evidence-based practices and interventions for students with intellectual disabilities were researched in clinical settings with one to three student participants and without a common evaluation tool. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to use the Tennessee Educator Acceleration Model General Educator Rubric to investigate how experienced teachers used multifaceted learning theory when implementing evidence-based practices and interventions in a diverse special education self-contained classroom to …

Restraining The Disabled: A Program Evaluation Of Nonviolent Crisis Intervention In The Educational Setting, Taner Jarrett

Doctor of Education Dissertations

Students with disabilities are 200% more likely to be restrained by school personnel compared to nondisabled peers (Katsiyannis et al., 2020). The purpose of this study was to examine the effectiveness of Nonviolent Crisis Intervention (NVCI) in de-escalating the risk behavior of children with disabilities from exceptional children (EC) teacher perspectives. This study was a mixed method program evaluation of the Crisis Prevention Institute NVCI program using Daniel Stufflebeam’s (1968) Context, Input, Process, Product (CIPP) evaluation framework. The setting for this study was a large suburban school district in the piedmont region of North Carolina. The sample included 15 NVCI- …

Building Administrator Preparation And Readiness To Lead Inclusive Practices For Special Education, Nikki Jo Whiting

Dissertations and Theses

The role of the building administrator as the special education leader of inclusion is one of major importance when supporting students with disabilities. The building administrator may face a multitude of decisions dealing with areas of special education such as eligibility, least restrictive environment, services, discipline, and instruction. Being able to make special education decisions that demonstrate an inclusive focus while maintaining an equitable environment for all students is a challenge faced by many building administrator, regardless of experience. This study aimed to determine the perceptions of building administrators regarding their knowledge for leading inclusive practices for special education. This …

Working Toward “Achievement”: Key Considerations For Providing Access To Equitable Opportunities To Students With Disability Labels, Kyle William Resch

Theses and Dissertations

School personnel are accountable for the academic “achievement” of students with and without disability labels (Every Student Succeeds Act [ESSA], 2015). In Wisconsin, “achievement” is measured via performance on standardized academic assessments (Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction [DPI], 2019). The use of these assessments privileges White middle-class students without disability labels (Ladson-Billings, 2006). Outcomes have been used to shame schools’ so-called poor performance while ignoring other indicators of success such as instilling real-world problem-solving skills, building positive learning communities, using a critical lens, and engaging in social activism (Connor et al., 2019).Many students with disability labels now receive instruction in …

University-Based Principal Preparation Programs In Texas In 2019: Where Is Special Education?, Ann Hoa Lê, Julie Peterson Combs

School Leadership Review

Most principal training programs in the United States focus very little on preparing aspiring instructional leaders to lead programs for students with disabilities. An examination of principal preparation programs and their SPED components is necessary at a time when standards have been revised and new certification exams have been constructed in Texas. To explore the presence of SPED topics in principal certification courses, we used a classical content analysis with a group of university-based principal preparation programs. Almost half of the universities in our study required 18 semester hours or fewer for principal certification, and none of these had course …

School Leaders And Exclusionary Practices: A Study Of Discretionary Daep Placements For Minority Special Education Students, Tiffany Laine Weiss

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study addressed the perceptions of assistant principals, counselors, and school district-level administrators about the overrepresentation of minority special education students in district alternative education placements. The purpose of this study was to examine the discipline practices at three middle school campuses in one 6A urban school district to understand minority special education students’ overrepresentation in discretionary district alternative education placements. The researcher conducted one-on-one interviews with assistant principals, counselors, one dean of students, one assistant superintendent, and one special education director. A document analysis and a data review were conducted to triangulate the results. The findings indicated that years …

An Analysis Of The Child Find Provision Due Process Hearings In Texas: Implications From The Special Education Cap, Katherine Hall Crites

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This legal qualitative content analysis described how special education due process hearing officers applied the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act (IDEIA) child find provision since the 2016 federal citations. The study found that districts often violated child find by not evaluating each disability condition, either known or previously suspected. The hearing officer decisions were most often focused on: (a) timely referral and evaluation, (b) comprehensive evaluation, and (c) having a reason to suspect that the student has a disability in need of special education. The decisions were represented as: (a) issues held for the prevailing party, (b) child find …

Is Special Education A Life Sentence? Examining Disproportionality In The Declassification Rates Of Students Of Color In An Urban School District, Rasheed Bility

Theses and Dissertations

Federal law states that any student suspected of having a disability must meet initial eligibility requirements to qualify for special education services. Furthermore, an individual education program (IEP) team is required by federal law to re-evaluate each student with a qualified disability tri-annually to assess his or her ongoing need for such services. The pathway toward initial eligibility is explicitly outlined within federal legislation; however, the law does not explicate an avenue for declassification or exiting from special education. As a result, many students may remain in special education and are labeled as students with a disability when they may …

Because I Said So: The (Re)Production Of White, Ableist Narratives Through Legal Discourse In Endrew F. V. Douglas County Re-1, Stephen F. Fusco

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

As families and advocates of students of color labeled with dis/abilities face mounting inequities they turn to the courts seeking protection. Unfortunately, even after courts issue written decisions ostensibly designed to protect students labeled dis/abled, these students continue to experience systematic oppression in school. This is due, in part, to the discourse used by the courts when addressing issues affecting students labeled dis/abled and the elitism of the judicial system. The purpose of this study was to examine the legal discourse used in the most recent Supreme Court case concerning the education of students labeled dis/abled, Endrew F. v. Douglas …

General Education Teachers' Self-Efficacy Perceptions Of Teaching Students With Disabilities, Hester Jackson Mallory

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Over recent decades, a challenge faced in public schools in the United States is the appropriate education of students with disabilities (SWDs) in inclusive classrooms. The problem this study addressed is that, despite the implementation of inclusive practices, SWDs in a small rural school district in Virginia have low achievement rates. The purpose of this basic qualitative study was to examine general education teachers’ self-efficacy perceptions, exploring the relationship between lived experiences with SWDs and their professional practices. The conceptual framework for this study was built upon Bandura’s self-efficacy and social cognitive theories. The research questions centered on how the …

An Lre Placement Loophole: A Critical Policy Analysis Of Lre Placement In Defining Disproportionality Of Culturally And Linguistically Diverse Students In Special Education, Arti Sachdeva

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The policies adopted by the Exceptional Children’s Education Act (2016) enabled disproportionality within LEAs by overlooking undocumented classroom removal practices, underestimating the monitoring and reporting criteria, and overlooking non-dominant cultural and linguistic groups within the Colorado community. In this critical policy analysis, I used quantitative methods to analyze and explore the difference between the odds ratio calculation of culturally and linguistically diverse students (CLDS) in special education with a least restrictive environment (LRE) of 40% and greater compared to Colorado’s acceptance of the federal mandate of the minimum requirement of the student LRE of less than 40% and alternate school …

Opportunities And Challenges Of Utilizing Restorative Practices (Rp) With Students With Disabilities: Exploring Special Educators’ Experiences With Rp, Mika Moore

Graduate College Dissertations and Theses

Restorative Practices (RP) are rapidly being adopted in PreK-12 schools throughout the United States as these institutions seek ways to both improve school climate and utilize alternatives to harsh zero-tolerance discipline policies. RP offers a proactive, relational, and reactive framework in which schools can intentionally build community, foster trust, and provide opportunities for students, staff, and community members to address and repair harm when it occurs. As more schools move towards implementing RP, it is important to consider the experiences of teachers tasked with implementation. In particular, special educators represent critical implementers of RP as they can accommodate and modify …

Parental Choice Of Charter Schools For Middle School Students With Disabilities, Oluwole Ilesanmi

Special Education ETDs

For many decades, traditional public schools were the dominant public schools available for educating students, including those with disabilities. However, in the current climate of school choice, parents can now choose from a variety of educational options for their children. This study sought to explore the reasons parents of students with disabilities enrolled their children in charter schools. Research questions addressed the reasons parents considered when enrolling their children with disabilities in charter schools, as well as their degree of satisfaction and experiences after enrollment in charter schools. A total of 108 parents of sixth-eighth grade middle school students with …

Perceptions Of Special Education Supports By School Administrators, Eric P. Oxford

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This research study analyzed the perceptions of special education supports by school administrators. Specifically, this research discussed comparative findings of perceptions of special education supports between building principals and building-based special education team chairpersons in one Massachusetts public school district. The findings are grounded in the district’s inclusive philosophy and its capability to ensure that all students are provided educational opportunities in the least restrictive educational environment. The problem studied was that many students with disabilities who are unable to find academic success within an inclusive academic environment are typically transitioned into a more restrictive—or substantially separate—alternative education setting. It …

Educators’ Perspectives Regarding The Inclusion Of Students With Mild To Moderate Disabilities Into The General Education Classroom, Rebecca Lynn Parres

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

ABSTRACT

This quantitative study examined the perspectives of educators related to the inclusion of students with mild to moderate disabilities in general education classrooms. General education teachers, special education providers (e.g. education specialists, speech pathologists, occupational and physical therapists, and school psychologists, etc.), and administrators were surveyed to obtain their perspectives regarding the inclusion of students with mild to moderate disabilities; into the general education classroom. The Inclusive School Program Survey (McLewesky, et al., 2012) was used with permission from James McLeskey who conducted similar research in 2001. The five-point Likert scale survey was utilized to obtain data from the …

Using Data To Inform An Educational Staff Training Manual: Pilot Study, Jillian Dawes, John Lum, Jennifer Silber Carr, Nathan Lambright, Stephanie Child

Journal of Human Services: Training, Research, and Practice

Evidence-based staff training in education is limited in the research literature. While several targeted components of staff training exist, no prior research has combined evidence-based procedures into a multi-component staff training manual. The purpose of the current pilot study was to improve training for new staff in a special education setting. A needs assessment indicated social validity in developing and implementing programs for behavior support plan training and phasing-in staff during training. Based on this data, a manual was developed to include comprehensive training procedures. While the amount of data was limited, results indicate some initial support for the manualized …

Improving Practice In Special Education: The Evaluation Process As A Development Tool, Allison Gilmour, Amanda Sheaffer, Caitlyn E. Majeika

Journal of Educational Leadership in Action

Throughout the country, schools are using new teacher evaluation systems as a tool for professional development with the goal of improving teaching quality and students’ outcomes. However, not all teacher evaluation rubrics specifically address or encourage evidence-based practices for special education teachers, and many principals report that they are unsure how to evaluate special education teachers. This article provides an overview of teacher evaluation and special education teacher evaluation, and presents a strategy, based on existing research on effective teacher coaching and performance feedback, goal setting, and self-monitoring, to assist special educators in leveraging the evaluation process as a professional …

The Importance Of Administrative Support For Special Education Teachers, Shari E. Lujan

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

Since the inception of special education laws in the 1970’s, special education teachers have been given the responsibility of educating children with exceptional needs. Those needs range from children with mild to moderate disabilities to children with moderate to severe disabilities. There are 13 categories that a child can qualify for special education services through an Individual Education Program (IEP). The majority of children with exceptional needs are educated on general education campuses. With high stakes testing and the push for academic excellence, one may wonder how a child with exceptional needs fits into a general education campus. The Education …

The Intersection Of Organizational Form And Employee Relationships: A Social Network Analysis Of Rural School Educators, Randi Beth Lowe

Graduate College Dissertations and Theses

Public schools in the United States are organized in a formal structure with a principal serving as a hierarchical lead, teachers in a variety of professional roles reporting to them and paraeducators supporting the work of teachers. As is seen in an increasing number of organizations, there are informal networks built on the inter-personal relationships of the members of the community (Krackhardt, 1993). The purpose of this study is to measure and describe four types of informal networks, to compare these networks to each other, and to learn about how professional roles influenced the formation of the networks. This study …

Secondary School Administrators' Preparation As An Lea Representative In South Carolina, Chastity B. Evans

Theses and Dissertations

Prior research has suggested that many principals are underprepared and that some lack any background from coursework and field experience which may be required to exert strong leadership in special education (DiPaola & Tschannen-Moran, 2003; DiPaola, Tschannen-Moran, & Walther-Thomas, 2004), but the number of students receiving special services is on the rise. The purpose of this research study is to determine how secondary school administrators are prepared to make legally and ethically defensible decisions as the authorized LEA representative.

If school administrators are expected to be effective in their role as the authorized LEA representative, it is vital that they …

Exemplary Leadership: A Mixed-Methods Case Study Discovering How Special Education Administrators Create Meaning, Julia Vandervennet

Dissertations

Purpose: The purpose of this mixed-methods case study was to identify and describe the

behaviors that exemplary Special Education administrators use to create personal and organizational meaning for themselves and their followers through character, vision, relationships, wisdom, and inspiration. In addition, it is the purpose of this study to determine the degree of importance to which special education teachers perceive the behaviors related to character, vision, relationships, wisdom, and inspiration help to create personal and organizational meaning.

Methodology: The current mixed-methods study obtained in depth qualitative data through interviews from 3 exemplary special education administrators. Following the qualitative interview …

The Collaboration Experiences Of Elementary School Intervention Specialists In Inclusive Classroom Settings, Donisha Noel Bailey

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Collaboration is one of the most significant components of inclusive education, according to professional literature. The purpose of this study was to understand the perceptions of intervention specialists in terms of collaboration with general education teachers in elementary school inclusive classrooms and administrative support of collaboration. The collaboration and the community of practice theories were used for the conceptual framework in this study to understand how collaboration is an ongoing interaction between people to achieve a common goal. Research questions were designed to understand the perceptions of intervention specialists who work in inclusive classrooms regarding collaboration and administrative support by …

Examining The Variability In General Education Placements For Students With Intellectual Disability, Meghan Cosier, Julia M. White, Qiu Wang

Education Faculty Articles and Research

Despite the overwhelming body of research suggesting that students with intellectual disability benefit from access to general education placements, students with intellectual disability continue to be educated primarily in segregated settings. Furthermore, the percentage of students with intellectual disability included in general education classrooms varies greatly among and within states across the United States. In an effort to explore such variability in New York State, we examined trends in general education placement rates of students with intellectual disability across districts and possible predictors of placement in regular classes. Results suggest that although descriptive patterns of placement exist, a more definitive …

Effect Of Professional Development On Achievement Of Fourth Grade Emotionally Distirbed Students, Willette Jones

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Abstract

This study investigated the low literacy and math achievement of 4th grade students with emotional disturbances (ED) in an urban school district in Pennsylvania. Researchers have speculated that teachers possess limited knowledge of the behavioral health needs of students with ED needed to support their behavior and achievement. Therefore, this study was conducted to assess the effect of behavioral health professional development (BHPD) on the Pennsylvania School System of Assessment (PSSA) achievement of 4th grade students with ED. The theoretical framework of this study was Dewey's educational philosophy, which focused on educating the whole child. This study used a …

Understanding The Perceptions Of High School Dropouts With Disabilities In The Commonwealth Of The Northern Mariana Islands, Yvonne R. Pangelinan

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Over the last 5 years, high school students with disabilities in the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI) have experienced a higher rate of dropout compared to their peers, adding to an ever-widening gap in learning and graduation rates. The rationale for this study was the growing numbers of dropouts among students with disabilities that contribute to high rates of poor performing schools and create a burden on the local and federal government as the CNMI employment rates decline and reliance on the U.S. government for support increases. The purpose of this study was to understand the experiences of …

Parental Involvement In Individual Education Plan Development For Students With Significant Intellectual Disabilities, Tanya A. Dodge

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Research indicates a connection between successful outcomes for students with significant intellectual disabilities and the individual education program (IEP) team's efforts in the IEP development process. However, little research has been conducted on the perceptions of parents and teachers of students with significant disabilities about parent participation in the IEP development process. Therefore, the purpose of this phenomenological study was to explore parent and teacher perceptions of parent participation in the IEP development process. The conceptual framework of this study was ecological design theory, based on Bronfenbrenner's theory of human development and Neal and Neal's theory of networked systems. Participants …