Disability and Equity in Education Commons^™

Increasing Inclusive Education Through A Learning Center Model: A California Approach, Aja Mckee, Audri Sandoval Gomez

Education Faculty Articles and Research

Learning center models offer students with disabilities learning experiences in general education classrooms, while retaining support and services from special education personnel. The learning center approach examines existing educational perspectives, practices and structures, surrounding access to general education for students with disabilities. This study used a document analysis, a qualitative data method, to examine how two California school districts developed a learning center model to transform special education programming from segregated special education classrooms and practices to placement and access to general education. The findings inform educational programming for students with disabilities in the least restrictive environment, to comply with …

Addressing Student Precarities In Higher Education: Our Responsibility As Teachers And Scholars, Sara Labelle

Communication Faculty Articles and Research

"[T]his essay will focus on how we, as scholars of communication and instruction, can address, mitigate, and even illuminate these issues of precarity in our pedagogy, our scholarship, and our professional lives. This argument is centered on three key premises: (1) it is the responsibility of instructors to care about student precarities, (2) as instructional scholars and experts in communication, we are well prepared to mitigate these precarities in our course structure and pedagogy, as well as (3) in the scholarship we produce and prioritize on teaching and learning."

Placement Of Students With Extensive Support Needs In California School Districts: The State Of Inclusion And Exclusion, Meghan Cosier, Audri Sandoval-Gomez, Donald N. Cardinal, Shayne Brophy

Education Faculty Articles and Research

Access to general education settings for students with disabilities varies greatly among and within states across the United States and worldwide. The variability in placement and lack of access to general education for students with disabilities, particularly students with extensive support needs, are reasons to identify factors associated with placement and then address the role of current policy. Explored in this study were the placement of students with extensive support needs in 938 school districts across the State of California in the United States and the relationship between placement and economic and demographic factors. Results suggest alarmingly low access to …

Inclusion And The Right To Access To Regular Classes For Students With Disabilities, Audri Sandoval-Gomez, Meghan Cosier, Donald N. Cardinal

Education Faculty Articles and Research

"In the past decades many countries have made progress toward increasing access to quality education for students with disabilities, yet The World Bank (2019) estimates that 85% of children with disabilities continue to lack access to any schooling. The right to access for K-12 students with disabilities has been recognized globally and locally in many countries across the world (United Nations Education, Scientific and Cultural Organization [UNESCO], 2016), with each country making decisions on how to increase access to regular classes based on local contexts and needs. The result is the development of innovative policy and practice that support access …

What He Learned To Think He Earned, Andrew Matschiner

Education Faculty Articles and Research

"This story offers an autobiographical counterstory examining different ways young white, middle-class children in the United States learn to accept and celebrate their place in a viciously unequal society. The story explores this process through the experiences of a young white student named Zack growing up in Cedar Grove and attending Cedar Grove Elementary.

The story focuses on what researchers call white racial socialization (Hagerman, 2018), socialization practices (Hughes et al., 2006), and white habitus (Bonilla-Silva, Goar, & Embrick, 2006). This counterstory attempts to pull back the curtain on how white children are socialized to accept and celebrate the status …

The Voices Of Typers: Examining The Educational Experiences Of Individuals Who Use Facilitated Communication, Aja Mckee, Audri Sandoval Gomez

Education Faculty Articles and Research

As the number of students with autism grows, professionals must find ways to understand how to best educate this student population. Although current research addresses teaching students with autism, studies on educating autistic students with limited or unreliable verbal speech is nominal. In this qualitative study, interviews with eight autistics who type using the method facilitated communication are analyzed in relation to their educational experiences. The study resulted in a number of key findings that play significant roles in the participants' educational experiences, including (a) the notion of disability hierarchy and the presumption of competence, (b) the importance of building …

Her Voice: Engaging And Preparing Girls With Disabilities For Science, Technology, Engineering, And Math Careers, Amy Jane Griffiths, Angel Miles Nash, Zachary Maupin, Sneha Kohli Mathur

Education Faculty Articles and Research

Science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) related fields comprise the top 30 occupations expected to grow the fastest by 2026. This increase in job opportunities, coupled with the evolution of technology, is creating higher demands for diversity in the labor market. Currently all students require innovative training and support from a young age to pursue STEM careers successfully. However, women and girls with disabilities face unique barriers along the STEM education pipeline. In this paper, we report the current and projected labor market trends in the United States. We then consider how this labor market information can be used by …

Laughing Back: A Phenomenological Study Of Disability Humor Using Culturally Responsive Methodologies, Kinda Abujbarah

Education (PhD) Dissertations

Historically, disabled people have not been viewed as innovators of humor because disability is associated with tragedy. My dissertation challenged the association of disability with tragedy by positioning disabled comedians as educators and ambassadors of disability rights. I reviewed the literature on disability and humor as well as disability oppression, which disability humor challenges. I used phenomenology as well as culturally responsive methodologies to examine what disabled comedians are achieving with their humor and what nondisabled audience members learned from attending their performances. Vygotsky’s sociocultural theory of learning was used to examine learning outcomes for audience members. I examined historical …

Exploring The Implementation Of Lesson-Level Udl Principles Through An Observation Protocol, Joanne M. Van Boxtel, Trisha Sugita

Education Faculty Articles and Research

The researchers piloted an observational protocol to examine the Universal Design for Learning (UDL) principles and checkpoint strategies used during daily instruction with a small sample of general and special education teachers. Observational research on UDL has been recommended within the literature. Researchers used the high-leverage practice of explicit instruction as the anchor for the design of the observation protocol. Findings indicate there is alignment between observed UDL principles and strategies employed at the lesson level and teachers’ self-reports of the UDL principles and strategies employed. Findings also suggest that teachers are using several UDL principles within their daily instruction …

Minding The Gap: A Grounded Theory Exploration Of Transition From Secondary School To Community College For Students Identified With Autism, Douglas Highlen

Education (PhD) Dissertations

This qualitative research study aims to facilitate a better understanding of the process of transition from secondary school to community college for students identified with autism. Previous research indicates that though most students identified with autism report that they have strong intentions of pursuing a postsecondary education, comparatively few achieve this goal. Prior research on transition has focused on strategies utilized by secondary schools to facilitate success for students identified with autism or postsecondary institutional approaches utilized once a student has arrived at the school. This bifurcated approach has resulted in a gap in the research in that virtually no …

Research-To-Practice Brief: Using Labor Market Projections For Successful Transition Planning, Amy-Jane Griffiths, Meghan Cosier, Sara Morgan

Education Faculty Articles and Research

Employment rates and post-school transition outcomes for individuals with disabilities remain alarmingly low compared to peers without disabilities. Transition plans often focus on skills associated with employment opportunities that are immediately available to the individual with a disability. We contend that transition plans must be developed with specific attention to projected labor market needs to ensure that we are preparing students with disabilities for long-term success. This research brief describes how the results of an in-depth labor market analysis can be used to develop strong transition plans that prepare students for careers that will last far into the future.

2nd Place Contest Entry: International Adoption: Its Rise In The United States And Downfall In The Education System, Nicole Williams

Kevin and Tam Ross Undergraduate Research Prize

This is Nicole Williams' submission for the 2019 Kevin and Tam Ross Undergraduate Research Prize, which won second place. It contains her essay on using library resources, a three-page sample of her research project on developmental challenges and its implication on education for international adoptees, and her works cited list.

Nicole is a junior at Chapman University, majoring in Psychology and Integrated Educational Studies. Her faculty mentor is Dr. Anne Steketee.

From “Turning The Page” To Getting Our Noses Out Of The Book: How Ncte Can Translate Its Words Into Activism, Noah Asher Golden, Deborah Bieler

Education Faculty Articles and Research

This article raises questions about the role of NCTE in an era of widespread education reform that often runs counter to a wide body of scholarship and members’ understandings of ways to build strong, equitable educational systems. The authors call on NCTE to reinvent itself primarily as a space from which to take action toward equity and justice. This provocateur piece offers a loving critique of NCTE’s notion of advocacy at a time when neoliberal education reforms limit educators’ capacity to carry out our collective responsibilities to marginalized and vulnerable youth.

Latent Class Analysis Of Children With Math Difficulties And/Or Math Learning Disabilities: Are There Cognitive Differences?, H. Lee Swanson, Andres F. Olide, Jennifer E. Kong

Education Faculty Articles and Research

This study investigated whether a latent class of children with math difficulties (MD) or math learning disabilities (MLD) emerged within a heterogeneous sample of learners. A latent class analysis was computed on children (N = 447) in Grade 3 who were administered a battery of math, reading, and cognitive measures. The analysis yielded four important findings. First, a discrete latent class of children with MD (15% of the sample) or MLD (10% of the sample) emerged when setting cut-off scores at or below the 25th and 11th percentile, respectively. Second, model testing yielded a high probability of finding children with …

“Indefensible, Illogical, And Unsupported”; Countering Deficit Mythologies About The Potential Of Students With Learning Disabilities In Mathematics, Rachel Lambert

Education Faculty Articles and Research

This paper describes two myths that circulate widely about the potential of students with Learning Disabilities to learn mathematics: (1) that students with Learning Disabilities cannot benefit from inquiry-based instruction in mathematics, and only from explicit instruction; and (2) that students with Learning Disabilities cannot construct their own mathematical strategies and do not benefit from engaging with multiple strategies. In this paper, I will describe how these myths have developed, and identify research that counters these myths. I argue that these myths are the unintended consequences of deficit constructions of students with Learning Disabilities in educational research. Using neurodiversity to …

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 …

A Cluster Analysis Of Challenging Behaviors In Autism Spectrum Disorder, Elizabeth Stevens, Abigail Atchison, Laura Stevens, Esther Hong, Doreen Granpeesheh, Dennis Dixon, Erik J. Linstead

Mathematics, Physics, and Computer Science Faculty Articles and Research

We apply cluster analysis to a sample of 2,116 children with Autism Spectrum Disorder in order to identify patterns of challenging behaviors observed in home and centerbased clinical settings. The largest study of this type to date, and the first to employ machine learning, our results indicate that while the presence of multiple challenging behaviors is common, in most cases a dominant behavior emerges. Furthermore, the trend is also observed when we train our cluster models on the male and female samples separately. This work provides a basis for future studies to understand the relationship of challenging behavior profiles to …

Conceptualizations Of Students With And Without Disabilities As Mathematical Problem Solvers In Educational Research; A Critical Review, Rachel Lambert, Paulo Tan

Education Faculty Articles and Research

Students with disabilities are often framed as “the problem” and have limited opportunities to engage in standards based mathematics leading to persistent underachievement. In this paper, we investigate a research divide between mathematics educational research for students with and without disabilities, a divide with significant differences in the theoretical orientations and research methodologies used to understand learners. Based on an analysis of 149 mathematics educational research articles published between 2013 and 2015, we found significant differences between articles focused on learners with and without disabilities. For those with disabilities, mathematical problem solving was understood primarily from behavioral and information processing …

Educational Leadership And Social Justice In The United States, Margaret Grogan

Education Faculty Articles and Research

Principals and superintendents of public schools are under intense pressure to raise the level of student academic achievement. The No Child Left Behind Act (2001), mandated the reporting of student test scores disaggregated by race, socio-economic status, English language proficiency, and participation in special education. The aim of the legislation was to eliminate the test score gap between middle class white students and under-represented minorities. However, too many recent graduates still demonstrate very weak literacy and numeracy skills. They are not likely to lead fulfilling lives. School leaders have a moral imperative to address this injustice. Research shows that the …

Soft(A)Ware In The English Classroom: (Re)Framing Education For Equity: Acknowledging Outputs And Inputs In Literacies Education, Noah Asher Golden

Education Faculty Articles and Research

"The way that our field of English education frames what and, at times, who are problems requiring solutions is at the heart of meaningful teaching and learning. Software and digital technologies play a role in the framing that grounds current educational reform policies in and beyond our field; a framing that works both to obscure and perpetuate inequitable systems. Software and digital technologies contribute to seemingly neutral educational policies and practices that obscure issues of structural racism, opportunity and access, and the privileging of a limited understanding of what it means to be literate and educated."

Current Trends In Psychological And Educational Approaches For Training And Teaching Students With Autism In California, Trisha Sugita

Education Faculty Articles and Research

Within the United States, Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) has seen a dramatic increase over the past twenty years. As the prevalence rate of ASD increases, an increased need for expertise in the field of education has become apparent. Psychological and educational practices for training and teaching students with ASD continue to evolve in California however, a significant gap between theory and practice remains. This article provides a historical perspective of ASD and its prevalence rates. In addition, this article examines the current shifts in teacher training and provides an overview of evidence-based strategies to support students with ASD.

Revolution And Education, Lilia D. Monzó, Peter Mclaren

Education Faculty Articles and Research

Denied the right to recognize patterns of violence and their relationship to class and specifically to the capitalist mode of production through an institutionalized historical amnesia, we live our lives as mere passengers on a train that stops at death’s door. In the self-proclaimed greatest super power, the United States, the mythical alliance to democracy serves to obfuscate its systematic plundering of life and earth in service to the transnational capitalist class. We have been brainwashed through state and corporate-sponsored lies, myth, and a national zealotry to forget and continue to repeat the atrocities of our past. We have been …

Increasing Engagement Of Students With Learning Disabilities In Mathematical Problem-Solving And Discussion, Rachel Lambert, Trisha Sugita

Education Faculty Articles and Research

Engagement in problem-solving and mathematical discussion is critical for learning mathematics. This research review describes a gap in the literature surrounding engagement of students with Learning Disabilities in standards-based mathematical classrooms. Taking a sociocultural view of engagement as participation in mathematical practices, this review found that students with LD were supported towards equal engagement in standards-based mathematics through multi-modal curriculum, consistent routines for problem-solving, and teachers trained in Mathematical Knowledge for Teaching. Using this small set of studies (7), we identify the need to deepen the engagement of students with LD in mathematical problem-solving and discussion. This review concludes with …

The Glass Ceiling Is Not Broken: Gender Equity Issues Among Faculty In Higher Education, Jillian Wood

Educational Studies Dissertations

Gender discrimination is an ongoing topic, including discrimination that occurs in higher education. Previous studies have shown female faculty experience a variety of workplace discrimination including sexual harassment/bullying, salary disparities, and lack of worklife balance. This dissertation aimed to analyze equity issues for female faculty at a private university. The researcher utilized a narrative inquiry methodology, conducting interviews with five full-time female faculty. The purpose of this dissertation was to understand the participants’ everyday stories and lived experiences. The researcher utilized critical feminist theory and leadership theory to examine the notion of equity at this campus. The findings, shown through …

Cultivating Literacy And Relationships With Adolescent Scholars Of Color, Noah Asher Golden, Erica Womack

Education Faculty Articles and Research

The authors explore strength-based learning projects that value the lived realities and literacies of adolescent scholars of color, setting the stage for the powerful relationships through which meaningful learning happens.

Autism In The Workplace: Assessing The Transition Needs Of Young Adults With Autism Spectrum Disorder, Amy-Jane Griffiths, Cristina M. Giannantonio, Amy E. Hurley-Hanson, Donald N. Cardinal

Education Faculty Articles and Research

Over the next decade, close to half a million people with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) will reach adulthood. Research suggests that the career and life outcomes for young adults with ASD are poor as compared with those of the general population. Nevertheless, there is relatively little research on the work experiences of young adults with ASD that focuses on their career aspirations, preparation for work, career experiences, and the barriers associated with their transition into the world of work. Given the large numbers of young adults with ASD who are exiting secondary school and vocational training programs, it is imperative …

Culturally Responsive Contexts: Establishing Relationships For Inclusion, Mere Berryman, Therese Ford, Ann Nevin, Suzanne Soohoo

Education Faculty Articles and Research

As our education systems become more culturally, ethnically and linguistically diverse, rather than benefiting and learning from each other, we still expect all students to be represented within the same curriculum, pedagogy and testing regimen or we form separate enclaves resulting in marginalizaton. When diverse students have physical and/or learning disabilities, marginalization is further exacerbated and problematized. In this paper, the authors theorise within an alternative framework that we have termed relational and culturally responsive inclusion. Based on key understandings from our own research, much of it derived from Kaupapa Māori and Freirean philosophies, we encourage a framework where establishing …

Social Justice And Technocracy: Tracing The Narratives Of Inclusive Education In The United States, Scot Danforth

Education Faculty Articles and Research

Over the past two decades, the percentage of American students with disabilities educated in general classrooms with their nondisabled peers has risen by approximately fifty percent. This gradual but steady policy shift has been driven by two distinct narratives of organisational change. The social justice narrative espouses principles of equality and caring across human differences. The narrative of technocracy creates top-down, administrative pressure through hierarchical systems based on quantitative performance data. This article examines these two primary policy narratives of inclusive education in the United States, exploring the conceptual features of each and initiating an analysis of their application in …

School Psychologists’ Training And Knowledge Of Tourette Syndrome, Leticia Cornejo

Educational Studies Dissertations

A web-based survey was conducted that included 97 practicing school psychologists in California. The results from the survey indicated that the majority (88%) of respondents were knowledgeable about Tourette Syndrome. Many respondents (28%) had never worked with a student with Tourette’s, 20% had at least one case, and 52% indicated that they had worked with more than two cases in their careers as school psychologists. The majority of respondents indicated that their school psychology program did not adequately train them to assess or counsel students with Tourette’s. The majority of participants also did not feel confident to work with students …

Efficacy Of The Picture Exchange Communication Systemin Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder, Reagan Blason

Student Scholar Symposium Abstracts and Posters

The increasing diagnoses of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) each year affect many families worldwide and are a major concern to therapists, healthcare workers, and educators. Many children diagnosed with ASD will never go on to develop functional speech or will have limited communication, as well as impaired social-communication skills. Limited communication makes education and therapy difficult for these children and their caregivers. Language therapy and interventions aim to improve social-communication and speech in these children, so it is crucial to find the most efficient interventions. The Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS) is a common tool used to assist communication in …