Disability and Equity in Education Commons^™

Preclusion: The Solution To The Inclusion Confusion, Terry L. Shepherd Ed.D., Randel D. Brown Ph.D.

Electronic Journal for Inclusive Education

Many public schools in the United States are implementing inclusion programs; however, some research has shown that students with disabilities are not benefiting from inclusion. Part of the difficulty with inclusion lies with the implementation practices of the schools. Stigmatizing by labeling a child is another concern; even through inclusion, ownership of the child is questionable. It is also illogical to take children from the general education classroom, label them as having a disability, and then return them to the same classroom with modifications and support. Modification and support could easily be provided without referring children for special education services. …

Stages Of Preservice Development In A Professional Development School For Teachers Of Students With Emotional Disturbance, Suzanne Tochterman

Electronic Journal for Inclusive Education

This study was designed to identify and describe the stages of preservice development in a Professional Development School (PDS) for teachers of students with emotional disturbance. This study investigated two questions: (a) How does a preservice teacher for students with serious emotional disturbance in a one year full time PDS progress through a series of developmental stages, and (b) what are the opportunities that contribute to the learning of the preservice teacher in a PDS?

This was a qualitative study in which seven data sources from preservice teachers were collected over a nine-month period. These included videotaped teaching episodes, informal …

Reframing Educational Psychology For The New Millennium, Jill Lindsey North Ph.D.

Electronic Journal for Inclusive Education

The role of education psychology in the 21st century must be to provide a research-based pedagogical foundation upon which preservice and practicing teachers can draw to develop the habits of mind necessary to ensure all students learn. Historically, the field of educational psychology is the study of how people learn (Crowel, Podell, & Kaminsky, 1997). However, the work most associated with the field of educational psychology during the 20th century has been the development of tests and measurements to identify learners' capacities and abilities. Much of the work by educational psychologists has been focused on identifying extremes of performance in …

Including A Student With An Attention Problem: Strategies For Including A Student With An Attention Problem In The General Education Classroom, Mark S. Brown Ed.D., Patricia Ilderton

Electronic Journal for Inclusive Education

A student with an attention problem may meet with academic problems when she is placed in the general education classroom. The general education teacher with assistance from the special education intervention specialist should collaboratively develop curriculum and environmental adaptations that will allow the included student to meet with greater academic and social success. This observational study offers strategies for working with a child with an attention problem for both the general education teacher and the special education intervention specialist. Academic and curriculum strategies are presented to proactively address the social and academic strengths of a student with attention problems who …

Life And Times Of Individuals With Mental Retardation: 40 Years Of History, Rhonda S. Black Ph.D., Beverly A. Salas

Electronic Journal for Inclusive Education

If we look to the not so distant past, we see a history of lost opportunities for employment and the chance to meaningfully contribute to society for individuals with mental retardation (Murphy & Rogan, 1995). Many issues surround why these individuals have not been more included within our society, particularly in the employment sector. Fears, questions, and concerns abound when looking at these issues. Such questions are: Why would I want to hire an individual with mental retardation? How much cost is associated with various accommodations that may be required? What unknowns are involved in hiring a person with mental …

Inclusive Elementary Schools And Those Who Lead Them, Mary Ellen Bargerhuff

Electronic Journal for Inclusive Education

This qualitative study examines how principals' leadership qualities influence effective elementary inclusion programs. Guiding questions address principals' perceptions of the beliefs, knowledge, and behaviors essential to leadership in an inclusive school. Sites for this study were three fully included elementary schools (no self-contained classes) in southwest Ohio. Data collection methods included semi-structured interviews, observations, shadowing, and document review. The conceptual framework of relational leadership, particularly the attributes of caring, collaboration, courage, vision, and intuition organized the study. Findings illustrated that the principals believe relational leadership is necessary for the success of inclusive learning communities; they make collaborative, proactive leadership by …

The Effects Of Physical Activity On The Behavior Of Children With Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder, Amanda J. Love

Senior Honors Projects, 2000-2009

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of physical education class on the behavior of children diagnosed with Attention- Deficit/ Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). Fourteen male and six female students in grades three through five were observed by their classroom teacher. Of the twenty students, then were diagnosed with ADHD and ten were not. Classroom teachers rated their students' behavior using the Iowa Connors Teacher's Rating Scale at two different time during the day for nineteen days (Pelham, W.E., Milch R., & Murphy, D.A., 1989). A higher score indicated greater inattention, hyperactivity, and impassivity while a score of …

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.

Inclusion No More, Kathy Adams

Electronic Journal for Inclusive Education

Observations made in fourth grade classrooms in a neighborhood urban school after the implementation of the Ohio Proficiency test (OPT) demonstrated the loss of one schools exemplary inclusion models. In addition, identified special education students may have been harmed and there was the possibility that the misplacement of some students occurred. Literature warns of the possibility that high stakes tests, like the OPT may increase the number of identified special education students.

Taking It Personally: The Role Of Memoirs In Teacher Education, Sharon A. Hollander

Electronic Journal for Inclusive Education

The current popularity of memoirs and book groups is a cue to education faculty. When complemented by discussion groups and writing assignments, memoirs can be used to facilitate the process of inclusion in the schools by teaching both general and special educators about children with disabilities and their families. These works can also promote quality reading and writing, inspire original and insightful responses from students, and foster a sense of community in class. Some advantages and previous applications of this method are described and recommendations for implementation are made.

Welcome, Patricia R. Renick Ph.D.

Electronic Journal for Inclusive Education

Welcome to the fifth edition of the Electronic Journal of Inclusive Education. With this edition the conversation concerning the inclusion of student with special needs in regular education classroom continues with a number of scholarly articles.

The edition begins with Kathy Adam's discussion of inclusive practice for students from urban and low socio-economic backgrounds. These students are often wounded in the high stakes results of poor proficiency test scores. Ms. Adams provides insight concerning inclusive decisions for these children.

Dr. Mary Ellen Bargerhuff provides a qualitative look at the necessity of strong leadership when implementing inclusive practice. Her research reveals …

The National Board For Professional Teaching Standards: Professional Assessment For Teachers Of Students With Exceptional Needs, Ronald G. Helms Ph.D.

Electronic Journal for Inclusive Education

The National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS) has established five areas of Exceptional Needs as new certification areas: Early Childhood through Young Adult/Exceptional Needs (birth to 8 years), Mild and Moderately Impaired (5 to 21+ years), Severe and Multiply Impaired (5 to 21+ years), Visually Impaired (birth to 21+ years), and Deaf/Hard of Hearing (birth to 21 + years). Pre K - 12+ Exceptional Needs teachers may now be recognized by their schools, communities, state, and nation as master teachers. Teachers are clearly central to planning, implementing, developing, and modifying NBPTS policies and procedures. Only Special Needs educators will …

Book Review: The Paraprofessional's Guide To The Inclusive Classroom: Working As A Team, Patricia R. Renick Ph.D.

Electronic Journal for Inclusive Education

In a special education program, working with paraprofessionals can be either an asset or a nightmare of tension and conflicting role expectations. As a supervisor of student teachers, the complaint that is heard most often is the difficulty establishing a smooth, coherent working relationship with paraprofessionals in the classroom. Often many school districts do not adequately define the roles and expectations for paraprofessionals and do not provide training and preparation for this position. The purpose of this text is to provide a format and structure for creating just such a working relationship.

Supporting Students With Learning Difficulties In A School Of The Air, Judith Rivalland, Mary Rohl, Pru Smith, Centre For Inclusive Schooling Learning Difficulties Team, Department Of Education

Research outputs pre 2011

This project was funded by Edith Cowan University and the Centre for Inclusive Schooling (Department of Education, formerly Education Department of Western Australia) as an Institute for the Service Professions Collaborative Grant. It was carried out in order to examine the following questions:

• What are the ways in which identification, assessment and teaching processes make provision for students with learning difficulties who are enrolled in a School of the Air?

• In what ways do Support Officers Learning Difficulties support these children, their home tutors and their teachers?

Early Childhood Teachers' Knowledge Of Children With Disabilities And Teaching Children With Disabilities, Pamela A. Kilgallon

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

Trends to integrate students with disabilities into general education schools, rely on early childhood teachers utilising their knowledge and skills to provide successful induction into the education system, and fully including students with disabilities in the teaching program. This study describes early childhood teachers' knowledge of children with disabilities, and the teaching of these children, through teachers recounting their sources of knowledge and experiences in teaching children with disabilities. This study was conducted in the northern metropolitan teaching districts of Perth, Western Australia. Using both quantitative and qualitative methodology, 22 early childhood teachers completed a survey involving open-ended questions, followed …

Class Document, Michele Wheatly Ph.D., Timothy Wood, Patricia R. Renick Ph.D., Jeffrey A. Vernooy

Electronic Journal for Inclusive Education

The purpose of this short communication is to inform readers of the journal about an innovative NSF funded project at Wright State University aimed at "Creating Laboratory Access for Students in Science", commonly referred to as the "CLASS Project". The project, now in its second year and under the leadership of Michele Wheatly (Chair of Biological Sciences), represents a collaboration between academic units (Tim Wood, Biological Sciences and Patricia Renick, Teacher Education) and student services (Jeff Vernooy, Director of Office of Disability Services).

Individuals with physical disabilities are significantly underrepresented in mainstream science. Until recently the enterprise of science has …

Variables And Risk Factors In Day Care Settings, Ruth B. Schumacher Ph.D., Rebecca S. Carlson B.M.

Electronic Journal for Inclusive Education

Objective: This article was developed to identify the variables associated with abuse of children in day care centers and homes, and to specify risk factors to guide professionals and parents.

Method: The literature regarding child abuse [physical (PA), sexual (SA), and ritual (RA)] was reviewed, with emphasis on identification of variables associated with victims, perpetrators, and settings. Three factors increased the complexity of the review: (1) Differences in definition and categorization complicated study comparison. (2) Emotional tone affected some reviewers' definitions, methodology, and conclusions. (3) Some aspects of child abuse in day care homes and centers have not been well …

Welcome, Patricia R. Renick Ph.D.

Electronic Journal for Inclusive Education

WELCOME, to the third edition of the Electronic Journal of Inclusive Education. As you can see this is a work in progress. Articles are being revised and will go on-line when we receive them. So continue to stop in and read how the journal is taking shape.

In the mean time, please take a look at the article concerning creating laboratory access for students with disabilities (C.L.A.S.S.). This project has been chosen by the National Science Foundation as a model for teacher preparation and is an ongoing project here at Wright State University. One of the graduate students involved in …

Integration: Being Realistic Isn't Realistic, Norman Kunc

Electronic Journal for Inclusive Education

An increasing amount of pressure is being put on school boards to integrate students with physical, mental, and learning disabilities into regular classrooms, and thus teachers, principals, and those within the educational hierarchy are facing a dilemma to which there seem to be no easy answers. The primary concern confronting these educators is which students should be placed within the regular classroom and which students should be placed in segregated settings - whether in segregated schools or in segregated classes within a regular school. Even within the field of Special Education, there is a wide range of ideologies as to …

June Moon, Catherine Vance

Electronic Journal for Inclusive Education

A poem written by Catherine Vance.

Augmentative Communication Devices In The Classroom And Community, Matthew Sableski

Electronic Journal for Inclusive Education

Assistive technologies may be defined as "any item, device, or piece of equipment that is used to increase, maintain, or improve the functional abilities of persons with disabilities"(Holder-Brown & Parette, 1992, p.73). Devices such as automatic door openers, chair lifts, large print books, customized cars, hearing aids, and wheelchair ramps enhance the independence and productivity of persons with disabilities and increase their ability to participate in the mainstream of society. In a school setting, this technology is not an end in itself; rather it is a means to provide increased experiences, opportunities, and independence for children who have disabilities. Assistive …

Kindergarteners' Acceptance Of The Social Behavior Of A Child With Special Needs, Colleen A. Finegan Ph.D.

Electronic Journal for Inclusive Education

Positive relationships between children are a concern in inclusionary classrooms. This naturalistic study examines the relationship between children's perceptions of their peer's capabilities and its significance in making friendship choices It was found that young children utilize verbal and non-verbal language skills as the basis of decisions about friendship.

Welcome, Patricia R. Renick Ph.D.

Electronic Journal for Inclusive Education

WELCOME to the second edition of the Electronic Journal of Inclusive Education. As you have read we are still under construction in several segments of the journal. However, the articles the editorial board has chosen for this edition reflect the growth of inclusion initiatives across the country and throughout the educational system.

Before you read further, I would like to direct your attention to the "C.L.A.S.S." logo on the cover of the journal. C.L.A.S.S. stands for Creating Laboratory Access for Students with Disabilities. Funded by the National Science Foundation, the purpose of this project is to prepare secondary science educators …

A Model For Inclusive Teacher Preparation, Jerry W. Whitworth Ed. D.

Electronic Journal for Inclusive Education

Providing a quality education for all students in inclusive settings has been identified as perhaps the most challenging, yet most important, issue in education. There is little doubt, however, that inclusivity, rather than exclusivity, will characterize the schools of the next century. To be ready for that future we must prepare teachers who can teach in settings that are inclusive, meeting the needs of all students. This will require a different model of teacher education. This article describes one such model that incorporates what we know about inclusive educational practices into the preservice preparation of special and general education teachers.

Inclusion And Its Effects On Students, Kay E. Walker, June A. Ovington Ph.D.

Electronic Journal for Inclusive Education

Inclusion is being implemented in schools across the nation (National Study of Inclusive Education, 1994). Schools are restructuring their general and special education programs because performance in our nation's schools has been poor. Inclusion advocates believe that the inclusion philosophy will improve education for both the general and special education student (An Inclusion Talkback, 1996). However, there is much disagreement on the effects of inclusion on various categories of students and much confusion about what inclusion really means (National Study of Inclusive Education, 1994).

The conclusions made from research on the topic of inclusion depends upon the population being considered. …

Awakening Genius In The Classroom By Thomas Armstrong, Jacqueline Collier Ph.D.

Electronic Journal for Inclusive Education

In a world of inclusion and acceptance, of diversity and uniqueness, and of looking at the individual strengths of each child in an educational setting, it is only fitting that we look to the "genius" of each learner. The use of the term "genius" in this context redefines the usual perspectives and asks us to stretch our understanding to include the potential capabilities of every learner and what it is that they bring with them to make a unique individual worth developing. In his book Awakening Genius in the Classroom, Thomas Armstrong coaxes each reader to examine his or her …

The Wisdom Of Youth, Thomas Knestrict Ed. D.

Electronic Journal for Inclusive Education

A poem written by Tom Knestrict (Turtlesongs 1994).

Empowering Environments, John R. Wilson

Electronic Journal for Inclusive Education

The special education system has come to a plateau. Although there have been significant advances in the quality of services delivered by special education teachers, this process can go forward only so far. It is now restricted from further significant advance by the bureaucratic and hierarchical form of education administration in this country. Until this structure is radically changed, special education teachers will not have the experiential knowledge to implement (on a wide scale) the individuality, empowerment, teamwork and overall spirit of the Individual Education Program process as outlined and intended in PL 94-142.

The IEP process has moved through …

Book Reviews: Resources For Creating Inclusive Communities, Ann E. Jantzen Ph.D.

Electronic Journal for Inclusive Education

Whether you are looking for an article for a study group meeting, working with a committee on a staff development plan, or preparing you school-wide plan for next school year, the topic of inclusion is surely on your list of critical issues. In working on a State Superintendent's grant for preparing principals for inclusive practice, I recently had the opportunity to become familiar with several excellent resources for all of us involved in transforming school settings into truly inclusive communities. If you don't already have the following titles on your close-at-hand bookshelf I would urge you to get an order …

Review: The Teacher's Guide To Behavioral Intervention: Intervention Strategies For Behavior Problems In The Education Environment, Janice Brickley

Electronic Journal for Inclusive Education

The first two sections of this book are extremely brief. Chapter I is a page and one third of introduction. Mrs. Wunderlich gives a brief background of the techniques she used to identify behaviors targeted in this book and some rationale for developing the manual. Chapter II is directions for using the manual, if the Behaviors Disorder Identification Scale has been administered. The bulk of the manual is contained in Chapters III and IV.