Special Education and Teaching Commons^™

Come Saturday Morning ... At Bridgewater State College, Joseph H. Huber, Jamie L. Mackool

Bridgewater Review

No abstract provided.

Educators' Perceptions Of Collaborative Planning Processes For Students With Disabilities, Nari Carter

Theses and Dissertations

When students with disabilities are included in general education classes, collaboration between special and general education teachers is necessary to ensure that the students have access to the general education curriculum and also have supports that enable them to benefit from their education. This paper reports the results of a phenomenological study that investigated the nature of a collaborative planning experience for pairs of special and general education teachers. From the teachers' descriptions of their experience, sharing common philosophies about educating students with disabilities was an important aspect of successful collaborative planning. Collaboration in this experience was voluntary and was …

Five Approaches To Literacy In Correctional Education, Thom Gehring, Gary H. Sherwin

Journal of Critical Issues in Educational Practice

This article introduces literacy from a few “big picture” perspectives, and then reviews five paradigms that have shaped the teaching and learning of literacy in residential confinement institutions for juveniles and adults. The paradigms are specific to correctional education, but they will be familiar to all alternative teachers and advocates of literacy instruction.

Students With Disabilities: Fundamentals To Determine The Best Academic Environment, Marlys Hickox

Master of Education Program Theses

Since the inception of Public Law 94-142 (the Education for All Handicapped Children Act of 1975), students with disabilities have gained access to regular education classrooms. Educating students with disabilities has changed significantly. Much discussion continues to find the basic fundamentals necessary to determine the best learning environment for students with disabilities. This descriptive paper identifies and examines the four fundamentals within the academic community that are responsible for determining and maintaining the best educational environments for students with disabilities: the parental role, the administrators’ support, the teachers’ attitude and aptitude, and the students’ evaluations. Past research studies are synthesized …

What Is In A Name? Labels And Terminologies Regarding Disability And Special Educational Needs: A Continuing Concern, Anupam Ahuja, Parvez Pirzado

Institute for Educational Development, Karachi

No abstract provided.

Highly Qualified Secondary Special Education Co-Teachier Definitions Among The Fifty States, Leslie Sena

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Rationale for this research was based on recent legislative requirements that all teachers must meet the No Child Left Behind of 2001 and Individuals with Disabilities Improvement Act of 2004 highly qualified requirements by the end of the 2005-2006 school year. The purpose of the study was to determine the extent to which state Department of Education officials representing the 50 states addressed the issue of NCLB of 2001 highly qualified personnel provisions for secondary special education co-teachers. Information for this study was represented by online documents that were retrieved from DOE websites across the United States. Findings suggested that …

Important Factors For Consideration When Litigating Special Education Due Process Hearings, Partick O'Halloran

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

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Teaching Characteristics And Practices Which Affect Language And Literacy Development For Students With Complex Communication Needs, Laura King

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study examined teacher characteristics and practices identified as effective through current research for teaching students with complex communication needs. For this population, communication issues are more complex than those typically encountered in other settings. Specifically, the researcher asked: what are the desired characteristics and practices for this population, and are the desired characteristics and practices present in current settings? Working with six teachers in a large urban school district, this study utilized a multiple case study design. Criteria for participation included the teacher as the primary reading/language arts instructor for a student who used an augmentative and alternative communication …

A Study Of New Jersey's Assessment And Accountability System For Students With Disabilities And Its Impact On Special Education Services, Julie Moul Gardner

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

Use of high stakes assessment for special needs students is a key element in the current educational reform movement. State assessment systems use these tests to determine and report school accountability scores, distribute school funding, and assess school rewards and sanctions. The impact of including these students' test score on the district accountability reports has not yet been determined. Directors of special services, the primary individuals for supervising or coordinating district special education programs, have an extensive understanding of administrative and functional knowledge of special education services and are therefore able to provide insight concerning the impact of accountability on …

Restrictiveness And Race In Special Education: The Issue Of Cultural Reciprocity, Howard P. Parette

Faculty Publications - College of Education

The issue of segregation of students with disabilities across cultural groups
is a function of cultural values demonstrated by charter schools and the
resulting dissonance between these values and those demonstrated by
families. Lack of understanding about school culture and diverse family
value systems can lead to varying family responses to the school culture,
including assimilation, integration, separation, and marginalization.
Assuming a posture of cultural reciprocity is suggested as a means for education professionals in charter schools to more effectively understand families of children with disabilities. This four-step process includes (a) identifying the education professional’s interpretation of family and child …

Is It Simply A New Language Or Is It A Learning Problem?, Lynda M. Warner

Master of Education Program Theses

English Language Learners (ELLs) have been over-identified for placement into special education classes for more than 20 years. Causes include a lack of precisely defined constructs for disabilities, funding methods used by states, failure to follow federal legislation, weak prereferral systems to special education in schools, a huge influx of non-English speaking students to the classroom, and a lack of training amongst teachers. Correctly identifying ELLs who also need special education is difficult, but teachers can safeguard against improper identification by taking into account the social, educational, cultural, and language aspects of students' special circumstances, i.e., the needs of the …

The Representation Of African American Students In Programs For The Mild Mentally Retarded, Peter Laurance Gennaro

Theses Digitization Project

For more than thirty years, it has been acknowledged that African American students have been over-represented in programs designed for individuals with mild mental retardation (MMR). This project was designed to explore the history and literature of the research that has been conducted on this subject over the past three decades. Additionally, this project was undertaken to determine if over-representation of African American students in programs for the mild mentally retarded is a condition that exists in Riverside County, California.

Putting Humpty Dumpty Together Again: What's Right With Betsy, Elaine R. Silliman, Louise C. Wilkinson, Robin L. Danzak

Communication Disorders Faculty Publications

Betsy is a telling case of the struggles and victories of a youngster who has grappled with a language learning disability for most of her 17 years. Her story is a fitting way to conclude this volume because she represents how a child with motivation and resilience can confront the educational and interpersonal obstacles she has experienced. Her story, which predates the passage of the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 and the 1997 Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, is a metaphor for the ongoing debates in theory and practice about the meanings of a learning disability versus a …

Effective Methods Of Supervising Student Teachers In Special Education Environments, Tina Georgeson, Cory Gann, Steve Nourse

All Faculty Scholarship for the College of Education and Professional Studies

Although cooperating teachers design and implement model programs of inclusion and special instruction, the supervision of student teachers requires an entirely other "trunk full of unique tools." Successfully facilitating the student teacher's development requires not only good modeling, but also meaningful feedback that is honest and constructive. Such mentoring holds the most promise when the intern receives maximum experience with the tenets of a constructivist teaching philosophy and the implementation of best instructional and management practices. The cooperating teacher is ideally situated to interpret the contours of constructivist theory as it is manifested in daily classroom discourse and activity. Careful …

The Classroom And Beyond: The Teacher's Role In Collaboration For Children With Emotional And Behavioral Disorders, Sarah Altman

Graduate Student Independent Studies

While many interventions have been used to help children with emotional and behavioral problems, outcomes for children with emotional and behavioral disturbances continue to be poor. Identifying teachers as essential collateral participants in evidence-based, systems approaches to addressing the needs of children with emotional and behavioral problems, this manual is offered as a guide for members of the education community. Teacher cooperation with empirically supported interventions, interagency collaboration, and programs that accept families as equal partners, have all been clearly supported by research and this collaborative role is discussed in light of relevant literature. Exploring the issues related to emotional …

Fixing The Hole In The Pipe : Moving Beyond Prereferral Toward Changing The System, Jean T. Papandrea

Dissertations

Problem

Too many students in school districts across the nation fail and are inappropriately referred for special education classification and services, when, in reality, they are not disabled, but are casualties of systems that do not have appropriate instructional intervention and support systems in place. This study explores the outcomes of an Instructional Support system called the 7 SHARE Initiative. Essential system components are: (a) Instructional Support Teachers (ISTs) in each school, (b) Curriculum-Based Assessment as developed by Edward E. Gickling, (c) direct instruction of strategies to students, and (d) modeling strategies for teachers to implement in class-wide applications.

Method …

Teaching Gifted Students With Learning Disabilities In The Regular Classroom, Jessica J. Johnson

Honors Capstones

Capstone submitted as a graduation requirement for the BSU Honors Program.

Over-Representation Of African-American Students In Special Education: The Role Of A Developmental Framework In Shaping Teachers' Interpretations Of African-American Students' Behavior, Valerie Maholmes, Fay E. Brown

Trotter Review

The authors draw on the findings of gestalt psychology to demonstrate how teachers' views of African American learning styles and behavior can determine whether these will be pathologized or supported by the educational system. The disproportionately large numbers of African American youth incorrectly assigned to special education courses indicate a lack of clarity in disability criteria and indicate also the use of a "deficit model" or perceptual lens through which teachers assign negative meanings to the behavior of African American students. Case examples of language used by teachers in describing randomly selected students illustrate teachers' deficit-based focus on student behavior …

An Instructional Manual For Implementation Of Voice Recognition (Vr) In Written Communication, Lori Odagiri

All Graduate Projects

This project investigated the use of voice recognition for written communication. The literature review revealed a lack of research in using voice recognition with individuals with disabilities. An instructional manual consisting of a step-by-step process to guide students through the general training process and teaching students the additional features of the program to promote independent use of Dragon Naturally Speaking Version 5 for written communication. Field tests were completed with 3 students, two with physical disabilities and one with a learning disability.

A Manual For First Year Special Education Teachers, Billye June Dillard

All Graduate Projects

Special education faculty and staff face specific problems in educating children with distinctive needs. Overly high workloads for new teachers and paraprofessionals increase the amount of pressure placed on indi victuals faced with inclusion. This manual is designed to be used as a guide to help teachers through their initial introduction to the classroom. Special Education Law, Inclusion, Motivation Techniques for Special Children, and Parent Involvement are discussed. In addition, valuable resources for further exploration are provided.

Evaluation Of A Distance Learning Program For The Preparation Of Special Education Teachers, Tami Seifert

Theses and Dissertations in Urban Services - Urban Education

The primary purpose of this research was to evaluate the efficacy of the distance learning Commonwealth Special Education Endorsement Program (CSEEP) delivered by Old Dominion University. The CSEEP program was designed to address economic and geographic barriers confronting teachers seeking to complete requirements for endorsement in special education, improve the quality of education teachers, help reduce the shortage of fully licensed special education teachers, and increase teacher retention in special education.

This evaluation was designed to assess program results, examine the effectiveness of the program, and determine the impact on both the participants and the schools, and identify ways to …

Perceptions And Knowledge Of The General Education Teacher's Role In The Iep Process, Sarah Jane Vandruff

Theses & Honors Papers

The perceptions and knowledge of general education teachers on their role in the IEP process were investigated. The literature suggests that the perceptions of teachers are influenced by many factors. The three main factors influencing teacher perceptions include: a) teacher training and staff support, b) the presence of an effective inclusion program, and c) the time available for the teacher to participate to his/her fullest potential. Teachers in Virginia have the training needed. However, teachers lack the presence of an effective inclusion program ad the time needed to collaborate and fully participate.

Is The Level Of Teacher Burnout More Significant Among Elementary Special Education Teachers Or Elementary General Education Teachers?, Susie Brandt, Deana Burgess, Debra Watts

The Corinthian

Increases in class size and class mix, a preponderance of students from nontraditional families, lack of student motivation, discipline problems, and the mainstreaming of special needs students in general education classes have contributed to greater demands on teachers in the classroom. As a result of such major changes and demands, teachers are reported to be experiencing higher levels of stress leading to the possibility of burnout.

A Handbook For Students With Dyslexia Learning To Understand It And Learning How To Help Themselves, Vikki L. Dolman

All Graduate Projects

The purpose of this project was to expand upon a current workshop that taught students about positive self-esteem and how to self-advocate for themselves, by creating a handbook of information about dyslexia and some strategies to pre-expose them to the workshop content. The handbook includes an appendix with all required material to complete the workshop. The project also contains, a review of current literature and research related to dyslexia including the definition, diagnosis, testing, remediation, and self-esteem in regards to dyslexia was conducted.

A Recipe For Successful Inclusion, Holly Kay Dunham-Wheeler

All Graduate Projects

A model to assist in the process of including students with disabilities into general education classes for sixth and seventh grade students at West Valley Middle School in Yakima, Washington was developed. A literature review of current research supports inclusion as a model that addresses the school culture in the Untied States at this time. The literature review also indicated the need for schools to provide and teach study skills to better prepare students for their future.

An Alternative Residential Education Program: An Evaluative Study, Marc A. Kincaid

All Graduate Projects

Schools today are trying to make an adaptation to accommodate all children and their disabilities. For many, the problem does not lie in a child's learning ability, but rather in their behavioral disability. According to its mission, The Ranch is committed to not only accommodating at-risk boys, but is trying to help them re-adjust and re-enter society with the skills necessary to function in every day life. The purpose of this paper is to evaluate The Ranch by examining the effectiveness of the program and its goals. Evaluation was done both Formatively and Summatively, through interviews and documentation. The researcher …

Promoting Self-Advocacy Skills For Students With Mild Disabilities, Loretta Lynn Franz

All Graduate Projects

The purpose of this project was to develop a unit plan for teachers to help promote self-advocacy skills in the Individual Education Program (IEP) for students with mild disabilities. The results of this study indicate that students with mild disabilities are required to be invited to their IEP when consideration of services are to be discussed. Students are often not successful in the IEP process because they are dependent on others to make decisions for them. They are not given the opportunity to make their own choices and decisions. They have a poor self-concept, lack of understanding, self-acceptance and motivation. …

An Adaptive Curriculum Students With Special Needs, John E. Janke

All Graduate Projects

The purpose of this project was to adapt existing social studies program materials for use with students with special needs in selected Washington State middle/junior high school. To accomplish this purpose, a comprehensive literature review of research related to social studies curricular and students with special needs was conducted. Existing curriculum was adapted, with special attention given to Washington State Essential Academic Learning Requirements (EALR) requirements. The project materials relate to European history from ancient to modern times, and may be a model for adapting other materials by other teachers.

A Guide Of Motivational Activities And Supplementary Materials For Use With Selected Reading Texts Appropriate For Use With Middle And High School Male Students With Learning Disabilities, Dianne Harmon Owens

All Graduate Projects

This project was designed to identify instructional strategies and activities to be used concurrently with selected literature for students with specific learning disabilities. As students progress through the middle and high school grades, specific strategies for reading are essential if students are to successfully comprehend narrative as well as expository text. Instructional strategies and activities were compiled for teacher use for male students at the middle and high school level.

Impact Of Peer Teaching On The Acquisition Of Social Skills By Adolescents With Learning Disabilities, Mary Anne Prater, Loretta A. Serna, Kayleen K. Nakamura

Faculty Publications

The purpose of the study was to examine the impact of peer teaching on social skills acquisition of adolescents with learning disabilities. A special education teacher taught 12 students with learning disabilities three social skills, giving positive feedback, contributing to discussion, and accepting negative feedback. A random sample of five students previously taught by the teacher then instructed five other students with learning disabilities. Results indicated that both groups, the students taught by their teachers and those taught by their peers, improved in all three social skills. Both groups made less improvement in accepting negative feedback. The authors' conclude that …