Emergent Concepts of Inclusion in the Context of Committed School Leadership

2020 ◽  
Vol 52 (8) ◽  
pp. 1238-1263
Author(s):  
Srikala Naraian ◽  
Mary Ann Chacko ◽  
Claire Feldman ◽  
Tara Schwitzman-Gerst
Keyword(s):  
Public Schools ◽  
School District ◽  
General Education ◽  
Students With Disabilities ◽  
School Leadership ◽  
Urban School District ◽  
Learning Differences ◽  
School Based ◽  
General Education Setting ◽  
Building Leaders

Inclusion of students with disabilities within general education settings is increasingly accepted as the desirable response of school systems to student learning differences. It has triggered districtwide reforms that are differentially enacted and realized within different schooling contexts. This study explores meanings of inclusion that were produced when three school leaders in a large urban school district adopted buildingwide initiatives to facilitate inclusion. We interviewed building leaders, families, and teachers within three public schools over a period of approximately 11 months. Data disclosed that the enactment of initiatives at each school reflected particular understandings of disability as well as relations with teachers and families. Our analysis showed that schoolwide commitments to inclusion can simultaneously produce forms of exclusion, erase dis/ability as a form of diversity, and neglect to understand parents and families as “experts” on their children. We argue that the structural implementation of inclusion premised on placement of students with disabilities in a general education setting leaves intact and unquestioned school-based norms of ability that render both students and families as lacking.

Mental Health Services, Free Appropriate Public Education, and Students With Disabilities: Legal Considerations in Identifying, Evaluating, and Providing Services

2017 ◽  
Vol 20 (2) ◽  
pp. 67-77 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mitchell Yell ◽  
Carl Smith ◽  
Antonis Katsiyannis ◽  
Mickey Losinski
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Public Schools ◽  
Public Education ◽  
School District ◽  
Mental Health Services ◽  
Health Services ◽  
Students With Disabilities ◽  
Related Services ◽  
Free Appropriate Public Education ◽  
Education Act

In the past few years, the provision of mental health services in public schools has received considerable attention. When students with disabilities are eligible for special education and related services under the Individuals With Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), mental health services are required if such services are needed to provide students with a free appropriate public education (FAPE). That is, when a student’s individualized education program (IEP) team determines that he or she needs mental health services to receive a FAPE, a school district is required to provide these services. Our purpose is to discuss when school district personnel should identify, evaluate, and serve students with disabilities who may have mental health needs.

scholarly journals Comparison of the enrollment percentages of magnet and non-magnet schools in a large urban school district.

2006 ◽  
Vol 14 ◽  
pp. 33
Author(s):  
Emily Arcia
Keyword(s):  
Public Schools ◽  
School District ◽  
Educational Outcomes ◽  
Magnet Schools ◽  
Urban School ◽  
Urban School District ◽  
Student Enrollment ◽  
Dade County ◽  
Urban District ◽  
Time Points

Are magnet schools in a position to meet diversity ideals? As districts are declared unitary and released from court ordered desegregation, many are framing their commitments to fairness and equity in terms of diversity˜i.e., comparable rates of participation and comparable educational outcomes in all segments the student population. In this study, the enrollment statistics for magnet and contiguous non-magnet public schools in Miami-Dade County Public Schools, a large, urban district that had been released from court ordered desegregation, were compared to each other and to district enrollment averages at two time points: the year the district was declared unitary and four years hence. Findings indicated that within four years of being declared unitary, the gains that the magnet schools had made with regards to Black/non-Black desegregation had eroded substantially. Also, in the four year span, magnet schools had not made significant strides in meeting the diversity ideals adopted by the district at being released from supervision by the court. These findings highlight the difficulty of attaining diversity in student enrollment characteristics when quotas are not used and suggest that recruitment and enrollment policies must be crafted with care if districts are to achieve diversity goals.

scholarly journals The Impact of Initial Field Experience on Pre-Service Teachers' Attitude Toward Inclusion

2009 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 3-13 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peggy Gill ◽  
Ross Sherman ◽  
Cynthia Sherman
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Teacher Preparation ◽  
General Education ◽  
Students With Disabilities ◽  
Field Experience ◽  
The United States ◽  
Initial Field ◽  
General Education Setting ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Attitude Toward Inclusion

The Impact of Initial Field Experience on Pre-Service Teachers' Attitude Toward InclusionIn the United States, up to 50% of new teachers leave the profession within 5 years (Smith & Ingersoll, 2004). This unacceptable level of sustainability of the profession is of concern to both teacher preparation institutions and the local education agencies. This paper looks at one factor that may impact the sustainability of current teacher preparation models: attitudes toward inclusion of students with disabilities in the mainstream classroom. Participants in the study were currently enrolled in 3 different phases of a teacher preparation programmes at a regional university in the United States. A survey was administered at the beginning and at the end of the semester. Results indicate that students become progressively more negative toward inclusion of students with disabilities in the general education classroom yet continue to support the social value of having all students in a general education setting. Results from the survey are presented and implications for practice are discussed.

Organizing Schools for the Inclusion of Students with Disabilities

Education ◽  
2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Laura E. Bray ◽  
Laura E. Stelitano
Keyword(s):  
General Education ◽  
Students With Disabilities ◽  
School Leadership ◽  
General Educators ◽  
Time Space ◽  
Literature Base ◽  
Critical Components ◽  
Education Of Students ◽  
Educational Inclusion ◽  
Delivery Models

Inclusion is a societal ideology and commitment to involving, empowering, and respecting the inherent worth and dignity of all people. This commitment to inclusion has been embraced and promoted by educational policies, institutions, and organizations. In terms of the educational inclusion of students with disabilities, the field commonly defines it as the instruction and provision of educational supports and services to students with disabilities in general education classrooms. While numerous studies have examined inclusive practices and instruction, the field has not coalesced around how to organize for inclusion. As such, there is not a consensus regarding the arrangement of and expectations placed upon resources (i.e., time, space, students, and personnel), as well as how these resources should interact, to facilitate the education of students with disabilities in general education settings. Examples of this include the placement and composition of students in inclusive classrooms; the allocation of resources to support inclusion; the structures and practices to support where, how, and how often special and general educators work together; and the assignment and roles of educators and support staff. With this being said, the literature base is filled with research that has touched upon and illuminated critical components of organizing for inclusion. For instance, the importance of school-wide reform models (e.g., multitiered system of supports/response to intervention) that provide a framework for the identification and delivery of educational resources to students with disabilities, the need for school leadership to foster environments and expectations that promote inclusive reform, and the necessity of collaboration between general and special educators in the provision of educational services and support. This article separates this literature into different “lenses” of analysis. In other words, it identifies different perspectives or points of view used when studying or discussing inclusive reform. These lenses include school-wide reform and frameworks, program delivery models, school leadership, and educators’ roles and working conditions. Within each of these lenses, we include both highly cited and more recent articles that provide insights on key elements of organizing for the inclusion of students with disabilities.

Clyde K. and Sheila K. v. Puyallup School District the Courts, Inclusion, and Students with Behavioral Disorders

1995 ◽  
Vol 20 (3) ◽  
pp. 179-189 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mitchell L. Yell
Keyword(s):  
School District ◽  
General Education ◽  
Students With Disabilities ◽  
Behavior Disorders ◽  
Behavior Management ◽  
Full Inclusion ◽  
Court Of Appeals ◽  
Emotional And Behavior Disorders ◽  
And Behavior ◽  
Students With Ebd

Currently, one of the most controversial topics in education is the movement toward full inclusion of students with disabilities. Recent federal circuit courts have issued rulings which seem to favor a full inclusion position. These cases, however, involved the inclusion of students with moderate mental disabilities who did not present significant behavior management problems to their teachers. The relevance for students with emotional and behavior disorders (EBD) has been, therefore, uncertain. In late 1994, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit issued a ruling in Clyde K. and Sheila K. v. Puyallup School District. This decision involved the inclusion of a student with emotional and behavior disorders in the general education classroom. The ruling, in favor of the school district, was a departure from a recent string of decisions for plaintiffs seeking full inclusion and indicated that a significant factor in making placement decisions for students with EBD is the effect of the student's behavior on classmates and the educational environment. This article will review the legal basis of inclusion, examine the case law, and offer principles extrapolating from these cases regarding students with EBD and inclusion.

Is Integration of Students with Disabilities Happening?

1994 ◽  
Vol 15 (4) ◽  
pp. 204-215 ◽  
Author(s):  
Richard J. Sawyer ◽  
Margaret J. McLaughlin ◽  
Marianne Winglee
Keyword(s):  
Public Schools ◽  
General Education ◽  
Students With Disabilities ◽  
General Public ◽  
Least Restrictive Environment ◽  
Regular Education Initiative ◽  
Is Integration ◽  
Restrictive Environment ◽  
General Education Classrooms ◽  
Education Initiative

This Study Analyzed National Program Record Data to Determine the Extent to which Students with Various Disabilities have been Integrated into General Public Schools, Since 1977, and General Education Classrooms, Since 1985. The Least Restrictive Environment (LRE) Mandate, Historical Origins of LRE, Recent LRE Initiatives, Including the Regular Education Initiative, and Relevant Research are Discussed. The Utility and Reliability of the Data are also Examined. Results Indicate that, Overall, Increases in Placements within General Public Schools have Occurred for Most Students with Disabilities. Increased Placements in General Education Classrooms have also Occurred and have been Even More Pronounced. Integration Patterns, However, have Varied Substantially Across Disabilities; Possible Reasons for these Differences are Presented.

Endrew F. v. Douglas County School District (2017): The U.S. Supreme Court and Special Education

2017 ◽  
Vol 53 (5) ◽  
pp. 321-324 ◽  
Author(s):  
Angela M. T. Prince ◽  
Mitchell L. Yell ◽  
Antonis Katsiyannis
Keyword(s):  
Special Education ◽  
Public Schools ◽  
Public Education ◽  
School District ◽  
Supreme Court ◽  
Students With Disabilities ◽  
Free Appropriate Public Education ◽  
Disabilities Education Act ◽  
Education Act ◽  
The U.S

On March 22, 2017, the U.S. Supreme Court announced its decision in Endrew F. v. Douglas County School District. This case addressed the question how much educational benefit are public schools required to provide to students with disabilities under the Individuals With Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) to confer a free appropriate public education (FAPE). The purpose of this legal update is to provide a brief overview of court developments regarding FAPE, summarize Endrew, and provide implications for practice.

Meaningful Professional Development in Accommodating Students with Disabilities Lessons Learned

1995 ◽  
Vol 16 (6) ◽  
pp. 344-353 ◽  
Author(s):  
JEANNE SHAY SCHUMM ◽  
SHARON VAUGHN
Keyword(s):  
Professional Development ◽  
General Education ◽  
Students With Disabilities ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Inservice Teachers ◽  
Development Programs ◽  
School Based ◽  
Pros And Cons ◽  
Professional Development Programs ◽  
High Incidence Disabilities

The purpose of this article is to describe lessons learned from a series of professional development programs with inservice teachers (elementary through high school) designed to promote improvement of practices for instructing students with high-incidence disabilities in general education settings. initial professional development programs (n = 4) focused on exploring possibilities for effective formats and content. subsequent programs (n = 3) built on lessons learned and developed an intensive collaboration between university and school-based researchers in elementary classroom settings. pros and cons of each program are discussed as well as future directions for research.

Full Inclusion and the Education of Children and Youth with Emotional and Behavioral Disorders

1994 ◽  
Vol 19 (4) ◽  
pp. 277-293 ◽  
Author(s):  
Timothy J. Lewis ◽  
David Chard ◽  
Terrance M. Scott
Keyword(s):  
General Education ◽  
Students With Disabilities ◽  
Behavioral Disorders ◽  
Emotional And Behavioral Disorders ◽  
Promising Practices ◽  
Professional Literature ◽  
Full Inclusion ◽  
General Education Setting ◽  
Wide Adaptation ◽  
Education Of Students

The recent professional literature has been replete with articles focusing on the school reform movement labeled full inclusion whereby advocates are pushing for the placement of all students with disabilities in general education settings. While the movement's roots can be traced to advocates of persons with severe handicaps, educators, administrators, and parents are generalizing the movement's goals to students with other disabilities including emotional and behavioral disorders. Related issues surrounding the full inclusion movement must be examined prior to wide adaptation for all students with disabilities. The purpose of this article is to explore three relevant issues in determining appropriate placements for students with emotional and behavioral disorders. First, this article examines some of the current objectives of the full inclusion movement in relation to the education of students with emotional and behavioral disorders. Second, issues surrounding the placement of students with disabilities are often resolved not in professional literature but in courtrooms; therefore, current court cases focusing on inclusion that impact how special education services are delivered are also summarized. Finally, provided a general education setting is the most appropriate placement, promising practices for educating students with emotional and behavioral disorders to maximize their success are discussed.

Response to Intervention in the State of Florida

2019 ◽  
pp. 256-278
Author(s):  
Regina Winnette Hightower
Keyword(s):  
Response To Intervention ◽  
General Education ◽  
Students With Disabilities ◽  
Student Performance ◽  
Effective Teaching Strategies ◽  
General Education Setting ◽  
Improve Student Performance ◽  
Tiered System ◽  
Education Act ◽  
Problem Solve

The 2004 Individuals with Disabilities Education Act led to an era of educational reform that called for scientifically based curriculum and data-driven decision-making when devising instructional strategies. Response to intervention was subsequently endorsed. Because students with disabilities were being included within the general education setting during this time, many states like Florida, made use of the multi-tiered system of supports (MTSS). This process was used to plan and problem-solve effective teaching strategies to improve student performance in reading and in mathematics. This chapter explores how Florida has used MTSS to narrow achievement gaps and create educational opportunities for all students.

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