Challenges of Urban Educators in Implementing State Standards for Students with Disabilities

2021 ◽  
pp. 001312452110045
Author(s):  
Elizabeth D. Cramer ◽  
Rosalia F. Gallo ◽  
Catherine Salum ◽  
Lorena R. Munoz ◽  
Cynthia Pellegrini Lafont ◽  
...  

A lack of information, research, and teacher training exists on the effective implementation of Common Core State Standards (CCSS) or other state standards for struggling learners. The pace and standardization of the curriculum are often at odds with the unique learning needs of students from diverse backgrounds. Researchers in one large urban school district conducted a series of focus groups with special educators to identify their perceptions of these standards and the training needs associated with effective implementation of the standards. The results revealed a pressing need for professional development to facilitate effective implementation of the standards for struggling learners in urban settings. Implications for teacher preparation and urban education are discussed.

2014 ◽  
Vol 50 (2) ◽  
pp. 76-85 ◽  
Author(s):  
Moira Konrad ◽  
Susan Keesey ◽  
Virginia A. Ressa ◽  
Maggie Alexeeff ◽  
Paula E. Chan ◽  
...  

As more states adopt the Common Core State Standards, teachers face new challenges. Teachers must unpack these standards and develop explicit learning targets to make these rigorous standards accessible to their students. This task can be especially challenging for special educators who must balance standards-based education with individualized instruction. This paper describes the value of clarifying learning targets, defines different types of targets, and provides strategies and resources to assist practitioners in unpacking standards to develop learning targets. In addition, the authors suggest how the standards can be used to drive individualized education program planning to maximize learning for students with disabilities and increase the likelihood of student success.


2012 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Robin Ward McCartney ◽  
Donna Dugger Wadsworth

A visual instructional tool that is theory-driven and supported by evidence-based research is used to support student learning and information-processing. The graphic organizer has enhanced learning in Science Education as well as Special Education, emphasizing the construction of knowledge with meaningful sequential relationships rather than memorizing isolated fragments of information. Students construct a visual schema that represents a system of interrelated concepts and icons created by the learner. This article provides a description of a qualitative application of how students with disabilities are able to represent their ideas by assimilating subject matter and their personal perceptions of content by drawing pictures connected to concepts within the visual graphic. Positive results were documented in this study.


2021 ◽  
pp. 104837132110344
Author(s):  
Ellary A. Draper

Within special education, transition is a required part of a student’s Individualized Education Program, specifically the transition from school to postsecondary life. Recently, special educators have begun to investigate best practices of transition at all levels—early intervention into school, elementary to middle school, and middle to high school. Yet in music education transition is not widely discussed for students with and without disabilities. This article includes an overview of best practices of transition in special education and provides ideas on how to implement these practices in music education to better facilitate transition between schools to postsecondary life for students with disabilities.


Author(s):  
Lindsey A. Chapman ◽  
Chelsea T. Morris

Special educators dedicate their careers to caring for one of the most vulnerable and historically marginalized populations of students despite often working in environments that do little to reciprocate this care. Amidst an ever-changing education landscape, special education teachers are becoming increasingly stressed, experiencing burnout at alarming rates, and far too frequently leaving the field altogether. In this chapter, caring school leadership is examined in the context of special education. The authors seek to bridge a theoretical stance with practical application to the field. Three necessary conditions for caring are discussed and specific “transactions of care” are recommended. The chapter concludes by upholding the idea that ensuring special educators feel cared for by school leaders has the potential to mitigate issues of poor working conditions, teacher retention, and consequently, promote positive outcomes for students with disabilities.


Author(s):  
Dorea D. Bonneau ◽  
Margaret M. Cramer

More students can attend colleges and universities from a distance due to broader access and technological advances. Therefore, facilitators are facing the challenge of providing more accommodations and modifications to nontraditional students. The provision of these special services, which have traditionally been provided by special educators, are receiving limited attention. Special educators are educated to make these adjustments on an individual basis in the elementary and secondary levels. However, this has not been the traditional role of the university professor. With today's mass enrollments in online courses, procedures for providing accommodations to all students have become a significant challenge. This chapter will review research on online course design and implementation to address the needs of students with disabilities.


2020 ◽  
pp. 074193252096491
Author(s):  
Samantha G. Daley ◽  
Michael F. McCarthy

This systematic review examines the social and emotional learning (SEL) intervention literature to address questions of whether and how students with disabilities are considered in studies of universal SEL interventions in middle and high schools. From the articles identified for initial review ( n = 4,355), 166 met the inclusionary criteria. Among these, 19 studies explicitly mentioned including students with disabilities. Five studies included analyses of students with disabilities as a subgroup, with varying results. Additional analyses focus on evidence of attention to varied learning needs in curricular materials or training of facilitators. Findings demonstrate scant attention to students with disabilities in reports of universal SEL interventions, leaving open questions about their inclusion and effects of participation. Opportunities for addressing these questions in future research are described.


Author(s):  
Mark Viner ◽  
Ajay Singh ◽  
Michael F. Shaughnessy

This chapter reviews some of the low-tech as well as the high-tech devices available for a wide variety of students with special learning needs. A history of assistive technology devices is explored and defined. Assistive technology has increased in use in recent decades due to accessibility of computers and the digital age. Digital devices such as hand held scanners, online learning environments, and digital resources have changed the educational experiences for students with special needs and disabilities. In response, teacher in-service programs and ongoing professional development programs need to be involved to understand and develop appropriate 21st-century learning opportunities and curricula. Future trends, such as virtual reality (VR) environments, allow opportunities for safe, effective learning. To assist in understanding and choosing the appropriate devices, multiple resources, such as global and national organizations, and online resources are provided.


2014 ◽  
Vol 38 (1) ◽  
pp. 51-62 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jennifer Stephenson ◽  
Mark Carter

Although qualified special educators are more likely to provide effective teaching for students with disabilities and special education needs, it seems many teachers in special education and support positions are not qualified for this role. The study reported here provided analysis of 219 job advertisements for special education positions in order to ascertain what employers required of applicants for special education positions. Advertisements represented all states and sectors in Australia, although the sample does not fully reflect the relative numbers of schools in each state. Most positions were for class teachers or for teachers providing support within and across schools. Special education qualifications and experience in special education were not common criteria for employment. The concerns raised by this finding are addressed through suggestions for formal recognition for special educators and accreditation of teacher education programs preparing special educators.


Author(s):  
Chris Forlin ◽  
Dianne Chambers

Special education has undergone continued transformation since societies began to provide an increasing number of specialized, segregated facilities for children with like needs during the 20th century. Since then, there has been a worldwide movement against a segregated approach and toward greater inclusion of students with disabilities into regular schools. The provision of a dual special education and regular school system, nevertheless, remains in existence, even though there has been a strong emphasis on a more inclusive approach since the latter half of the 20th century. As regular schools become more inclusive and teachers more capable of providing appropriate modifications for most students with learning needs, simultaneously there has been an increase in the number of students whose needs are so severe that schools have not been able to accommodate them. While these children and youth have special needs, they are invariably not related to an identified disability but fall more into a category of diversity. In particular, students who are excluded from schools due to severe infringements, those who are disenfranchised from school and refuse to attend, and those with severe emotional, behavioral, or mental health issues are not being serviced by the existing dual system. For these students neither existing special schools that cater to students with disabilities nor regular inclusive schools provide an appropriate education. The provision of a complementary and alternatively focused education to cater to the specific needs of these marginalized students seems to be developing to ensure sustainability of education and to prepare these new groups of students for inclusion into society upon leaving school. This tripartite approach highlights a new era in the movement toward a sustainable, inclusive education system that caters to the needs of all students and specifically those with the most challenging and diverse requirements.


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