Attitudes of Principals and Special Education Teachers Toward the Inclusion of Students with Mild Disabilities

1999 ◽  
Vol 20 (4) ◽  
pp. 199-207 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bryan G. Cook ◽  
Melvyn I. Semmel ◽  
Michael M. Gerber
Keyword(s):  
Special Education ◽  
Special Education Teachers ◽  
Academic Outcomes ◽  
Regular Education ◽  
Special Educators ◽  
Educational Opportunities ◽  
Mild Disabilities ◽  
Regular Education Initiative ◽  
Teacher Survey ◽  
Education Initiative

Attitudes of 49 principals and 64 special education teachers regarding the inclusion of students with mild disabilities were investigated. Results of a discriminant analysis indicated that principals and special educators were separated into groups with 76% accuracy according to their responses to items drawn from the Regular Education Initiative Teacher Survey (Semmel, Abernathy, Butera, & Lesar, 1991). items measuring attitudes toward the efficacy of included placements with consultative services, the academic outcomes associated with included placements, and the protection of resources devoted to students with mild disabilities correlated most highly with the discriminant function. Findings are discussed in relation to their implications for the implementation of inclusion reforms and the educational opportunities of students with mild disabilities.

Special Education and the Regular Education Initiative: Basic Assumptions

1990 ◽  
Vol 56 (6) ◽  
pp. 479-491 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joseph R. Jenkins ◽  
Constance G. Pious ◽  
Mark Jewell
Keyword(s):  
Special Education ◽  
Regular Education ◽  
Regular Education Initiative ◽  
Basic Assumptions ◽  
Education Initiative

The Regular Education Initiative Debate: Its Promises and Problems

1989 ◽  
Vol 55 (5) ◽  
pp. 440-446 ◽  
Author(s):  
William E. Davis
Keyword(s):  
Special Education ◽  
Regular Education ◽  
Controversial Issue ◽  
Professional Literature ◽  
Regular Education Initiative ◽  
Education Professional ◽  
Unitary System ◽  
Education Initiative

The most intense and controversial issue presently receiving attention in the special education professional literature is the Regular Education Initiative (REI) debate. The proposed merger of special and regular education into a unitary system has attracted both strong advocates and critics. This article examines the current parameters of this discourse, identifies specific problems and issues related to this debate, and suggests strategies for overcoming perceived obstacles and improving the overall dialogue. Particular attention is given to key groups, for example, local educators and students themselves, who have been largely excluded from the REI debate. Most of the suggested benefits of the REI movement will never accrue unless its present discourse is expanded to include these groups.

The Regular Education Initiative: Patent Medicine for Behavioral Disorders

1988 ◽  
Vol 55 (1) ◽  
pp. 21-27 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sheldon Braaten ◽  
James M. Kauffman ◽  
Barbara Braaten ◽  
Lewis Polsgrove ◽  
C. Michael Nelson
Keyword(s):  
Special Education ◽  
Behavioral Disorders ◽  
Regular Education ◽  
Right To Privacy ◽  
Regular Education Initiative ◽  
Appropriate Education ◽  
Education Initiative ◽  
Patent Medicine

Implications of the regular education initiative (REI) for students with behavioral disorders (BD) are examined in the context of integration and right to treatment. Arguments that BD students are being overidentified for special education are refuted. Labels for BD students are seen as important indicants of the seriousness with which professionals take their problems, not as the source of students' spoiled identities. Eligibility for services that encompass appropriate education, right to privacy, and implementation of appropriate interventions are viewed as particularly problematic issues related to realization of laudable goals of the REI.

Survey of the States: Special Education Knowledge Requirements for School Administrators

1992 ◽  
Vol 58 (5) ◽  
pp. 399-406 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thomas C. Valesky ◽  
Marilyn A. Hirth
Keyword(s):  
Special Education ◽  
Regular Education ◽  
School Administrators ◽  
Special Education Law ◽  
Directors Of Special Education ◽  
Regular Education Initiative ◽  
State Directors ◽  
Knowledge Requirements ◽  
Education Administrators ◽  
Education Initiative

Regular education administrators must possess a knowledge of special education to effectively implement P. L. 94-142, and to experiment with and accomplish many of the proposed objectives of the regular education initiative. To determine the existing knowledge base of school administrators in special education and special education law, we surveyed state directors of special education. This article reports the results of the survey, discusses implications, and offers suggestions for improvement.

Exploring the Special Education versus Regular Education Decisions of Future Teachers in the Rural Midwest

2016 ◽  
Vol 35 (4) ◽  
pp. 3-9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Keri L. Desutter ◽  
Steven Dale Lemire
Keyword(s):  
Special Education ◽  
Special Needs ◽  
Special Education Teachers ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
Teacher Candidates ◽  
Regular Education ◽  
Special Educators ◽  
Career Path ◽  
Education Decisions ◽  
Teacher Education Faculty

Persistent shortages of special education teachers, particularly in rural areas, exist across the country. This study assessed the openness of teacher candidates enrolled in an introductory education course at two rural Midwest universities to a special education career path. Survey findings confirmed that work or volunteer experience involving people with special needs is a significant predictor of choosing special education as a career path. Findings also revealed that not all students who have experience with individuals with special needs choose to pursue special education. Considerations for teacher education faculty hoping to attract more special educators to the field are discussed.

A Statewide Examination of Secondary Special Education for Students with Mild Disabilities: Implications for the High School Curriculum

1987 ◽  
Vol 54 (2) ◽  
pp. 122-129 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrew S. Halpern ◽  
Michael R. Benz
Keyword(s):  
High School ◽  
Special Education ◽  
High School Students ◽  
Special Education Teachers ◽  
School Curriculum ◽  
Sources Of Information ◽  
School Students ◽  
High School Curriculum ◽  
Mild Disabilities ◽  
Education Administrators

This article reports the partial findings of a statewide survey of high school special education programs for students with mild disabilities. The focus of this article is on the curriculum. Three sources of information were tapped for this study: (a) special education administrators, (b) high school special education teachers, and (c) parents of high school students with mild disabilities. The return rates were very high: 91%, 89%, and 45% of the three groups, respectively. Four basic topics concerning the curriculum were investigated: (a) its focus and content, (b) discrepancies between availability and utilization, (c) barriers to mainstreaming, and (d) conditions required for improvement. Both data and recommendations with respect to these topics are presented.

Variables Affecting the Reintegration Rate of Students with Serious Emotional Disturbance

1994 ◽  
Vol 61 (3) ◽  
pp. 254-268 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elana Esterson Rock ◽  
Michael S. Rosenberg ◽  
Deborah T. Carran
Keyword(s):  
Special Education ◽  
Regression Analysis ◽  
Emotional Disturbance ◽  
Teacher Attitudes ◽  
Special Education Teachers ◽  
Educational Program ◽  
Special Educators ◽  
Demographic Characteristics ◽  
Serious Emotional Disturbance ◽  
K 12

This study examined educational program and teacher variables to identify factors that predict the reintegration of students with serious emotional disturbance (SED) into less restrictive placements. Data on program demographics, reintegration orientation, teacher reintegration training, and teacher attitudes toward reintegration were collected from 162 special education teachers and 31 administrators in restrictive placements for K-12 students with SED. This information was compared to the reintegration rates of students in those schools through the use of a hierarchical set regression analysis. Results indicated that reintegration orientation, demographic characteristics of restrictive SED programs, and particular experiences/training of special educators predict the reintegration of students with SED into less restrictive programs.

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