Special Education Policy Change

2017 ◽  
Vol 36 (2) ◽  
pp. 64-72 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brenda L. Barrio
Keyword(s):  
Special Education ◽  
English Language Learners ◽  
School Districts ◽  
Policy Change ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
English Language ◽  
The United States ◽  
Rural School ◽  
Disproportionate Representation ◽  
Rural School Districts

Research suggests that disproportionate representation of culturally and linguistically diverse students in special education has been a recurring topic of concern in the field of special education within the United States. Over the past few years, this concern has shifted to focus on the disproportionate representation of English Language Learners (ELLs) in categories of mild to moderate disabilities, specifically within the category of learning disabilities. Although improvements in educational policy have been made through federal legislation, local rural school districts continue to battle this concern, especially those in rural areas. The following article focuses on the recommendations for development, implementation, and evaluation of local policy change to improve the disproportionate representation of ELL students within rural school districts.

Preparation of teachers to work with communicatively handicapped students in rural schools

1986 ◽  
Vol 7 (3) ◽  
pp. 6-9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ann Beth Sarachan-Deily
Keyword(s):  
New York ◽  
School Districts ◽  
Rural Schools ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
Communication Disorders ◽  
The United States ◽  
Rural School ◽  
Academic Disciplines ◽  
Rural School Districts ◽  
Service Levels

There is a shortage of qualified speech-language pathologists in rural school districts throughout the United States. As a result, many communicatively handicapped students in rural areas are underserved. The need for information concerning communication disorders in rural areas, at both the preservice and in service levels, has become critical. The results of a three-year collaborative project between The College of Saint Rose and fifteen rural school districts in upstate New York are presented, with implications for other universities, rural school districts, and academic disciplines. Suggestions for using collaborative strategies in preparing communication disordered students to work in rural schools, and needs for the future are discussed.

Overidentification of English Language Learners for Special Education

2020 ◽  
pp. 191-215
Author(s):  
Penelope Debs Keough
Keyword(s):  
Special Education ◽  
English Language Learners ◽  
Language Learners ◽  
English Language ◽  
The United States ◽  
Department Of Education ◽  
Proposition 227 ◽  
United States Department ◽  
Disproportionate Number

Alarming statistics presented by the United States Department of Education reveal a disproportionate number of students of minority language (English language learners) qualify for special education. As far back as 2007, the DOE recognized there was a concerted effort needed to reduce racial and ethnic disproportionality in racial and ethnic identification, placement, and disciplinary actions for minority students' representation in special education. This chapter will examine and address solutions to prevent the over identification of English language learners in special education specifically in the area of identification. As a further objective, the ramifications of this over representation will be examined, and the authors hypothesize about why the over representation occurs. Confusion over the Unz Initiative (1998, Proposition 227) may have inadvertently led to the over identification. A case study, leading to case law, concludes the chapter.

The Need for Inservice Training in Instructional Technology for Special Education Personnel in Small Rural School Districts

1982 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 25-29 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paul A. Wirth ◽  
Stephen W. Stile ◽  
Jack T. Cole
Keyword(s):  
Special Education ◽  
Instructional Technology ◽  
School Districts ◽  
Staff Development ◽  
Rural School ◽  
Special Education Teacher ◽  
Rural School Districts ◽  
Special Education Administrator ◽  
Interview Guide ◽  
Small Rural School

One special education teacher and one special education administrator from each of 17 small rural school districts (N=34) were interviewed via a 65–item interview guide relative to staff development needs. A lack of staff development activities was identified as a critical problem for special educators in such districts in New Mexico. Training in the area of instructional technology was the most frequently mentioned inservice need. A majority of respondents indicated that instructional technology would be useful in the provision of special services. The vast majority of respondents felt competence in instructional technology would improve the special educator's effectiveness in the classroom, while the response to the question of whether competence in this area would improve the special education administrator's effectiveness was mixed.

Service Delivery to Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Exceptional Students in Rural School Districts

1994 ◽  
Vol 13 (4) ◽  
pp. 37-45 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jozi De Leon ◽  
Jack Cole
Keyword(s):  
Special Education ◽  
School Districts ◽  
Service Delivery ◽  
Linguistically Diverse ◽  
Rural School ◽  
Culturally And Linguistically Diverse ◽  
Rural School Districts ◽  
Exceptional Students ◽  
Educational Diagnosticians ◽  
Bilingual Special Education

Bilingual special education programs have been established in many school districts across the country to address the unique needs of culturally and linguistically diverse exceptional students (CLDE). Rural school districts may have difficulty meeting the specialized needs of CLDE students due to the limited availability of resources, especially individuals trained in bilingual special education. This study examines the availability of programs which could serve CLDE students, the training of personnel in these programs, and whether educational diagnosticians and speech language pathologists (SLPs) apply procedures which take into account language and cultural factors. The authors suggest that rural school districts can provide service delivery if special educators are trained in cultural and language areas while bilingual and English as a second language (ESL) teachers are trained in exceptionalities.

Within-Group Diversity in Minority Disproportionate Representation: English Language Learners in Urban School Districts

2005 ◽  
Vol 71 (3) ◽  
pp. 283-300 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alfredo J. Artiles ◽  
Robert Rueda ◽  
Jesús José Salazar ◽  
Ignacio Higareda
Keyword(s):  
Special Education ◽  
English Language Learners ◽  
Language Learners ◽  
Language Proficiency ◽  
English Language ◽  
Disproportionate Representation ◽  
Relevant Variables ◽  
Category Type ◽  
Secondary Grades ◽  
Group Diversity

A weakness of research on minority placement in special education is the tendency to overestimate the homogeneity of populations by failing to disaggregate factors such as language proficiency or to consider other relevant variables, for example, social class or program type. Similarly, certain groups have been understudied, such as English language learners (ELLs). We addressed these gaps by examining ELL placement patterns in California urban districts. Disproportionate representation patterns were related to grade level, language proficiency status, disability category, type of special education program, and type of language support program. Students proficient in neither their native language nor in English (particularly in secondary grades) were most affected. Implications for further research and practice are discussed.

scholarly journals Teachers’ Perceptions of their Preparation for Teaching Linguistically and Culturally Diverse Learners in Rural Eastern North Carolina

2018 ◽  
Vol 30 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Debra D. O'Neal ◽  
Marjorie Ringler ◽  
Diane Rodriguez
Keyword(s):  
North Carolina ◽  
English Language Learners ◽  
Language Learners ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
English Language ◽  
Formal Education ◽  
Second Language Learners ◽  
The United States ◽  
Teachers Perceptions ◽  
Eastern North Carolina

The number of English language learners (ELL) students in the US is increasing dramatically. The growth is even more evident in rural areas of the United States such as North Carolina where teachers are facing classrooms with a majority of second language learners. The authors conducted a study interviewing 24 teachers at a rural elementary school in eastern North Carolina. Teachers were interviewed regarding their perceptions of their preparedness to teach English language learners in the mainstream classrooms. Findings revealed that teacher training programs have not prepared these individuals for the student population they face today regardless of the year in which they received their teaching licenses. All teachers showed a strong desire to learn more at this time in their careers, but emphasized their lack of prior training. The study found that even though teachers lacked confidence, they were effectively educating this growing population. The authors discuss the responsibility of Institutions of Higher Education (IHE) to provide formal education in teaching students from diverse language backgrounds.  

scholarly journals Rural Exposures: An Examination of Three Initiatives to Introduce and Immerse Preservice Teachers into Rural Communities and Rural Schools in the U.S. and Australia

2019 ◽  
Vol 40 (2) ◽  
pp. 12-22 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert Mitchell ◽  
Allison Wynhoff Olsen ◽  
Patrick Hampton ◽  
James Hicks ◽  
Danette Long ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Preservice Teachers ◽  
Rural Communities ◽  
School Districts ◽  
Rural Schools ◽  
The United States ◽  
Rural School ◽  
Rural School Districts ◽  
Preparation Programs ◽  
Initial Exposure ◽  
The U.S

One ongoing challenge that educator preparation programs frequently encounter is their limited ability to authentically expose preservice teachers (PSTs) to rural schools and potential careers in rural school districts. To remedy this concern, faculty at three institutions in both the United States and Australia have developed targeted initiatives designed to provide initial exposure to rural schools, build a rural-intensive element within a practicum course, and establish rural immersion experiences for PSTs. A detailed look at the structure of these programs, a comparison of these three diverse approaches, and recommendations for the expansion and sustainability of these efforts are highlighted within this narrative. Through this comparison of activities being advanced in both countries, the authors provide a better understanding of the options and effectiveness related to initial rural school exposure.

Interests and Representation: Ethnic Advocacy on California School Boards

2009 ◽  
Vol 111 (3) ◽  
pp. 659-682
Author(s):  
Luis Ricardo Fraga ◽  
Roy Elis
Keyword(s):  
English Language Learners ◽  
Public Schools ◽  
School Districts ◽  
School Boards ◽  
English Language ◽  
Latino Students ◽  
Original Data ◽  
The United States ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Latino Teachers

Background/Context Researchers have found that school districts with greater representation of Latinos and African Americans on their school boards tend to also have higher percentages of Latino and African American administrators and teachers. This increased presence of coethnics in the educational bureaucracy was then found to predict more favorable educational outcomes for these students. Purpose We determine if these relationships hold for Latinos in California, which has the largest Latino population in the United States and where Latino students make up just under half of all students enrolled in public schools. Research Design Using an original data set of all California school districts in the 2004–2005 school year, we tested these relationships for Latinos in California using multiple regression. Conclusion Contrary to previous research, we found that Latino representation on California school boards was not greater in systems of single-member district election. We did, however, find that the greater presence of Latinos on school boards did increase the likelihood that Latinos would be hired as administrators, but only in Latino-majority districts. After appropriate controls, districts with more Latino administrators also tended to have more Latino teachers. Last, and again contrary to previous research, we found no systematic impact of having more Latino teachers and administrators on enhancing student outcomes for either all Latino students or for English language learners.

scholarly journals An analysis of how restrictive language policies are interpreted by Arizona’s Department of Education and three individual school districts’ websites.

2016 ◽  
Vol 24 ◽  
pp. 105 ◽  
Author(s):  
Margarita Jimenez-Silva ◽  
Katie Bernstein ◽  
Evelyn Baca
Keyword(s):  
English Language Learners ◽  
School Districts ◽  
Critical Discourse Analysis ◽  
Language Learners ◽  
English Language ◽  
The United States ◽  
Department Of Education ◽  
Language Policies ◽  
Individual School ◽  
One Year

Restrictive language policies for education have been passed in several states in the United States. In 1998, 2000, and 2002, California, Arizona, and Massachusetts passed the most restrictive of these policies, impacting 4.4 million students classified as English language learners (ELLs). This study examines how these policies are currently interpreted and presented to the public on Arizona’s Department of Education website, as well as how they are interpreted and presented on the websites of three of the state’s largest school districts. We seek to understand how three key elements of the laws—one-year programmatic time limits, Structured English Immersion (SEI) programs, and waiver processes—are conveyed by each text. Using tools from critical discourse analysis (Fairclough, 2003, 2013, 2015), we trace the endurance or disappearance of these elements between texts and across time. Textual differences are discussed as reflecting and perpetuating important contextual differences among the districts.

scholarly journals Transition Services in Eight Rural Counties of Western New York: Views of Directors of Special Education

2018 ◽  
Vol 37 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Bruce A. Shields ◽  
Mindy S. Scirri ◽  
Michael R. Berta ◽  
Kara M. Klump
Keyword(s):  
New York ◽  
Special Education ◽  
School Districts ◽  
Transition Services ◽  
Rural School ◽  
Rural School Districts ◽  
Directors Of Special Education ◽  
Rural School District ◽  
Rural Settings ◽  
Made In

Rural school districts face different challenges than urban and suburban districts. In fact, several Rural Systemic Initiatives (RSIs) have been established around the country to isolate and address rural school district issues (Harmon & Smith, 2012). In order to improve the effectiveness of transition services in rural schools, feedback from stakeholders in the process is vital. Directors of special education, specifically, must work to facilitate a quality and seamless process for transition despite challenges, and those working in rural settings may face additional obstacles. This study examines the perspectives of these front-line providers in order to begin to understand the difficulties that rural school districts, in particular, must overcome. The challenges and suggestions expressed by directors of special education impact the trajectory of improvements that need to be made in rural education transition services.  These improvements will not only streamline processes for rural educators and staff involved in transition, but will ultimately benefit the families they serve.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document