Variation in Special Education Classification Across School Districts: How Does Where You Live Affect What You Are Labeled?

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.

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Changing Special Education Practice: Law, Advocacy, And Innovation

Canadian Journal of Community Mental Health ◽

10.7870/cjcmh-1990-0019 ◽

1990 ◽

Vol 9 (2) ◽

pp. 65-78 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Gordon L. Porter ◽

Diane Richler

Keyword(s):

Special Education ◽

Nova Scotia ◽

School Districts ◽

New Brunswick ◽

Integrated Education ◽

Education Practice ◽

Application Of Law ◽

Collaborative Action ◽

School Programs ◽

Made In

The development of integrated school programs in Canadian schools is described. The article identifies three factors that have produced progress which is unique to Canada (i.e., the application of law, advocacy, and innovation). The legal factors are linked to the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, the Schools Act in New Brunswick, and two cases, the Elwood case in Nova Scotia and the Robichaud case in New Brunswick. Developments in New Brunswick since the passage of Bill 85 in 1986 that mandates integration are recounted. Advocacy is described in relation to the vision parents have articulated for their children's futures and the collective and individual advocacy of those committed to integrated education. The innovative changes made in a number of schools and school districts and factors linked to districts that have implemented innovative programs are described. Recommendations are made for collaborative action by parents and professionals to achieve exclusionary school programs.

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

Rural Special Education Quarterly ◽

10.1177/875687059401300406 ◽

1994 ◽

Vol 13 (4) ◽

pp. 37-45 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

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.

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Status of Educational Services to Handicapped Students with Limited English Proficiency: Report of a Statewide Study in California

Council review ◽

10.1177/001440298705400304 ◽

1987 ◽

Vol 54 (3) ◽

pp. 220-227 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Patricia Thomas Cegelka ◽

Rena Lewis ◽

Ana Maria Rodriguez

Keyword(s):

Special Education ◽

School Districts ◽

Service Delivery ◽

Limited English Proficiency ◽

Response Rate ◽

Educational Service ◽

Survey Questionnaire ◽

Educational Placement ◽

Identification Evaluation ◽

Data Banks

The purpose of this study was to develop an information base on educational service delivery for limited English proficient (LEP), handicapped students in 145 randomly selected school districts in California. Information on the districts was gathered both from existing data banks and a survey questionnaire. The survey instrument was returned by 104 districts for a response rate of 71%. Information was gathered on the following: proportion of LEP students in special education programs; the procedures commonly used in the screening, identification, evaluation, and reevaluation of LEP, handicapped students; educational placement options; and the curricula and instructional practices employed. The study concluded that quantitatively the state was doing well relative to identification and placement into special education of LEP students but that qualitative aspects of service delivery are frequently contrary to those recommended by both theory and research.

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A qualitative inquiry into social justice issues facing educators of students with autism spectrum disorders

10.32469/10355/63679 ◽

2017 ◽

Author(s):

◽

Adam John Stephens

Keyword(s):

Special Education ◽

Social Justice ◽

School Districts ◽

Phenomenological Study ◽

School Personnel ◽

Autism Spectrum ◽

Qualitative Inquiry ◽

Learner Outcomes ◽

Social Justice Theory ◽

K 12

The purpose of this study was to explore the experiences of various educators charged with the task of educating students with ASD within three public Midwestern school districts. Through the lens of social justice theory, this phenomenological study sought to further the understanding of the unique and varied needs of both the ASD student subgroup, and the multiple school stakeholders charged with providing equity within ASD education. The researcher examined the views and perceptions of special education administrators, special education teachers, and paraprofessionals with regard to challenges and obstacles to ASD equity, and methods used to overcome those obstacles. Participant responses demonstrated that the social justice principles of distribution, recognition, and opportunities (Hytten and Bettez, 2011), are reflected in the practices of ASD educators at varying levels levels. However, within certain school personnel, a lack of knowledge and valuation of students with ASD is still prevalent. Therefore, the implications of this study demonstrate a need for K-12 school districts and higher education institutions to offer more opportunities for educators of students with ASD to learn about their unique traits and strategies the study findings and research have shown improve learner outcomes for students across the autism spectrum.

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School-Based Wraparound for Students with Emotional and Behavioral Challenges

Council review ◽

10.1177/001440299706300414 ◽

1997 ◽

Vol 63 (4) ◽

pp. 539-555 ◽

Cited By ~ 44

Author(s):

Lucille Eber ◽

C. Michael Nelson ◽

Patricia Miles

Keyword(s):

Special Education ◽

School Districts ◽

Behavioral Disorders ◽

Emotional And Behavioral Disorders ◽

The State ◽

Educational Services ◽

Behavioral Challenges ◽

School Based ◽

Pilot School ◽

Emotional And Behavioral Challenges

In this article, we describe a process, wraparound planning, for extending educational services to students with emotional and behavioral disorders (EBD) and their families which allows the children to remain in their home communities and schools. A merger of community and school-based wraparound has been established in the La Grange Area Department of Special Education (LADSE) and currently is being implemented in pilot school districts throughout the state of Illinois. Guidelines for implementing school-based wraparound for students with EBD are provided, and implications for the organization of schools to facilitate the wraparound approach are discussed.

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Three Midwest Rural School Districts’ First Year Transition to the Four Day School Week

The Rural Educator ◽

10.35608/ruraled.v40i1.529 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 40 (1) ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Jon Turner ◽

Kim Finch ◽

Ximena Uribe-Zarain

Keyword(s):

Special Education ◽

School Districts ◽

Parental Support ◽

Day School ◽

First Year ◽

Rural School Districts ◽

Free And Reduced Lunch ◽

Elementary Aged Children ◽

School Week ◽

Special Education Identification

The four-day school week is a concept that has been utilized in rural schools for decades to respond to budgetary shortfalls. There has been little peer-reviewed research on the four-day school week that has focused on the perception of parents who live in school districts that have recently switched to the four-day model. This study collects data from 584 parents in three rural Missouri school districts that have transitioned to the four-day school week within the last year. Quantitative statistical analysis identifies significant differences in the perceptions of parents classified by the age of children, special education identification, and free and reduced lunch status. Strong parental support for the four-day school week was identified in all demographic areas investigated; however, families with only elementary aged children and families with students receiving special education services were less supportive than other groups.

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Addressing Racial/Ethnic Disproportionality in Special Education: Case Studies of Suburban School Districts

Teachers College Record ◽

10.1177/016146811111301004 ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 113 (10) ◽

pp. 2233-2266 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Roey Ahram ◽

Edward Fergus ◽

Pedro Noguera

Keyword(s):

Professional Development ◽

Special Education ◽

School Districts ◽

Culturally Responsive ◽

Intervention Program ◽

Technical Assistance ◽

Research Question ◽

New York State ◽

Deficit Thinking ◽

Suburban School Districts

Background/Context The last two reauthorizations of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act established a policy mandate for districts to take action to reduce high rates of minority overrepresentation in special education. Purpose/Objective/Research Question/Focus of Study The overrepresentation of Black and Latino students in special education suggests a convergence of two distinct processes: (1) assumptions of cultural deficit that result in unclear or misguided conceptualizations of disability and (2) the subsequent labeling of students in special education through a pseudoscientific placement process. This article explores how the social construct of the “normal child” became racialized through the special education referral and classification process, and subsequently produces disproportionality. Setting This research was conducted in two multiracial suburban school districts in New York State that were identified as having an overrepresentation of students of color. Population/Participants/Subjects Participants in the study consist of teachers and administrators within the two identified districts. Intervention/Program/Practice Intensive technical assistance was provided to these districts to identify the root causes of disproportionality and was subsequently followed by customized professional development. Three overarching activities of technical assistance were: observing in classrooms in each of the school districts; providing root cause analyses of disproportionality; and providing culturally responsive professional development. Research Design This research used mixed methods in collating district data, conducting technical assistance sessions with districts to identify the factors contributing to disproportionality, and creating 3-year professional development plans to address overrepresentation. In addition, researchers facilitated culturally responsive professional development to targeted groups of practitioners on topics related to improving teacher and district effectiveness in meeting the academic needs of children of color. Findings/Results Findings were: (1) cultural deficit thinking in educators’ construction of student abilities; (2) the existence of inadequate institutional safeguards for struggling students; and (3) attempts at addressing disproportionality often result in institutional “fixes” but not necessarily changes in the beliefs of education professionals. Conclusions/Recommendations The implementation of a culturally responsive framework can produce a shift in the special education placement process and lead to a reduction in disproportionality rates. Of note is confirmation that teacher–student interactions that begin the procedures triggering disproportionality are mired in teachers’ cultural deficit thinking. However, although teachers’ beliefs about students may change extremely slowly, effective school practices can interrupt the influence of deficit thinking.

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