scholarly journals Ensuring Co-teaching Continues Virtually: A School Leader’s Imperative

2020 ◽  
Vol 5 (S1) ◽  
pp. 21-29
Author(s):  
Wendy Murawski
Keyword(s):  
Service Delivery ◽  
General Education ◽  
Students With Disabilities ◽  
Inclusive Education ◽  
Least Restrictive Environment ◽  
Service Delivery Model ◽  
Virtual Instruction ◽  
General Education Classroom ◽  
Restrictive Environment ◽  
Support Students

Moving to virtual instruction can be daunting, but it is no reason to stop including students with disabilities. Co-teaching can, and should, be used as a service delivery model to support students in their least restrictive environment, which is often the general education classroom. School leaders need to continue to promote inclusive education, even during a pandemic.

scholarly journals Increasing Inclusive Education Through a Learning Center Model: A California Approach

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 43
Author(s):  
Aja McKee ◽  
Audri Sandoval Gomez
Keyword(s):  
Special Education ◽  
General Education ◽  
Students With Disabilities ◽  
Inclusive Education ◽  
Deep Structure ◽  
Least Restrictive Environment ◽  
Learning Center ◽  
Educational Programming ◽  
Federal Mandate ◽  
Restrictive Environment

Learning center models offer students with disabilities learning experiences in general education classrooms, while retaining support and services from special education personnel. The learning center approach examines existing educational perspectives, practices and structures, surrounding access to general education for students with disabilities. This study used a document analysis, a qualitative data method, to examine how two California school districts developed a learning center model to transform special education programming from segregated special education classrooms and practices to placement and access to general education. The findings inform educational programming for students with disabilities in the least restrictive environment, to comply with the American federal mandate. Findings suggest that the deep structure of educational practices complicated the ease of a change in practices for both general and special educators. However, the community approach of the learning center model, where all teachers assume the educational responsibilities for all students, forced these educators to be flexible, reexamine structures and practices, and challenge the ethos of traditional schooling. 

Being in the Right Place at the Right Time: Educational Placement of Students With Intellectual Disability by State and Year

Inclusion ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (3) ◽  
pp. 210-221
Author(s):  
Eric J. Anderson ◽  
Matthew E. Brock
Keyword(s):  
Intellectual Disability ◽  
General Education ◽  
Students With Disabilities ◽  
Least Restrictive Environment ◽  
Educational Placement ◽  
Placement Decisions ◽  
Federal Mandate ◽  
Restrictive Environment ◽  
The Right ◽  
General Education Classrooms

Abstract Despite the longstanding federal mandate to place students with disabilities in general education classrooms to the maximum extent appropriate, most students with intellectual disability continue to spend most of their time in separate classrooms and schools. In this study, we describe longitudinal educational placement patterns in six states that represent the wide span of educational placement (i.e., Vermont, Kentucky, Kansas, Massachusetts, Illinois, and Montana). Surprisingly, some states are trending toward more restrictive placements, and the gap between the most and least inclusive states is continuing to widen over time. We offer constructive suggestions for appropriately applying the principle of least restrictive environment so that placement decisions are driven by student needs and not where students live.

STRIVE to improve educational outcomes: supporting students with disabilities in the general education classroom

2019 ◽  
Vol 58 (16) ◽  
pp. 171-185
Author(s):  
Kristen S. Schrauben ◽  
Jamie Owen-DeSchryver ◽  
Sanja Cale
Keyword(s):  
General Education ◽  
Students With Disabilities ◽  
Educational Outcomes ◽  
Student Outcomes ◽  
Social Challenges ◽  
School Settings ◽  
General Education Classroom ◽  
And Performance ◽  
Performance Teachers ◽  
Support Students

Increasingly, students with a variety of disabilities are being included in general education settings; however, many of these students have academic, behavioral, and social challenges that can interfere with their participation and performance. Teachers and school professionals supporting students with disabilities need effective and efficient strategies that can improve student outcomes. This paper describes a set of six domains of research-supported practices that can be implemented to support students. These practices are organized using the acronym STRIVE: Social supports, Teaching practices, Rewards and motivation, Independence, Visual supports, and Engagement. We include examples of how these practices can be used class-wide to support all students, and how they can be adapted to support specific students with disabilities. Practitioner-friendly applications and resources are included to support implementation within school settings.

Who Are the Classmates of Students With Disabilities in Elementary Mathematics Classrooms?

2018 ◽  
Vol 41 (1) ◽  
pp. 18-27 ◽  
Author(s):  
Allison F. Gilmour ◽  
Gary T. Henry
Keyword(s):  
General Education ◽  
Students With Disabilities ◽  
Least Restrictive Environment ◽  
Fifth Grade ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Students With Learning Disabilities ◽  
Mathematics Classrooms ◽  
Disabilities Education Act ◽  
Education Act ◽  
Restrictive Environment

The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act stresses the importance of educating students with disabilities (SWDs) in the least restrictive environment, often with peers who do not have disabilities. Prior research has examined the extent to which SWDs are included in general education classrooms, but not the characteristics of the peers with whom SWDs are educated. We examined the math classmates of fourth- and fifth-grade SWDs from one state. On average, SWDs were grouped with twice as many other SWDs, about four per class, than students without disabilities. Students with learning disabilities had fewer peers with disabilities in their classrooms than students with other disabilities. Students with intellectual disabilities, autism, or emotional/behavioral disorders more often had peers with disabilities, often their same disability. Our results provide directions for future research regarding peer effects and understanding how schools group SWDs.

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.

scholarly journals The Inclusive Education: Policy Issues and Challenges. The Rights in the Amended Special Edu- cation Law in Israel (1988)

2020 ◽  
Vol 18 (1) ◽  
pp. 14-23
Author(s):  
L. Shaked
Keyword(s):  
Special Education ◽  
Teacher Preparation ◽  
General Education ◽  
Students With Disabilities ◽  
Inclusive Education ◽  
Special Education Law ◽  
Education Law ◽  
Teacher Preparation Programs ◽  
Preparation Programs ◽  
Restrictive Environment

This paper discusses the effects of Special Education law (1918) in Israel and amendments followed in 2002; 2018 on school placement policy and attitudes toward inclusion. The critics on differential budget to different setting that the budget doesn’t support the least restrictive environment concept and inequality in the allocation of resources among students in special education and students integrated in the regular education lead to the amendment nr.11 of Special Education law. Present paper argues that while state policy makes an ongoing effort to increase access to general edu- cation by innovative legislation, increasing the state funding in order to accommodate and meet the needs of students with disabilities in inclusive education the practices of educational institutions perpetuated exclusion from general education. For regular teachers to feel confident in their ability to teach all students, a change in teacher preparation programs should be implemented. A change in teacher preparation programs still needs a profound reform.

Teachers in Action

2011 ◽  
pp. 182-190
Author(s):  
Trae Stewart ◽  
Rebecca A. Hines ◽  
Marcey Kinney
Keyword(s):  
Service Learning ◽  
Teacher Efficacy ◽  
General Education ◽  
Nonprofit Organizations ◽  
Least Restrictive Environment ◽  
High Tech ◽  
Exceptional Students ◽  
Persons With Disabilities ◽  
General Education Classroom ◽  
Restrictive Environment

Teachers are increasingly expected to work with children with varying disabilities in the least restrictive environment – most commonly, the general education classroom. Yet, teachers who did not major in special education remain unprepared to meet the needs of children with disabilities in the classroom because they received no relevant formal field experiences during their pre-service years. As a result, unknowledgeable teachers may retain damaging stereotypes of persons with disabilities, hold a reduced sense of teacher efficacy to include all learners, and in the end, be less willing to work with exceptional students in their classes. This chapter provides an overview of a Florida-based project that aims to connect communities, nonprofit organizations, university pre-service teachers, and persons with disabilities using high-tech, high-touch service-learning.

Theory and Implementation of Inclusion

2019 ◽  
pp. 19-42
Author(s):  
Christine M. Gleason ◽  
Kristi L. Santi
Keyword(s):  
General Education ◽  
Special Needs ◽  
Students With Disabilities ◽  
Least Restrictive Environment ◽  
Attitudes Toward Inclusion ◽  
Human Right ◽  
Students With Special Needs ◽  
Positive Attitudes ◽  
Teachers Attitudes ◽  
Restrictive Environment

The inclusion of students with special needs in general education settings has become an essential component of education. Including all students in the least restrictive environment to the maximum extent possible is the law and an innate human right. However, research reveals that some teachers do not have positive attitudes toward including students with disabilities. The purpose of this chapter is to discuss findings from a study that uncovered factors behind teachers' attitudes toward inclusion. The general findings and themes are discussed. The chapter concludes with a list of resources teachers can access without payment to help them better understand students with disabilities and ways in which the teacher can more easily develop an inclusive, inviting environment for all.

Assistive Technology for the General Education Classroom

2018 ◽  
pp. 132-166
Author(s):  
Richard J. Vigilante Jr. ◽  
MaryPaul B. Hoile
Keyword(s):  
General Education ◽  
Assistive Technology ◽  
Students With Disabilities ◽  
Written Language ◽  
Students With Special Needs ◽  
Self Confidence ◽  
Cognitive Limitations ◽  
General Education Classroom ◽  
And Mathematics ◽  
Restrictive Environment

It is the responsibility of schools and educators to utilize appropriate assistive technology to meet the educational needs of students with disabilities within the least restrictive environment. The use of assistive technology enables educators to adapt content and activities within the curriculum to meet the specific needs of students, and it promotes learning, self-confidence, independence, and a higher quality of life for students with special needs. This chapter explores how educators can utilize assistive technology in the general education classroom setting to support students with disabilities, specifically those with sensory, motor, and cognitive limitations. Diverse types of assistive technology devices that students with disabilities can use to overcome barriers to written language, reading, listening, memory, and mathematics are discussed.

Least Restrictive Environment and the Education of Children with Disabilities

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mark C. Weber
Keyword(s):  
Students With Disabilities ◽  
Inclusive Education ◽  
Children With Disabilities ◽  
Least Restrictive Environment ◽  
The United States ◽  
Special Education Law ◽  
Disabilities Education Act ◽  
Education Act ◽  
Restrictive Environment ◽  
Appropriate Education

This chapter discusses the obligation in the federal special education law to provide education to children with disabilities in the least restrictive environment. It describes the relevant statutory and regulatory provisions and the prominent cases, and explores ongoing scholarly controversies about the least restrictive environment requirement and its application. The chapter observes that disputes over the least restrictive environment for a given child are often disputes over the range of accommodations and services that the schools must provide so that appropriate education of a child with disabilities may be achieved without separating the child from peers who do not have disabilities. Both the text and the judicial interpretations of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act operate in such a way that the negative command to not segregate students with disabilities becomes a positive command to afford services to make inclusive education work. The chapter concludes by briefly comparing the developments in the United States with those in other countries.

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