Driving Change In Special Education

In this book [the author has] tried to construct three different futures that may lie ahead for special education. [The author has] tried to use [his] experience in special education to construct the most likely of alternatives given what we now know and to spell out the advantages and disadvantages of each as best [he] can peer into the future. This book is an attempt to discuss with ... the reader, the background of policy decision making and those rules and standards that shape the educational setting and practices for children with special needs.-Pref.

This volume will address the most current perspectives and issues related to general and special education inclusion and will be written by leaders in the field with particular expertise in this area. This volume will be an excellent resource for special educators, administrators, mental health clinicians, school counsellors, and psychologists.

This book represents the contributions of prominent researchers, teacher educators, policy makers, teachers, and parents on current and emerging issues facing the field of special education, and their critical thinking on how to ensure that students with disabilities receive free appropriate education in the least restrictive environment. The authors present divergent perspectives on the issues and concerns, including: (a) the emergence of more constructivistic instruction approaches that focus increasingly on higher order thinking; (b) new organization structures for administering schools; (c) standards-based reform and the use of high stakes testing for evaluating students; (d) the changing population and the increasingly diverse demographics of the students served in the public schools; (e) the onset of the information age and the increasingly visible role of technology in the schools and the workplace; (f) concerns about student discipline and violence in schools; (g) the continuing shortage of qualified and certified special education teachers, and (h) trends in higher education focused on the reform of teacher education such as changing standards for knowledge and skills, preparing teachers for changing roles as mentors, and changes in the teacher education process that may have precipitated or influenced issues in the field. For special education providers such as parents and teachers and for anyone interested in the field of special education.

An essential handbook for educating students in the 21st century, since its initial publication A Principal's Guide to Special Education has provided guidance to school administrators seeking to meet the needs of students with disabilities. The third edition of this invaluable reference, updated in collaboration with and endorsed by the National Association of Elementary School Principals and the National Association of Secondary School Principals and incorporating the perspectives of both teachers and principals, addresses such current issues as teacher accountability and evaluation, instructional leadership, collaborative teaching and learning communities, discipline procedures for students with disabilities, and responding to students' special education needs within a standards-based environment.

This volume will address the most current perspectives and issues related to general and special education inclusion and will be written by leaders in the field with particular expertise in this area. This volume will be an excellent resource for special educators, administrators, mental health clinicians, school counsellors, and psychologists.

Special education is now an established part of public education in the United States—by law and by custom. However, it is still widely misunderstood and continues to be dogged by controversies related to such things as categorization, grouping, assessment, placement, funding, instruction, and a variety of legal issues. The purpose of this 13-part, 57-chapter handbook is to help profile and bring greater clarity to this sprawling and growing field. To ensure consistency across the volume, chapter authors review and integrate existing research, identify strengths and weaknesses, note gaps in the literature, and discuss implications for practice and future research. Key features include: Comprehensive Coverage—Fifty-seven chapters cover all aspects of special education in the United States including cultural and international comparisons. Issues & Trends—In addition to synthesizing empirical findings and providing a critical analysis of the status and direction of current research, chapter authors discuss issues related to practice and reflect on trends in thinking. Categorical Chapters—In order to provide a comprehensive and comparative treatment of the twelve categorical chapters in section IV, chapter authors were asked to follow a consistent outline: Definition, Causal Factors, Identification, Behavioral Characteristics, Assessment, Educational Programming, and Trends and Issues. Expertise—Edited by two of the most accomplished scholars in special education, chapter authors include a carefully chosen mixture of established and rising young stars in the field. This book is an appropriate reference volume for anyone (researchers, scholars, graduate students, practitioners, policy makers, and parents) interested in the state of special education today: its research base, current issues and practices, and future trends. It is also appropriate as a textbook for graduate level courses in special education.

Aimed at parents of and advocates for special needs children, explains how to develop a relationship with a school, monitor a child's progress, understand relevant legislation, and document correspondence and conversations.

"This book addresses the process of designing, implementing, and ensuring sustainability of multi-tiered systems of support (MTSS) in early education settings. Chapters provide background about MTSS as well as descriptions of evidence-based practices designed to reduce the achievement gap before children enter kindergarten. The book is aimed at professionals planning for systems change in order to provide instruction that matches children's varying needs. Such professionals include directors and administrators in early childhood and early childhood special education, child care program directors, and Head Start administrators"--

Exploring the history of disability and special education practices from the seventeenth to the twenty-first century indicates similar ideas and similar human approaches that have developed independently over time. People who survived the eugenics movement were placed in asylums and segregated special schools. In Europe and America, the general systems theory has been applied as a logico-mathematical discipline to include students of all special needs categories in their placements and education. The systems approach to special education practices has evolved from a historical model of diagnoses and cures to the biological and ecological models, integrating technology as the driving force in implementing curriculum, instruction, and assessment.