The study investigated the construct of eligibility decision congruence as it applied to professional decision-makers for children with suspected developmental delays. Professional status and judgement format were the key variables of interest. Three distinct professional groups were surveyed: school administrators, psychologists, and social workers. The control group used professional judgement to determine eligibility, whereas the experimental group used a structured worksheet and eligibility criteria. One hundred and twenty subjects participated in a simulation of the eligibility decision process. Each subject was given five case summaries. A correct determination of eligibility was established for each case based on the decision of one multidisciplinary team and application of the Virginia Department of Education criteria. The control group received a form containing five distinct eligibility outcomes to select from in their determination of eligibility, whereas the experimental group received the same choices as part of the structured worksheet. Results from the investigation yielded a moderate level of congruence among the three professional groups. A weak positive correlation was also found with number of years experience on an eligibility team with the total number correct determinations of eligibility. Use of the structured format for determining eligibility improved the accuracy rate for the experimental group in one case with missing assessment components. Marginal congruence was noted in three of the five cases, leading to the conclusion that the professionals failed to use the criteria or applied the criteria incorrectly in their determination of eligibility for preschool services. Marginal to high degrees of accuracy were found in four of the five cases presented. The case with the lowest accuracy rate resulted in a false-negative error in which a child with disabilities was made ineligible for services. The overall accuracy rate in determining eligibility was 70.34%. Limitations and implications for further research were discussed.

This research examined the knowledge level and perceptions of 300 randomly selected school leaders in the Commonwealth of Virginia concerning the discipline provisions of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act of 1997 (IDEA 97). The overarching questions answered in the study were (1) to what extent are school leaders aware of the existing discipline provisions of IDEA 97 which have been in place since 2001; and (2) how do school leaders view the impact of those provisions on their ability to maintain a safe learning environment for all?;Findings resulted in one significant difference (p<.05) among school leaders in the sub-domain of Knowledge. Elementary leaders reported a significantly lower level of knowledge regarding the discipline provisions of IDEA 97 than did their middle school peers. School leaders across knowledge domains and school levels reported that the discipline provisions of IDEA 97 did not negatively impact their ability to maintain safe schools. Moreover, professional development was identified by school leaders in the study as a high need to manage the discipline provisions of IDEA 97 across all school levels.

No description available.

According to a nationwide study completed by the National Center for State Courts in 1980, apprehended juveniles are usually notified of their Miranda rights at various times from the point of contact with the police through and including the adjudicatory hearing. If the juvenile desires to relinquish those rights, he/she is required to sign a document attesting to his/her understanding of and wish to waive those rights. This descretionery privilege places the juvenile on the same Constitutional footing as an adult.;The purpose of this study was to examine the comprehension of Miranda rights by a sample population of juveniles within the public schools. It added a comparative dimension to the data reported by Grisso (1981) at the conclusion of a study in the St. Louis Juvenile Court. The two sets of data, when viewed in tandum, provide juvenile court judges with an empirical profile of juveniles whose waiver of Miranda rights require careful scrutiny. The data also provide guidelines to school administrators concerning the efficacy of curriculum content regarding Miranda rights and additional guidelines when dealing with possible "Miranda situations" on the school premises.

The purpose of this study was to examine the social and learning performance of school age children of prenatal cocaine exposure. The Behavioral Assessment System for Children (BASC) was used along with interviews, observations and document analysis for each individual case studied. The data collected through these methods was coded and examined for patterns and relationships in each case, and across cases.;Data analysis revealed that each case varied in the effects exhibited on a continuum from subtle to severe, as indicated in the literature. Social and behavioral patterns appeared to be most severely affected, while the language area was found to be within normal parameters for children their age. Additionally, all cases experienced tremendous environmental factors which may have impacted their performance such as trauma, abuse, and passive exposure to cocaine and other drugs.

The purposes of this study were to review and analyze legal issues related to the provision of education for students with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD). Specifically (1) an examination of federal laws that affect the education of students with ASD; and (2) case law pertaining to the education of students with ASD.;This study focused on the No Child Left Behind Act (2001) and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act (2004) as well as the litigation related to the education of students with ASD adjudicated in the United States Courts of Appeals between January 2001 and December 2007. The legislation was compared for compatibility. Litigation was studied for frequency and outcomes, including who was favored in the included cases. The plaintiffs' and defendants' claims, the bases for the cases, and upon what bases cases were decided was also studied. Finally, demographic information on the students in the cases was collected.;Results indicated that there was some compatibility between No Child Left Behind Act (2001) and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act (2004). Also, litigation included showed that schools were slightly favored by courts. Demographics were similar to national averages. The provisions of IDEIA formed the basis of the cases with a free and appropriate public education and procedural safeguards being the greatest areas of conflict.;Based on the results of the study, recommendations for schools, parents, and teacher preparatory programs were made. Future research should focus on a longer timeframe for more historical analysis, due process hearing results, and locality of cases or other demographic factors.;Ultimately, the goal of IDEIA (2004) was to bring parents and schools to the same table to make appropriate decisions to provide educational benefit for students with disabilities. Students with ASD have their own unique challenges. However, by working together to resolve conflicts, a better end can occur to make the difference for these students.

This study examined the principal's role in fostering teacher collaboration for students with special needs by investigating two overarching questions: (a) How do principals foster teacher collaboration for the purpose of improving teaching and learning for students with special needs and (b) how do these behaviors relate to leadership behaviors that have been identified as facilitative of teacher collaboration? First, a multiple-site descriptive case study was conducted and, using nomination criteria, five sites in four school districts were selected. The data collection involved the verification of the nomination criteria through observations and the collection of data through interviews with principals and general and special education teachers as well as document reviews. An analysis of the cross-site case study data revealed five emerging themes that related to (a) the importance ofthe principal's role, (b) the supportive role of the principal, (c) the communicative role of the principal, (d) the leadership role of the principal, and (e) the role of the principal in promoting collaborative cultures.;Second, role descriptors of the principal identified in the cross-site analysis of the case studies were compared with role descriptors cited in empirical studies relating to the principal's role in fostering teacher collaboration. The findings from the cross-site comparison were classified into three levels of role descriptors of the principal: (a) role descriptors most frequently cited in the literature and identified in all five case studies, (b) role descriptors not as frequently cited in the literature but cited in all five case studies, and (c) role descriptors not cited in the literature but identified in all five case studies.

No description available.

The focus of this study was the advising style preference of graduate-level students and advisors in online and hybrid programs at a university in rural Arkansas. Students and advisors will benefit from the results because the advisors will have a greater understanding of expectations during an advising session. The problem stems from the fact that graduate level advising is not considered important by administrators at the study institution. The purpose of this study was to determine how graduate level advisors can better serve students and to use the results as a tool for advisor training. The study was guided by Crookston's developmental advising style, in which the advisor and student work together to ensure student success. The key research questions for the study were the preferred advising style of graduate-level students in online and hybrid programs and the advising style preferred by graduate-level advisors. A mixed method with an explanatory sequential design was used, and the Academic Advising Inventory was administered to the population of graduate students and their advisors using a web-based survey. After completing each section of the inventory, respondents had an opportunity for open responses to clarify their selections. Student responses to the inventory indicated their preferred advising style, the advising style they had received, and their satisfaction with the advising they had received. Advisor responses detailed the form of advising they practice. Data were collected from students (n = 224) and advisors (n = 9). Responses were analyzed by following the Academic Advising Inventory Manual and using SPSS for calculations. The responses were recoded to separate the prescriptive and developmental responses. Next, the items were calculated to determine if each respondent was advised prescriptively or developmentally. Finally, the advising satisfaction level for students was calculated to determine student satisfaction with each form of advising received. The results indicate that graduate-level students in both online and hybrid programs prefer developmental advising over prescriptive advising. Students enrolled in hybrid programs indicated greater satisfaction with the advising they received than students enrolled in online programs. Overall students who received developmental advising reported higher satisfaction rates than those who received prescriptive advising. Results of this study will serve as the basis for graduate advisor training and the creation of a training manual.

Language development and the ability to access reinforcement in young children with autism may be impeded by lack of behavioral variability in verbal behavior. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of simultaneously teaching multiple responses and extinction of repetition on producing varied verbal behavior in young children with autism. In particular, we examined the effects of these procedures on increasing the behavioral variability of mands used to request edibles in preschool children with autism. For all three participants, neither increasing mand repertoires via teaching multiple responses, nor extinction of repetition, by themselves or in combination were effective at producing stable behavioral variability. However, antecedent strategies (presence of visual cues) were effective at producing varied manding for all three participants.