<p> This case study research examined the perceptions of general and special education teachers towards educating students with disabilities in an inclusion classroom. The Concerns Based Adoption Model (CBAM) aided understanding of teacher participants' stages of concern in the inclusive process and the ways in which participation in training could affect those perceptions. A small district in the southern part of the United States was the focus of this study. Before training, participants took a pre-assessment survey, followed by three training sessions, and a subsequent post-assessment survey. The analysis of previously collected statistical CBAM data and interviews provided context for the research questions. Analysis of Pre- and Post-Stages of Concern survey data determined the teacher participants' levels of concern before and after training. After transcribing and coding interview data to develop categories, the data created themes that supported teacher responses on pre- and post-surveys. CBAM survey data indicated no change in teacher concern from pre- to post-survey; however, interview data revealed teachers had thought about inclusion. Interview data also revealed other initiatives and programs of higher concern, which affected the outcome of the statistical data. Research outcomes addressed teacher concerns, noting that leaders should develop training to meets those concern and consider teacher demands when implementing new initiatives.</p>

<p>This phenomenological study explores the value of trust between teams of special education teachers and paraprofessionals. The study delves into their lived experiences, focusing on characteristics and behaviors that build, sustain, destroy and restore trust between them. There are multiple studies on trust in education, however, there is relatively little literature published on the value of trust among individuals committed to providing support for transition-aged students within various Los Angeles County school districts. Existing theories and models on trust have similar characteristics that span across diverse industries. As a result, clear-cut guidelines have enabled members of a team to be aware of how trust impacts their working environment. Purposive sampling provided teams of special education professionals who possessed a depth of knowledge of the subject matter and experience in the classroom. Individual face-to-face, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 12 participants focusing on how they make meaning of the role and value of trust with their special education colleagues. As a result, 165 coded passages were grouped into the following nine themes: (a) characteristics of a trustworthy colleague, (b) importance of trust, (c) outcome of trust, (d) outcome of a lack of trust, (e) building trust, (f) sustaining trust, (g) destroying trust and (h) restoring trust. Two study conclusions emerged. Conclusion one, trust increases communication, respect and collaboration between special education colleagues, as well as enhances student success. Conclusion two, a lack of trust negatively impacts the special education environment, as well as relevant stakeholders, which include: students, parents, special education teachers, paraprofessionals and administrators. Recommendations include participation in team development trainings, as well as personal and professional development that focus on acquiring the characteristics of a trustworthy colleague. Additionally, special education professionals benefit from establishing a shared primary focus of student success. Moreover, the onus of setting the tone of trust falls on the special education teacher. Lastly, special education professionals should relinquish the characteristics that diminish trust. This study provides researchers and professionals in the field of special education with insight into the tools needed to have better working relationships so that they can effectively serve special needs students.

<p>Despite legal advancements recognizing the rights of individuals with disabilities, societal barriers are still arising from the medical model of disability. These obstacles have resulted in marginalizing and isolating practices, in turn leading to the underrepresentation of individuals with disabilities in the workforce and, by extension, in leadership positions. Grounded in the frameworks of critical pedagogy and critical disability studies, this autoethnographic study examines, using my personal experiences as contextual evidence, the determining factors underlying the struggle for equity and leadership, within the hegemonic society that people with disabilities must navigate. The study further explores the issue of empowerment and raised consciousness among people with disabilities, as afforded by blending the tenets of critical pedagogy with a critical social model of disability. Based on the autoethnographic analysis, the study proposes future research and makes recommendations for inclusion of individuals with disabilities, educators working with people with disabilities, and institutions committed to inclusiveness of leaders with disabilities.

<p> Inclusion is a federal education policy in the United States that challenges educational leaders. Despite U.S. federal laws requiring an inclusive education for students with disabilities (SWD), educators continue to struggle to implement inclusion. Some scholars argue that leadership is the key to inclusion, with most studies focused on principal leadership. Successful inclusive districts are rare, as are studies of these districts. The purpose of this in-depth case study was to describe and understand the leadership practices of SSSD (pseudonym), an inclusive (based on LRE .75% for three consecutive years) and effective district (based on district grades of As and Bs, state measures of student achievement) in Southeast Florida. Within SSSD, a purposeful sample of 31 participants was selected that included eight district leaders, three principals, 15 teachers, and five parents located at four sites and observed across three events over the span of one semester with multiple supporting documents analyzed.</p><p> Four findings describing district leadership practices emerged from the data analysis; 1) a shared inclusive mission, 2) collaborative efforts, 3) formal and informal professional development (PD), and 4) acknowledging and addressing challenges. The practices of district leaders found in this study resonate with other findings in the literature and contribute two of the new findings in this study: 1) the superintendent&rsquo;s attitudes, beliefs, and experiences as a special educator were described as key to her district&rsquo;s inclusive focus and success and extends previous research connecting principal leadership to school site inclusion; and 2) informal versus formal PD was more beneficial to teachers in building collective capacity for inclusive service delivery&mdash;marking a new distinction within related PD literature.</p><p> Recommendations to district leaders, policy makers, and scholars are included. The study concludes by encouraging educational leaders to cultivate a shared inclusive mission implemented through collaborative efforts. There is hope for inclusion, not only in theory, but in practice, mirroring the call of other district leadership studies of successful, systemic inclusion. </p>

<p> This study examines parental perceptions of their participation in the special education process at a high school in southern Illinois. Eleven parents were interviewed based on either self-reported low socioeconomic status or non-participation in a formal IEP meeting during the previous year. Regarding the quality and the quantity of their participation in the special education process, parents reported favorably in both areas. Most parents placed greater importance on more frequent and less formal methods of communication with trusted staff members, and less importance on IEP meeting participation. Some barriers to effective parental participation were noted, such as doubt as to whether or not their input in the IEP meetings was relevant and taken into consideration. Draft copies of IEP paperwork may inadvertently communicate predetermination of meeting results, and many parents did not fully understand the IEP paperwork. Technical language used at IEP meetings was also noted as a possible barrier. Parents also indicated a desire to avoid conflict with the school. Initial special education eligibility meetings were a negative experience for over half of the participants. This study also noted a fundamental difference in how parents and schools perceive children with disabilities. Nearly all parents focused on positive aspects of their children and similarities to their peers without mentioning any disabling conditions. The theoretical framework of this study suggests that schools approach special education through a &ldquo;defectological&rdquo; approach that emphasizes a child&rsquo;s disabling condition. This extreme difference in perception could account for some lack of parental involvement in the IEP process. The implications of this study call for a re-examination of the definition of parental participation in the special education process, exploration of ways to minimize the barriers to parental participation in formal IEP meetings, inclusion of parents and students into the process of developing the IEP document itself and a focus on similarities and abilities of children rather than the current practice of emphasizing disabilities and limitations.</p>

<p> The purpose of this dissertation study was to explore the leadership attributes of special education central-office administrators. Using Senge&rsquo;s five disciplines of the learning organization and Marzano&rsquo;s 21 responsibilities of the school leader, this multicase study sought to discover the attributes of a special education leader. The focus of this dissertation study was to explore what leadership traits exist across systems-level special education leaders. </p><p> To understand special education leader engagement at the central-office level, interviews and observations were completed with special education leaders willing to participate in the research study. Additionally, each participant was required to submit a copy of his or her resume to the researcher. A multicase-study approach was used to analyze the attributes of each leader involved in the dissertation research. </p><p> The study analysis revealed that special education leaders in the State of Maryland demonstrate leadership attributes related to Senge&rsquo;s five disciplines of the learning organization and Marzano&rsquo;s 21 responsibilities of the school leader. Findings expanded the existing literature to include an analysis of special education leadership at a systems level.</p><p>

<p> This dissertation investigates the effectiveness of co-taught inclusion classrooms, using a case study design with descriptive and inferential statistics and survey data. The purpose of the study was to investigate whether or not students with mild/moderate disabilities experience greater academic growth from participating in full inclusion co-taught classrooms, than in non-co-taught inclusion classes. Research analysis was based on quantifiable data: summative or benchmark assessments, SRI tests, grades, attendance, discipline records, and survey data. This study focused on seventh- and eighth- grade co-taught inclusion classes containing students with mild/moderate disabilities at one junior high school within a large urban school district. The results indicated that co-taught students with mild/moderate disabilities demonstrated significantly greater growth than non-co-taught students with mild/moderate disabilities. The statistical analysis was supported by triangulating student attendance, grades, discipline records, and survey responses.</p>

<p> This study examines parents of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) children in Individual Education Plan (IEP) meetings within a school in the Northeastern United States. School districts have created programs to seek feedback from the parents of ASD students to improve disconnect and confusion. The study examines the parent point of view on the IEP meetings and seeks to gain information from the parents to improve a disconnection or confusion they may be feeling. The information secured in the research provided vital information for both parents and the School District to sustain or improve the overall interactions within the IEP team. The research data focused on the experiences of the parents. The research had completed 5 interviews and 26 questionnaires to gain study information. The parents felt secure and comfortable when teachers and special education staff included them in the meeting process. The parents felt lost, confused, and insignificant when communication was not used in the meetings. The study recommends workshops, training, and education to improve communication. The study recommends transparency, workload mapping, and accountability to improve the parent and teacher relationship. The study is a unique process which gives the parents a sounding board and a voice.</p>

<p>The purpose of this study was to compare the attitudes of trained and untrained school administrators toward inclusive education initiatives. The &ldquo;Principal&rsquo;s Inclusion Survey,&rdquo; developed by Cindy Praisner and G.H. Stainback, was distributed electronically to 3,250 school administrators in the southeast region of the United States and a quantitative study approach using a convenience sampling methodology was used to test the research hypotheses. In this study, the following research question was answered: What is the difference in the attitudes toward inclusion of school administrators who are trained in special education compared to school administrators who are not trained in special education? The following research hypotheses were the primary focus of the research: H1 There is a difference in the special education attitudes of school administrators who are trained in special education compared to school administrators who are not trained in special education toward inclusive education initiatives. H0 There is no difference in the special education attitudes of school administrators who are trained in special education compared to school administrators who are not trained in special education toward inclusive education initiatives. The results of the study indicated that there is no difference between trained and untrained administrators&rsquo; attitudes toward inclusive education initiatives based on their special education training. Therefore, the analyses of the data resulted in failure to reject the null hypothesis. Implications for practice based on the results of this study can be applied to university administrator training programs, school district administrators, educational leaders, and state and federal departments of education. </p>

<p> Schools and agencies that serve individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) typically focus on traditional teaching targets including academics, adaptive behavior, workplace competencies, as well as social and life skills. An emerging area of focus is the importance of happiness and achieving an overall quality of life (QoL) as the ultimate outcome of education and support services. Although not defined operationally, there is a belief among parents and service providers that happiness and an overall QoL is important and should be actively pursued along with the other essential traditional teaching targets. This study examined parent perspectives on indicators of QoL and happiness for individuals with ASD including whose responsibility it is to address them. The purpose of this study was to further the extant research to include information from parents regarding factors they believe are important to obtaining a QoL for their child and to determine whether parents include the happiness of their child as an important factor in an overall QoL. The research instrument consisted of a parent questionnaire that was delivered to the parent participants through an online survey. Several educational institutions and service providers in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and State of New Jersey assisted in recruiting parent participants for the study by identifying interested parents of individuals (with ASD) they serve. Results from this study are expected to be useful among education professionals and service providers to gain a deeper understanding regarding the perceptions and priorities of what parents consider important QoL concerns, and the extent to which they believe these QoL concerns should be operationalized as targets for teaching and ultimately be established as goals for formal training in educational and training contexts. Understanding the importance of QoL concerns for parents should heighten attention of educators and service providers to incorporate QoL indices as targets for teaching and prioritize that teaching according to parental priorities. Understanding the priority of parental QoL concerns for their children should contribute to program design in individualized instructional goals.</p><p>