<p> The importance of principal preparation in special education has increased since the Education for All Handicapped Children Act was passed in 1975. There are significant financial reasons for preparing principals in the area of special education. Recent research also shows that all children learn better in an inclusive environment. Principals who are not prepared in the area of special education have a difficult time implementing an inclusive culture at their schools. This qualitative inquiry study set out to explore principals&rsquo; perceptions of their preparation in special education and subsequent district support in building their understanding and implementation of an inclusionary culture in their schools. </p><p> Grounded in Critical Disability Theory (Hosking, 2008) and Social Justice Leadership Framework (Furman, 2012), the conceptual framework of this study, Inclusive Leadership Framework, outlined characteristics of an inclusive leader and a framework for building an inclusive culture. Some principals interviewed for the study demonstrated these characteristics and some did not. Principals wanted to learn more about special education and wanted their students to succeed. The Inclusive Leadership Framework evolved throughout the study, but was remained grounded to prevailing praxis of reflection and action. </p><p> This study examined the attitudes of principals in K-12 settings in nine Southern California school districts in order to discover their perceptions of the effect their administrative credential preparation in special education had on building an inclusive culture. In addition, principals offered their perceptions relative to how district support in special education helped inform leadership practice regarding building a culture of inclusion. Finally, participants shared anecdotal experiences revealing ways they &ldquo;learned on the job&rdquo; as they navigated the world of special education. Recommendations for policy and practice for administrative preparation programs and the Clear Administrative Credential process, professional development and coaching of administrators is addressed in this study. </p><p> Significant findings revealed that principals who feel unprepared in special education do not always develop an inclusionary culture, or understand its benefits to student learning. In addition, participants revealed that they would have preferred knowing more about the process of special education before taking their first administrative position. One interesting anecdotal finding suggested that administrators who are parents of a special needs child or were one themselves are very well educated in the realm of special education and take a personal interest in it. A key recommendation for policy/practice/research included making a special education goal in the Individual Induction Plan for the Clear Administrative Credential. The program includes coaching and coaches need to be provided that can instruct in special education and the building of inclusive school culture.</p><p>

The purpose of this dissertation is to investigate the perceptions of distributed leadership held by 15 administrators of special education and 15 special education teacher leaders invited to perform a Q-sort, rank ordering 40 statements representing distributed leadership attributes. The research questions that guided this investigation included: 1) Are there any clusters of participants who ranked the leadership statements similarly and differently; 2) Are the clusters related to demographic or personal characteristics associated with the participants; 3) Were there similarities as to how the items were ranked by the participants among the clusters; 4) Are there themes depicting the clusters based on the statement rankings; and 5) To what extent is there a relationship between the cluster composition, demographic and district variables? Results revealed two factors of participants who sorted their cards similarly, the priority given to each statement representing distributed leadership traits, and the preferred attributes associated with each factor. Each factor was further examined to determine how the demographics of the participants contributed to the similar sorts. This study demonstrates the importance of special education leaders developing an understanding of both the organization's purpose as well as the staff members' needs, personalities, strengths, and skill sets. As special education leaders move across the continuum of distributed leadership, their leadership practices transition from distributing leadership tasks from a top-down model to creating a truly collaborative environment embedded into the organization as it becomes action oriented through continuous improvements in programming and instruction with students with special needs. This research will contribute to expanding the understanding of distributed leadership practices in the field of special education. Future research should be devoted to better understanding the relationship between special education and distributed leadership, and the influence special education leadership has on an organization's culture, student programming, and student achievement in relationship to state accountability measures.

<p> Inadequate preparation, combined with challenging work conditions, contribute to the shortage of skilled special educators in the United States (Levenson, 2011). Because teacher quality is linked to student achievement (Darling-Hammond, 2001), the discrepancy in access to qualified teachers has remained a serious issue, particularly for students with emotional and behavioral disabilities (EBD), whose intensive needs present great obstacles to learning. Although the research identifies strong content knowledge and social emotional competence as critical skills for educators (Bridgeland, Bruce, &amp; Hariharan, 2012; Shulman, 1986), current standards for licensure (as they apply to EBD teachers) largely overlook these attributes (Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, 2011a), leaving teachers poorly equipped to address the needs of the students in their classrooms and making them more vulnerable to burnout (Adams, 2013). </p><p> This mixed methods study explored the issues of teacher preparation and self-efficacy as they relate to secondary special educators who serve students with EBD in Massachusetts. This research employed a sequential explanatory design, utilizing 118 surveys and six telephone interviews to: (a) identify how secondary special educators who teach students with EBD are prepared; (b) explore their self-efficacy regarding their ability to teach secondary level content and to respond to the social and emotional needs of their students; and (c) understand how they explain the factors that influence their self-efficacy in the classroom. Results revealed the limited effect of credentials (such as licensure and/or a degree) on EBD teacher self-efficacy as well as the impact of school culture. In particular, several implications emerged related to the preparation and support of this population of teachers: (a) content area credentials had no bearing on teacher self-efficacy and (b) special education credentials negatively impacted self-efficacy for teaching content, while (c) training in social and emotional learning positively impacted self-efficacy related to social emotional responsiveness and special education pedagogy. Additionally, results suggested that (d) private school employment increased self-efficacy for teaching content and (e) administrative support strengthened self-efficacy for applying special education strategies. Findings may be useful to school districts, educator preparation programs, and policymakers as they consider how to support educators in this field.</p>

<p> U.S. students with learning disabilities&rsquo; math skills acquisition has been on the decline in recent years. Studies show that teachers using traditional methods of teaching math lack knowledge of task analysis, chunking, sequencing, mass practice, modeling, and repetition of instruction. These components of direct instruction or pedagogical activities are hallmarks of special education teaching and are collectively described as cognitive support pedagogy. The study evaluated direct instruction teaching strategies to teach Common Core math to middle school students with learning disabilities, to determine if the current downward trend in math skills acquisition amongst them can be reversed. The theoretical framework of this study was based on Watson&rsquo;s theory of behavioral psychology as it applied to learning and teaching. The participants consisted of a convenience sample of students with learning disabilities. The study used a Solomon 4-group experimental design, in a series of two One-way ANOVAs to measure differences in math score by intervention for pretested and for non-pretested students, with one Factorial 2 X 2 ANOVA which measured for differences by interaction between pre-testing and intervention. Results of ANOVAs were significant at the &alpha;-levels of .05 (<i>F</i> (1,78) = 233.66 <i>p</i> &lt; .001), indicating that significant differences existed in math scores of pre-tested students who received intervention and those who did not. The study is significant to teachers, curriculum developers, and instructional leaders because it is the first study of its kind to measure the outcomes of Common Core math using direct instruction and it points a way forward to creating positive social change by increasing students&rsquo; graduation rates and promoting students&rsquo; engagement in school and beyond.</p>

<p> This qualitative study investigated information sharing practices between two Southern California comprehensive high schools and an offsite career training (CT) school with a focus on students with disabilities (SWD). The case study approach examined how student information is communicated in support of new federal and state policies related to college and career preparedness. Bolman and Deal&rsquo;s Four Frame Model served as the theoretical framework. The 12 participants included special education teachers, career technical teachers and administrators of curriculum and instruction. Findings included organizations operate separately, resulting in minimal teacher input in individual education plan (IEP) development and implementation, lack of targeted professional development for teachers at both organizations, and lowered expectations of SWD. Implications and suggestions for leadership to align structures and promote collaboration to facilitate SWD learning are examined.</p>

<p> Every student deserves to be educated by teachers who are culturally proficient to ensure their needs are being met within inclusive school systems. This calls for educator preparation programs to ensure teacher candidates are culturally proficient. However, this is a pedagogical shift in isolated, rural settings due to the challenges rural communities pose for cultural proficiency (Sileo, Sileo, &amp; Pierce, 2008). Modeling co-teaching and critical discourse in educator preparation allows teacher candidates to explore historical and systemic inequities of marginalized populations. Understanding these inequities can allow teacher candidates to recognize how diversity may impact the lives of various individuals and learn to honor the cultural uniqueness of others.</p><p> The purpose of this study was to explore the perspectives of teacher candidates within a course modeling co-teaching and critical discourse in educator preparation to capture the essence of their experiences. The conceptual framework created to guide this study centralizes co-teaching in educator preparation to model and promote critical discourse embedding critical theory and disability inquiry. This study used a phenomenology approach to obtain the essence of teacher candidates&rsquo; experiences. Participants of the study were pursuing a degree in education from a rural state college. Of the participants, 92% were female and 98% were white. To ensure the essence of teacher candidates&rsquo; experience prevailed, the researcher used a peer debriefing process and member checking to ensure validity.</p><p> Three themes emerged from the survey responses and four participant interviews. Each theme had three sub-themes that emerged as well. The first theme was a prosocial environment, with sub-themes of connectivity, multiple perspectives, and critical discourse. The second theme was vulnerability, with sub-themes of professors as change agents, self-awareness, and critical consciousness. The last theme was empowerment, with sub-themes of advocacy, pedagogical awareness, and understanding and honoring culture. Interconnections of the themes were analyzed and presented to combine the conceptual framework of the study with the findings.</p><p>

<p> This qualitative case study explored how secondary special education teachers and transition specialists perceived their collaborative efforts when transitioning students with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) from secondary to higher education. The theory of transition established the platform for this study. Two of the theoretical principles of situation and support were used as a lens to determine the collaborative perceptions between these two educator groups. The research questions specified educator perceptions of collaboration throughout the transition process and building collaborative relationships. The sample consisted of seven secondary special education teachers and seven transition specialists within the State of Arizona. Data collection sources the secondary transition plan document, semistructured individual interviews and two focus group sessions. Data coding procedures determined specific patterns that emerged in the analysis. A total of seven themes emerged: Collaboration ongoing, team effort, unrealistic expectations affect transition, attitude of specialists affecting student success, trust is vital to building relationships, lack of knowledge in preparing students during transition, and the importance of parental involvement throughout the transition process. The results that provided the greatest influence to the collaborative process included parental involvement and relationships, trust building between educators, continued training, provision of resources, and the development of the transition plan. The implications of this study suggested that educational organizations provide opportunities for these specialists to attend trainings for continued professional development. </p><p>

<p> Disproportionality in special education has been examined from various perspectives over a 50-year period. English Language Learner (ELL) students have been included in the discussion among researchers in the past two decades as a disproportionate number of ELL students are referred to special education. Though the problem of disproportionality has been acknowledged, documented and discussed over a period of decades, there is a lack of research from the voices of special educators. The purpose of this study was to describe special education teachers&rsquo; experiences teaching students currently or previously enrolled in an English language learner program who are receiving special education services. This study explored teachers&rsquo; views of what supports, resources and strategies contribute to student success and their views of the eligibility determination and referral process . In order to address this gap in the literature, an exploratory descriptive qualitative study was conducted by interviewing special educators. The results indicate the participants lacked support in all areas examined including professional development, resources, instructional strategies and the referral and assessment process. This study indicates structural inequity, a systematic bias in the form of a patterned and differential distribution of resources, contributing to limited opportunities for students who are English language learners who are receiving special education. Implications of the study to address structural inequity include the use of culturally responsive pre-referral strategies and knowledge of the acculturation process when considering the needs of an ELL student who is struggling academically and incorporating culturally response teaching methods in both general and special education.</p><p>

Thesis (Ed. D., Education)--University of Idaho, October 2006. / Major professor: Russell A. Joki. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 145-163). Also available online (PDF file) by subscription or by purchasing the individual file.

Dissertation (Ph.D.)--The University of North Carolina at Greensboro, 2009. / Directed by Marilyn Friend; submitted to the Dept. of Specialized Education Services. Title from PDF t.p. (viewed Jun. 7, 2010). Includes bibliographical references (p. 116-123).