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<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.

The purpose of this qualitative research study is to examine the evolution of inclusive special education policies and practices within an amalgamated urban school division between the years of 2002 and 2015. An historical case study (Bogdan & Biklen, 2007; Gillham, 2000; Lapan & Quartaroli, 2009; and Yin, 1997, 2004) is used as a methodology. Conceptually, the study is informed by a great wealth of local and international research on inclusive special education. Moreover, a two-dimensional theoretical framework is used to illuminate the concepts of inclusive special education/appropriate educational programming and divisional leadership to examine how these concepts may have contributed to the evolution of the policies and practices of inclusive special education in this amalgamated school division. Eight key themes were established from the findings and are related to both inclusive special education leadership research and the three basic tenets of successful leadership practice espoused by Leithwood, Seashore Lewis, Anderson & Wahlstrom (2004). Five key recommendations are suggested for school-based administrators to consider as they envision a model of student support services that aligns with the concepts of inclusive special education and appropriate educational programming. / May 2017

<p> Autism research continues to refine the exact rate of autism; it also attempts to approximate the undiagnosed rate of autism to capture the number of individuals functioning on the high-end of the spectrum without a formal diagnosis. Whether students exhibiting characteristics of autism have a formal diagnosis or not, many enrolled in public education classrooms are most appropriately served in the general education setting. This study examined the characteristics of students in general education settings to ascertain the number of students diagnosed with autism. Additionally, it investigated the educational practices regularly applied in the general education setting in conjunction with the classroom teacher&rsquo;s knowledge of those practices most beneficial to students with autism. This mixed methods investigation used a survey to examine practices in two Utah school districts. Reported rates of students who were served under an IEP or 504 and identified as having autism were consistent with the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) reporting rates of autism prevalence in the United States. Teachers identified instructional practices effective for students with autism 80% of the time. Additionally, teachers reported they &ldquo;always&rdquo; or &ldquo;often&rdquo; used 91.7% of the instructional practices in their classrooms that have been identified as effective for students with autism. Fisher&rsquo;s exact test yielded no statistically significant differences between groups of participants. Themes from open-ended survey responses revealed students with significant learning differences impact the delivery of the curriculum, but teachers believe the general education setting is most appropriate for students with learning differences. Teachers also report feeling inadequately prepared to teach students with autism. Data suggests that additional research is needed regarding the design and implementation of universal classroom instructional strategies to meet the needs of all learners in the general education setting.</p>

<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 research examined the co-teaching method of instruction for students with disabilities in the inclusion classroom setting. Quantitatively, the study sought to explore the impact of co-teaching on student achievement growth and performance. Achievement growth and performance was measured using STAR scores and TCAP assessment scores. Qualitatively, the researcher investigated teacher beliefs and attitudes toward co-teaching using a survey including Likert-scale and open-ended questions. Co-teaching was found to be beneficial, since both special education students and general education students made equal academic progress in the inclusion classroom. A teacher perception survey provided the researcher with insight into the benefits, challenges, and beliefs about co-teaching.</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 study was a pre-experimental pre- and post-treatment single case study which focused on evaluating the effects of augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) modeling during shared storybook readings. Aided AAC modeling interventions provide verbal and visual language models to support language comprehension and use for children with complex communication needs (CCN). The study measured four aspects of change before and after the AAC modeling phase including a) the number of communicative turns by the AAC user; b) the complexity and length of the initiations and responses made by the AAC user; c) the accuracy in responses to comprehension questions following the story; d) perceptions of the parent participant in regards to the intervention. The results indicated that when aided AAC modeling was implemented the child participant demonstrated an increase in: the number of communicative turns, accuracy in answering comprehension questions, comprehension of story grammar terminology, and production of story retells.</p>