This study examined the effects of an early reading intervention with 652 students with disabilities and students at-risk of reading failure over the 2004-2005 school year. An intervention was put into place in a general education setting in Kindergarten (n=155), first (n=246) and second grade (n=251) that consisted of 30 minutes a day of explicit intensive instruction that focused on phonemic awareness, phonics, and fluency in a small group setting. The intervention met the requirements of a Tier II intervention. After one school year of intervention, students who were at risk of reading failure or who were already identified as being eligible for special education services made significant progress toward predictive reading benchmarks as assessed by using DIBELS measures. The greatest gains were seen in kindergarten and first grade.This study provided evidence that the intervention was effective with students who were socio-economically at risk. Sixty-five to 80% of students in the study were eligible for free or reduced lunch and 31 to 54% were students with disabilities yet made significant progress toward reading benchmarks. The intervention seemed to ameliorate the `negative' effects of special education status or low socio-economic status. As urban schools struggle to meet AYP, this is an encouraging and welcomed development. / Department of Special Education

Thesis (Ed. D.)--West Virginia University, 1996. / eContent provider-neutral record in process. Description based on print version record. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (Ed. D.)--West Virginia University, 1996. / Includes bibliographical references.

No description available.

There is no abstract available for this dissertation. / Department of Special Education

Co-teaching has been, and continues to be, a growing trend in American schools since the late 1990s. As the popularity of this service delivery model increases, there is an imperative need for empirical research focusing on how co-teaching affects academic outcomes of students who receive special education services. Evidence regarding the academic outcomes of co-teaching is limited, and reports mixed results. The purpose of this study is to provide a synthesis of research examining academic outcomes of co-teaching on students who receive special education services. Quantitative information from each research report was coded, an overall effect size was computed, and a moderator analysis was conducted. Results suggest a significant effect (g = .281, k = 32, p < .05) of co-teaching on the academic outcomes of students with disabilities when compared to students with disabilities who did not receive instruction in co-taught settings; though a larger effect was found among dissertation reports (g = .439, k = 25, p < .001). Additionally, a significant effect was found when examining the academic outcomes of students in co-teaching compared to the academic outcomes of students in a resource classroom setting (g = .435, k = 27, p < .001. Lastly, effects were stronger the longer these students were in co-teaching environments. Implications of findings and recommendations for further research are discussed.

While classroom teachers report alarming rates of unpreparedness, and even unwillingness to include diverse populations in the classroom, our nation is continuing along a trend started in the 1990s to include students with disabilities (SWD) in general education settings. This quasi-experimental research study uncovered the impact of completing the required continuing education course in teaching SWD course mandated by Florida Senate Bill 1108 ([SB1108]; The Florida Senate, 2013b), which amended Florida Statute 1012.585 (3) (e) (Process for Renewal of Professional Certificates, 2017) on perceived teacher ability to implement inclusion practices. An online version of the Teacher Efficacy for Inclusive Practices (TEIP) scale developed by Sharma, Loreman, and Forlin (2012) was utilized, along with demographic and experiential factors for classroom teachers in the study district to examine their self-efficacy toward inclusion. Analysis of the data indicated statistically significant differences in mean TEIP scale scores for exceptional student education (ESE) and general education teachers. Data analyses revealed that almost half of the teachers had a negative view of and did not perceive any benefit from the course. While ESE and general education teachers had similar preparation needs, they also reported areas of concern specific to their subset. Overall, the course did not provide enough continuing education in the areas most needed by the participants. SB1108-mandated course completion was also not found to be an indicator of higher teacher self-efficacy for the majority of teachers. Analysis of the differences in TEIP scale scores found that only elementary school teachers benefited from completing the course, while it had the opposite effect for general education high school teachers and no significant effect for ESE teachers. Differences in TEIP scale scores from demographic and experiential factors accounted for 13% of the variance in the population and was not significant for the ESE teacher subset. One percent or less of the variance was attributed to completion of the required continuing education course. Implications include reviewing the legislation’s effectiveness for teachers in different areas and grade levels, hiring and evaluation decisions based on TEIP scale scores of applicants and employees, and designing more meaningful continuing education courses. Recommendations for state legislatures, school administrators, designers of continuing education courses, and for future research regarding improvement of teacher self-efficacy for inclusive practices are offered. / Includes bibliography. / Dissertation (Ph.D.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2018. / FAU Electronic Theses and Dissertations Collection

Focus This thesis investigates inclusive education policy and practice in South Africa. In this context, particular focus is given to the rights and needs of visually impaired learners and students. Background Due to the dual segregated education system, as at 2001, approximately 280 000 disabled children did not have access to education at school. The special schools system fostered inequality and discrimination of disabled learners from an early age. This stood in tension with the South African Constitution and was not in line with international trends. This ‘normative tension’ and lack of alignment with evolving international practice led to a shift towards an inclusive education system as a policy preference. Policy In 1996 the Constitution and the South African Schools Act prescribed that everyone had the right to basic education and should not be discriminated against on any grounds. Mainstream schools catered for able-bodied learners, and existing legislation did not automatically equip schools and teachers with resources and training to accommodate disabled learners. To enable directives to obtain these objectives, Education White Paper 6 was passed in 2001. This policy documented Government’s intent to implement an inclusive education system by 2021. Investigation The educational needs of visually impaired learners were identified and discussed. An analysis of White Paper 6, highlighting its strengths and limitations in light of the identified specialised educational needs, was conducted. Research was undertaken in mainstream schools, special schools and universities to assess the progress of the implementation process. Challenges impeding the process including untrained educators, insufficient funding, and no established provisioning norms were identified. Inclusive education has its foundations within social rights theory. Education, like other basic social rights is a justiciable right which the State must uphold. However, like all normative wish lists of rights, limited resources, competing claimants and policy trade-offs are inevitable, more especially in a developing country. As a result budgets, utilisation of funds and accountability of the Department of Education were also investigated. Conclusion Following an analysis of the contents of the policy and findings on the progress of the implementation process, policy recommendations- informed by the researchwere proposed. / Thesis (Ph.D.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2008.

While the impact of inclusion has been researched and debated for years, less effort has been directed at assessing how those individuals responsible for implementing the practice perceive the effects. This research study was designed to determine the attitudes and perceptions of staff members at Western School Corporation concerning the current inclusion model. The census consisted of educators who held the role of general education teacher, special education teacher, paraprofessional (aide), or administrator. There were 196 staff members who were asked to complete a paper survey; 98 educators responded, which generated a response rate of 50%. The survey, The Inclusion Inventory: A Tool for Measuring the Implementation and Use of Inclusive Practices, was used. The Texas University Affiliated Program for Developmental Disabilities, the Education Service Center Region XIII, the Education Service Center Region 20, and Inclusion Works developed the instrument jointly. The results of the study indicated that the administration at Western School Corporation supports inclusion, but there are not ample resources in place to support the overall model. This was commensurate with the findings that the respondents did not feel that sufficient opportunities were being given for staff members to discuss inclusion issues. Overall, the staff members appear to have a fairly positive perspective of the inclusion model, as well as the effects of student success they have seen. Staff members are utilizing a variety of instructional strategies to promote an inclusive setting, but they must continue to be trained in these to recognize their importance. Possible reasons for these results were discussed and a need for further research was offered. / Department of Educational Leadership

Overall, research covering access to education for students with disabilities is accumulating at a very slow rate, Lesotho is no exception. Such studies are important given the national and international commitments to equality and equity in education for all citizens. Access to education is based on four values which are central to inclusive education namely; presence, participation, acceptance and achievement. This qualitative case study must be understood as an attempt to close the gap in the literature and to provide a deeper understanding with respect to access to higher education for students with disabilities. The study uses the social constructionism and social model of disability as lenses to guide the investigation. Data collection involved various methods namely, analysis of documents (policies, internal memoranda, official letters, minutes of the meetings and pictures), individual interviews and focus group discussions with staff and students with various forms of disabilities. Data was analysed through the use of interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) which begins analysis with a single unit and builds meaning from the unit to reflect the general patterns of behaviour across units. Findings reveal that though admission at the university is considered non-discriminatory, it is on merit bases. All students compete equally for available spaces and the identity of students with disabilities is considered irrelevant to disclose during selection of applicants. If a student with disabilities competes with students who were not exposed to similar challenges at primary and secondary levels, admission should be viewed as unfair. Additionally, Students with disabilities have limited choice of courses or programmes due to poor administration of concessions, lack of educational resources, inflexible teaching methods and curricula. This problem conflicts with the capability principle that promotes students’ choice of desired functionings. Further, disability data is not used to secure either the academic or social support services for the students at the institution. Students with disabilities are excluded from the social and extracurricular activities of the university with some bullied by staff and peers alike. Finally, the support provided by SENA, year-level tutors and welfare personnel is inadequate and does not afford opportunities for students with disabilities to participate equitably in the university’s academic and social programmes. The study concludes that access to institutions of higher education for students with disabilities in Lesotho is problematic. They remained ignored and underserved. There is a need for fundamental transformation of policies, practices and programmes to afford all students opportunities to gain admission, participate, and succeed in education. / Inclusive Education / D. Ed. (Inclusive Education)