<p> The purpose of the qualitative descriptive case study was to explore the perceptions and experiences of middle school general educators using Individual Education Plans (IEPs) of students with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). The study participants consisted of 13 teachers selected from two public middle schools in a suburban county in the State of Georgia. The descriptive case study examined six links associated with the phenomena. The links were inclusion, a description of ASD complexities, and the global significance. Other links to the phenomena were the middle school structure, the legal ramifications, and stakeholder involvement. The six themes and three subthemes developed from the analytic generalizations related to the research question. The data collection procedure included semi-structured face-to-face interviews. Data analysis included using NVivo 10 software to code, organize, and categorize data. The results of the study recommended training and support for general educators using the IEPs of ASD students in middle schools. The conclusion of the study acknowledged the necessity for allowing general educators to make suggestions and accommodations to update middle school IEPs. The study recommended five suggestions to improve the education of middle school ASD students. Three of the recommendations were a project study, developing middle school mini IEPs, and detailed structuring to manage on-going training sessions. Also, parent and student meetings and meet and greet sessions can stabilize parent, student, and every middle school general educator&rsquo;s involvement. </p>

Thesis (M.S.)--University of Wisconsin -- La Crosse, 2009. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 52-60)

Thesis (Ed. D.)--West Virginia University, 2004. / Title from document title page. Document formatted into pages; contains vii, 123 p. : ill. Includes abstract. Includes bibliographical references (p. 101-111).

Thesis (M.S.)--University of Wisconsin--Madison, 1970. / eContent provider-neutral record in process. Description based on print version record. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of North Texas, May, 2007. / Title from title page display. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Texas at Austin, 1999. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 309-327). Available also in a digital version from Dissertation Abstracts.

<p> 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. </p><p> 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. </p><p> Implications include reviewing the legislation&rsquo;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.</p><p>

<p> The Education for All Handicapped Children Act (EHA) was signed into law on November 29th, 1975 by Republican President Gerald Ford and as he signed it, he acknowledged that while the intent of the law was a step forward, the aspirations were complex. The law was renamed the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) in 1990, and has undergone updates and revisions roughly every five years since its inception. Despite these continual modifications, the academic and social outcomes for students with disabilities lags far behind that of their regular education peers. In 2012, the Office of Special Education Programs initiated Results-Driven Accountability (RDA) to measure and improve the efficacy of Special Education programs. </p><p> In contrast to previous iterations of IDEA monitoring, RDA is not based solely on procedural compliance but makes a critical shift to evaluating special education services by also weighting student outcome based indicators. The literature traces the data that led to the practical and philosophical change to RDA and points to the critical role of State Education Agencies (SEAs) in the success of this initiative. SEAs, long expected to offer training, technical assistance, support and monitoring to all districts with special education programs, are now tasked with the implementation of RDA. </p><p> Through this qualitative case study, the researcher sought to investigate the efforts of a SEA in leading the implementation of RDA by focusing on the initial phases of that process with select Local Education Agencies who are participating in the pilot program. Seven school districts were involved in that program and three of those participated in semi-structured, one-on-one interviews with the researcher. During the interviews, participants were asked to reflect on the process of the RDA pilot program, known as the State Identified Measurable Result (SIMR), and how, in the perception of each district representative, the SEA had best assisted with the implementation scheme. Those interviews were analyzed for recurrent themes about the implementation process and the role of the SEA as perceived by each district. The researcher then conducted a comparative document review to triangulate the information from the interviews with the written plans from the SEA to check for congruency and response to the concerns and perceptions of the initial implementers. </p><p> The researcher concluded that the SEA, in providing a designated literacy coach and instructional strategy assistance through the implementation process, helped to create an environment for improved educational outcomes for students with disabilities in the schools that were part of the pilot program, and that the SEA did incorporate the SIMR LEA&rsquo;s input on areas of challenge in the implementation of RDA. </p><p> The researcher also concluded that LEAs face many barriers to the implementation of RDA, and although most of the barriers are not directly under the control of the SEA, they cannot be ignored as the SEA prepares for a state-wide implementation of RDA.</p><p>

This dissertation examined the personality types of ten selected teachers with one or more year's experience in the Hillcrest Educational Centers, Inc.'s residential schools to determine whether certain personality types were more effective than others in working with at-risk special education students in a classroom setting. This study also described how these types performed in the classroom, as well as their interactions with students outside of the classroom, giving consideration to the kinds of affect, approaches, and teaching styles utilized by each. The central focus of this study was an interpretive perspective of these teachers, with data generated by participant observation and in-depth interviews. All teachers were given the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator, and five were selected by their supervisors and their peers as the most effective teachers, while five more were selected who were not so designated, to function as the control group. Although the findings of the study did not substantiate the validity of specific personality types as effective teachers, there was a high correlation between the characteristics of the effective teachers and the body of research on effective teaching. A more in-depth study, with a larger population sample, and the use of the newly developed more comprehensive MBTI, might yield better results toward finding clusters of specific effective teacher personality types.

Neoliberal ideology frames the discourse of the current political rhetoric of education as an economic investment in the preparation of students to compete in a global economy. These discourses that emanate from policymakers shape the construct of schooling and control the trajectory of education in the US. As education policy becomes centralized, accountability systems are assumed to be the driver of positive educational outcomes and higher student achievement; however, the impact of these systems of accountability shape teaching practice and may be pushing students with disabilities out of the competition and violating their right to access and participate in general education. This study examined the outcomes of current educational policy on daily teaching practice and its impact on inclusive practice. In addition, it examined teachers' self-regulation as a means to adapt and remain in a regulated environment. The perspectives of beginning and experienced teachers from an urban and a rural area were analyzed through semi- structured interviews, classroom observations, and document analysis.