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.

This research study uses a descriptive approach and systematic observations to examine the nature of nonverbal teacher-student interaction in a second grade inclusion classroom. Its purpose is to compare the nonverbal behaviors of children who are considered average in ability with those who are perceived as cognitively challenged, while they are engaged in regular classroom instruction in both large and small group settings. This study also examines the nonverbal behaviors of one teacher as she interacts with a select group of students within the context of a naturalistic classroom environment. The data collection involved classroom observations noting context, formal and informal discussions with the classroom teacher regarding lesson instruction, student profiles, and overall study validity and the videotaping of small and large group math lessons. For purposes of analysis, each videotape was viewed numerous times in an effort to capture the nonverbal interaction in the categories of Verbal Eye Contact, and Nonverbal Eye Focus (i.e., attending to teacher/student, attending to procedure, non-attending) in three situations: Student-teacher, Teacher-student, Student-student. Intra-observer agreement was established. The role of teacher/student proximity and teacher voice tone were addressed separately. The results indicate that the most common nonverbal behavior exhibited by both the special education students (SES) and regular education students (RES) was attending to procedure under the category of Eye Focus. The SES varied more among themselves in the verbal eye contact category, teacher eye focus and non-attending subcategories than did the (RES). Verbal eye contact and attending to student and attending to procedure in the Eye Focus category were the predominant nonverbal behaviors used by the classroom teacher. In most cases the majority of nonverbal interaction occurred between students who sat in close proximity regardless of their cognitive ability. The small group setting lent itself to greater frequencies in each of the nonverbal categories for both RES and SES. The data from this study also indicate a relationship between teacher voice tone and effective classroom management. Taking into consideration the possible nonverbal behaviors which engage all students may assist teachers as they attempt to meet the diversity in today's inclusion classroom.

The pilot study involved ten experimental and ten control mainstreamed special needs students. Three negative behaviors, known as x, y, and z behaviors from the Teacher Questionnaire, were targeted and charted, initially, on No Effect, and then on Effect Charts. Also charted were four rating areas: academic achievement, self-esteem, misdirected learning activities, and negative social behaviors, in a range from one to ten. Both groups were administered the Weinberg Screening Affective Scale Modified Form and the Piers-Harris Children's Self Concept Scale. The experimental group were involved with a ten day mini course and workbooks and, later, teacher directed reality testing of the targeted behaviors at three different times over nonconsecutive five day period. Educators should be aware that dissonance manifested in academic dysfunction is the student's attempt to maintain consonance of his or her perceptions of failure. Academic dysfunction is based on Festinger's (1957) cognitive dissonance theory and Beck's (1979) cognitive therapy of depression. Academic dysfunction uses positive affect to reduce dysfunction and achieve consonance. Negative affect influences levels of success of middle school students. Academic dysfunction is an educationally related condition based on early childhood experiences of negative feedback by parents and significant others, and relates to the child's and the student's, success in thinking and doing. In the home, this is manifested by an inability to respond to the parent's satisfaction in parent-child relationships. The result is a lowering of self-esteem and the expectation of future failure. The condition continues in the school, manifested by non productive behavior, misdirected learning activities, and/or negative social behaviors. Amelioration is through positive affective teacher interaction with reality testing of student ability in the classroom, and a mini course which offers suggestions for study scheduling, evaluation of current school status and booklets concerned with: understanding the self, self-esteem, peer pressure, stress management, attitude, using imagination, managing time, improving personal skills, and talking about mental health. The assumption is that both home and school contribute to school failure. The school must offer failing students a means for overcoming academic dysfunction.

Statement of problem. Mainstreaming requires communication and collaboration between regular classroom teachers and special education teachers. In communicating, these teachers bring preconceived perceptions/attitudes of one another with them. Attitudes are emotionally charged ideas that lend predictability to our personalities and help us adjust to our environment. The understanding of perceptions is a first step in helping groups to accept one another. What is the relationship between mainstreaming and the acceptance of special teachers by other faculty members? There is a dearth of research in the area of attitudes/acceptance of special teachers by other teachers. This exploratory study closely examines this "first step" in the mainstreaming process. Methodology. Two sets of surveys were developed which assessed the relationship between successful mainstreaming and faculty acceptance of special education teachers. Twenty-three teachers from four elementary schools completed these surveys. Correlational research methods were used to compare variables between the surveys. Findings. It was found that more positive social acceptance/relationships between regular teachers and special teachers were associated with: (1) More positive attitudes toward special children. (2) More positive feelings on the part of regular teachers about the method in which they were selected for mainstreaming. (3) Better preparation of regular teachers for mainstreaming. (4) Higher levels of communication between these two groups of teachers. (5) More positive attitudes toward special education. Regular teachers reported that although they felt positively about the way they were selected for mainstreaming, they had negative attitudes toward their special students. High visibility of special teachers was associated with more success for mainstreamed students, more social acceptance, and more openness toward special children. Regular teachers with more special education credits were more positive about mainstreaming. However, regular classroom teachers with "regular" education credits earned beyond their master's degree had more negative attitudes toward special children. Conclusions. The findings of this study raise some significant issues including negative attitudes toward special children, poor communication and social acceptance between special teachers and regular teachers, lack of preparation, and a feeling of uncomfortableness in teaching special children. A staff development project addressing these issues is presented.

This dissertation analyzes key factors which influence the negative expectations that classroom teachers hold for certain students whom they perceive to be low achievers and whom they refer for placement in special education. An examination of bias and differentiated expectations in classrooms is conducted in two urban elementary schools and is based on the hypothesis that the children who fail are most often those who differ from their teachers in social class, ethnicity, socioeconomic level, learning style and behaviors, and gender. The first target school is identified as having a low rate (16%) of referral to special education, while the other school is identified as having a high rate (32%) of referral to special education. Twelve regular education teachers from each school complete questionnaires about their experiences with and attitudes towards low-achieving students. Each identifies successful and unsuccessful students and then describes him/herself as a learner. Student records are examined also to determine commonalties in the traits of those students referred to special education for remedial or compensatory instruction. Finally, comparisons of school philosophy and school climate are made between the two target schools. The findings of this study indicate that the misperceptions and life experiences of classroom teachers are important influences on the negative stereotyping and lowered expectations directed toward certain students. In the target schools, veteran as well as less experienced male and female teachers respond more favorably to students who resemble themselves ethnically, socioeconomically, and in learning style, and less favorably to those students who differ. Statistical significance is found when matching the learning characteristics selected by teachers to describe their successful students with learning characteristics they select when describing their own traits as learners. Of the students identified as unsuccessful and referred to special education, a disproportionate number are minority and male and are described by teachers as having problems with motivation, temperament, and need for direction. These and other reasons for referrals cited by teachers in both schools are similar and reflect poorly understood bias toward ethnic, racial, and linguistic minority children as well as misinformation about the developmental differences between boys and girls.

The purpose of the study is to examine the ramifications of television programming as it applies to animated cartoon heroes as a vehicle in the perpetuation of a particular world view. Specifically, the study examines the degree of significance in the relationship between African American child viewers and an African American hero, and the relationship between African American child viewers and a European American hero as it relates to literature on children and television. The study includes African American children from two Western Massachusetts school systems. The participants were selected on the basis of: (1) being African American; (2) interest in the study; and (3) being between the ages of 8 and 13 years. The method used for collecting the data was a Likert Attitude Scale designed specifically for the study. Participants were shown two posters and were asked to make selections on the Likert Scale based on their observations. Frequency distributions were used to analyze the findings. Conclusions drawn from the study were (1) rejection of the null hypothesis in the area of a significant relationship between African American child viewers and a European American hero; and (2) acceptance of the null hypothesis in the area of a significant relationship between African American child viewers and an African American hero.

<p>Children with disabilities are more than ever placed in the general education class settings. While special educators are responsible for drafting and writing the IEP, General education teachers are responsible for implementing the IEP in the general education class setting. Studies show that general education teachers lack knowledge, support, and training of the IEP, which affects their attitudes toward inclusion. The purpose of this study was to identify what teachers know about the IEP and the challenges that they face with implementing them in their classrooms. In this study, data was collected from general education teacher surveys, and the results of the data were analyzed. From the data, it was determined that teachers face many challenges with the implementation of the IEP in their classes. From the data collected a handbook was created for general education teachers to utilize as a guide to overcome these challenges that they face when implementing the IEP in their classrooms was completed.<u></u><u></u></p><div><br></div>

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