Critical Special Education

Critical Content Analysis is an explicit method for the study of text that also offers flexibility in theoretical approach and textual selection. In this introduction to the Understanding and Dismantling Privilege special issue featuring Critical Content Analysis focusing on race, racism, and racial oppression, we introduce the method itself and highlight the flexibility of the Critical Content Analysis. Additionally, we highlight the ways that thinking with theory differentiates Critical Content Analysis from other forms of textual analysis and is central to the critical nature of the method.

Over the last four decades the concept of inclusive education, once originally associated with students with disabilities, has developed to now incorporate all groups that have been traditionally marginalized in the history of schooling, including immigrants, emergent bilinguals, the LGBTQ+ population, etc. While notable progress has been made, much remains to be done, particularly for Students of Color with disabilities who are, when compared to their white peers-overrepresented in several disability categories, receive more restrictive placements, encounter more numerous and severe disciplinary actions, and face a greater likelihood of entering the school-prison nexus. While some researchers in the field of special education seek more students of color to be identified as disabled (Morgan et al., 2015), subsequent specialized instruction is oftentimes envisioned as occurring in segregated settings (Fuchs et al., 2025), integral to an ideology of separatism inherent in traditional special education (Anastasiou et al., 2024).

As section leader of the "diversity/multicultural" portion of the International Handbook of Special Education: Implications and Strategies, I explore how disability intersects with multiple non-dominant identity markers and the implications for strategies benefiting disabled youth. Informed by Waitoller and Thorius's (2022) critical scholarship and the contributions of scholars of color, disabled scholars, and disabled scholars of color, this section reimagines disability as integral to human variance-deeply tied to identity, culture, and knowledge-making. Disability is framed both as a cultural and epistemological asset and as a counterhegemonic construct that challenges dominant norms of ability and normalcy. The section is organized into three parts: (1) ways of knowing, which examine how disabled youth's lived experiences and identities inform educational strategies; (2) ways of doing, which highlight methodologies grounded in equity and cultural responsiveness; and (3) future implications, which envision strategies co-created with disabled youth, families, and communities. Collectively, the chapters advocate for asset-based pedagogies that affirm disabled youth's agency and challenge deficit-oriented practices in special education. This introduction offers a conceptual grounding for the section's overarching goal: to transform special education through strategies rooted in justice, inclusion, and the cultural wealth of disabled youth.

Critical storytelling is a methodology that has been used to disrupt and transform deficit-oriented, Western colonial master narratives about marginalized peoples. This chapter expands upon critical storytelling as conceptualized by Dr. Nicholas D. Hartlep and colleagues to explicitly include intersectional disabled youth (IDY), a term used to refer to disabled youth at the intersections of race, language, class, and other identity markers of difference in middle school through higher educational settings. To include IDY, I draw from other critical methodologies that highlight storytelling as a tool to not only disrupt White bodymind normativity but also to honor and center marginalized IDY lived experiences within schools and educational environments. These include Indigenous storywork, testimonio, critical race theory's counter-stories, and cripistemologies. I synthesize key components from each of these methodological approaches that center one's embodied story as linked to critical storytelling and apply these to questions informed by the literature about youth with intersectional identities. From these questions and concepts connected to critical storytelling, an understanding of intersectional disability futures emerges to include key pedagogical considerations within teaching and learning that embrace IDY's stories as knowledge-making in current and future educational contexts. Accordingly, considerations of time, space, people, content, context, and form are analyzed for their importance in supporting IDY in co-creating and informing desired intersectional disability futures.

At a time when the United States Department of Education openly advocates for neoliberal, free market policies, exploration of these efforts is needed. Investigation into one such effort, charter schools, can help provide insight into complicated questions surrounding the value and impact of these schools, especially on the marginalized populations they often serve. In this study, I explored how these neoliberal principles impacted the experiences of special education students at a small, urban charter school in Southern California. Three broad themes emerged from the data: 1) school size in the competitive education marketplace, 2) the illusion of choice and quality in a school of choice, and 3) the unrealized promise of inclusion in a neoliberal environment. Implications of neoliberalism on the experiences of poor, disabled students are discussed. Future research directions include case studies and ethnographies situated at the intersection of special education, neoliberalism, and inclusion in the United States.

The prevalence of ADHD in high school students has sharply increased, yet current accommodations such as 504 plans and pharmaceutical treatments are often ineffective or problematic due to side effects, overmedication concerns, and inconsistent results. This study conducts a meta-analysis to assess the effectiveness of non-pharmaceutical ADHD treatments based on the administrator of the intervention—student, parent, or school. Data from 532 participants across 12 studies using standardized behavioral assessments were analyzed, with effect sizes weighted by sample size. Results indicate that treatments administered by authority figures (school or parent) are significantly more effective in reducing symptoms such as inattention and hyperactivity compared to self-administered treatments, which showed notably poor outcomes. Female students generally responded better to interventions, possibly due to higher baseline self-discipline and lower ADHD symptom severity. The study highlights the importance of treatment delivery context and suggests that coordinated, authority-led interventions may be key in mitigating ADHD’s academic and social impact in secondary education. Limitations include sample size disparities, cultural scope, and variability in ADHD severity. Future research should explore combined interventions, international comparisons, and strategies to enhance the effectiveness of self-administered treatments.

This study compares the Pakistan and India about the services available in special education system for the children with special needs. This comparison can be of great importance as there are too many similarities as well as differences in the conditions of special education system of both countries. The study is based on document review about special education system between Pakistan and India. The scope of this study has been delimited to special education system concerning legislations and efforts towards inclusive education in both countries. Comparative analysis of both countries revealed the pluses and minuses of the special education systems. This analysis would guide the policymakers to move forward in the positive direction to deliver better amenities to the persons with disabilities.

Calls for justice-centered education approaches have gained traction over the years. Yet given the entrenched inequities that disproportionately harm multiply-marginalized students of color, it is evident that they remain incomplete. Using a specific incident as our launching point, we explore current conceptualizations of justice through a disability critical race theory (DisCrit) contrapuntal reading of four prolific intellectuals whose work is often not in conversation: Nancy Fraser, Iris Marion Young, Mia Mingus, and Talila Lewis. We query, (a) How does the author conceptualize justice? (b) How does the author consider difference in relationships to justice? and (c) How does the author (re)imagine potential ways to remedy injustice? By recognizing connectedness and maintaining tensions framed within DisCrit, this article enumerates expansive conceptualizations of justice through centering multiply-marginalized communities of color.

ContextGirls of Color are overrepresented in school disciplinary actions based on subjectively judged, minor infractions. Studies have consistently shown that this exclusionary discipline has long-lasting impact on Girls of Color and their educational outcomes, including increased risk for pushout and involvement in the criminal legal system.Focus of StudyWe sought to uncover the processes that animate the statistics of overrepre-sentation of Girls of Color in disciplinary actions. Said differently, we sought to understand where, how, and why Girls of Color were being disciplined in schools. Using a Disability Critical Race Theory (DisCrit) lens and centering the voices of Girls’ of Color, this empirical study was guided by the question, What mechanisms propel and dispel disciplinary inequities for Girls of Color?Research DesignThe qualitative research took place in a suburban school district in the Midwestern United States marked by increasing racial, cultural, and linguistic diver...

Classroom and behaviour management are often touted as ways to build relationships in the classroom. Yet conceptions of classroom and behaviour management often focus on controlling or eradicating student behaviour; these carceral logics limit the ways educators can build classroom relationships focused on love and respect. Moreover, classroom and behaviour management are often rooted in punitive, top-down approaches wherein practices are dictated to teachers and classroom contexts and the students within are ignored. To disrupt these carceral and technocratic logics imbued within classroom and behaviour management, we argue that integrating disability studies exceeds constraining and quarantining boundaries of curriculum, shifting to meta-curriculum. Using Disability Critical Race Theory (DisCrit), we explicitly conceptualize relationships built in the classroom as a necessary part of critical curriculum studies. We then apply Disability Justice principles to curriculum studies to produce DisCrit Solidarity. Finally, we explore the four convictions of DisCrit Solidarity which can reorganize pedagogic spaces for liberation. This intersectional approach to relationships in the classroom rejects managing behaviours, requires purposeful articulation and highlights resistance by educators and students, resulting in transformative praxis.

This systematic review of literature on race in rural educational scholarship addresses the research question: How are race and racism typically represented (defined, discussed) in rural education literature? And two subquestions: What factors have been explored at length in regard to race and racism? and Where are the predominant gaps in the research literature?
descriptor, located within a racial hierarchy, socially constructed, and an element of diversity/race as multicultural/cultural
ystemic and institutional, a factor, and structural
In answering these questions we reviewed literature published in three rural education
journals from 2001-2022 and used a systematic approach to the data collection, extraction, and analysis. The
overall findings about race yielded four themes: Race as–descriptor, located within a racial hierarchy, socially constructed, and an element of diversity/race as multicultural/cultural.  Similarly, the overall findings about racism yielded three themes: Racism as - descriptor, located within a racial hierarchy, socially constructed, and an element of diversity/race as multicultural/cultural. These themes provided an organizing framework to discuss the findings from the relevant studies. Each theme included the citation of articles representing the theme and illustrations of each theme. This approach allowed for a comprehensive display of what themes arose while also providing examples of how these constructs were articulated within the scholarship review. We then used CRT to analyze the overall findings related to race and racism focusing on two tenets, social construction theory, and colorevasiveness. We end with a call to increase focus on research that disrupts white supremacy, examines structural and institutional racism as it operates in rural education, and takes race-conscious approaches to research in rural scholarship.

This research aims to determine the effectiveness of Differential Reinforcement of Incompatible Behaviour (DRI) to overcome the disruptive behaviour of intellectual disability students in the classroom during lesson. The type of disruptive behaviour, which becomes the target behaviour in this research, is physical aggression against classmates. This research used quantitative approach with experimental research design. The approach for this experimental research is Single Subject Research (SSR) with A-B-A (Baseline-1-Intervention-Baseline-2) design. The subject of the research is three students with intellectual disability in grade II C of SLBN Surakarta, Central Java, Indonesia. The instruments for collecting the data in this research consist of interview, observation, and anecdotal report. The data was analysed by using descriptive statistic and presented in the form of tables and graph. Furthermore, the components were analyzed by an analysis of the condition. The result showed t...

MORE AND MORE, educators are purposefully leveraging the linguistic landscape of communities to increase student access to rich environmental print, increase student motivation and active engagement in their literacy development, and raise critical language awareness of language use in their
communities. The use of multimodal literacies is also important for increasing inclusivity in literacy development among neurodiverse students, students with learning differences, and active bilingual learners/users of English (ABLE students). We describe here a multimodal literacies model, Linguistic Landscape in Second Language Teaching and Learning (LLinL2TL), that teachers can use to immediately engage their students in using signs in their own communities to create and share stories. We provide examples of how the LLinL2TL model bridges the environmental print of students’ immediate community neighborhoods with literacy instruction at school and how and why this is meaningful for ABLE students and students who are neurodivergent or have learning differences. This has potential for expanding upon familiar literacy instruction for students with disabilities and ABLE students, which can by default often be more multimodal.

Multiply-marginalized disabled students in PreK-12 and postsecondary
schools have unique educational trajectories. Yet, their
firsthand experiences are understudied. This conceptual paper
explores the affordances and possibilities of using an intersectional
sociospatial lens supported by arts-based and visual methods
grounded in the lived experiences of multiply-marginalized disabled
students to unearth and reconstruct educational policies,
practices, and systems. We anchor with two questions: How does
an intersectional sociospatial lens support research and policy
grounded in the epistemologies, lived experiences, ontologies,
and axiological commitments of multiply-marginalized disabled
students? How does an intersectional sociospatial lens revisit, reimagine,
and re-engage sociospatial conversations and experiences?
To engage this dialogue, we present this blended framing and also
review previous work. We highlight the merits of this existing
scholarship while providing implications for future research and
policy centering multiply-marginalized disabled students with an
intersectional sociospatial lens.

Disabled and disability studies scholars and activists have challenged and are challenging the bio-and necro-politics of disability subjectivity through scholarship, art, activism, and online engagement. As this edition articulates, difference takes many forms, is intersectional, and is often characterized and codified by and through educational research. Acknowledging that difference is socially constructed poses challenges to the ablenationalism that undergirds not only complex systems of schooling, but the educational research on which these systems rest.

It is alarming to suspect that no University has provision for people with disability in terms of accessible sport facilities and motivation for participation as perceived by Nigerian University students with disabilities. This was conceptualized as a great discrimination, exclusion and wastage of potentials especially for economic skill in sport. To provide empirical prove of the interest and potential of students with disabilities in marketable skills in sport, a survey of 60 purposively selected students with disability were carried out in three Universities to investigate how participation and access to facilities predict their marketable skills in sport. Data was collected using Sport Marketable Skills Scale (SMSS- reliability = .071) and Facilities and Participation Questionnaire (FPQ- reliability = .80). Data collected was analyzed using multiple regression statistic and findings show that participation and@ facilities are significant predictor (F (2, 57) = 186.34 and p < ...

As pedagogies of liberation are designed for establishing and enhancing freedom and accessibility for all individuals, it is proposed that differentiated instruction for students with disabilities is, by definition, a pedagogy of liberation. Because the field of special education has been and continues to be in a process of distinct legislative and political attention and reform, it is important that such reform be viewed in a more radical and active context to ensure that the exclusionary history of individuals with disabilities is not repeated. Since a considerable percentage of students are either officially classified or regarded as having disabilities, different modes of curriculum presentation and instruction are necessary to enhance such students' accessibility to information without sacrificing the integrity of the curriculum. Failure to do so creates an instructional stratification between students with and without disabilities. Because practices of differentiated instruction will, if applied effectively, empower such students with the same or comparable curricular information as their non-disabled counterparts, equality of information accessibility will be fostered, thus enhancing all students to be a functional part of the community.

Retrieved from http://www.mde.k12.ms.us/map?ShowList=1 Mississippi Department of Education. (2011b). Teacher resource guide for the Mississippi Alternate Assessment of Extended Curriculum Frameworks (MAAECF). Retrieved from http://home.mde.k12.ms.us/docs/studentassessment/maaecf-20trg-20-20reduced-20pdf.pdf?sfvrsn=2 Mississippi Department of Education. (2012a). District resource guide. Jackson, MS: Author. Mississippi Department of Education. (2012b). Educator licensure: Certification of special education. Retrieved from http://www.mde.k12.ms.us/educator-licensure/ certification-for-special-education Mississippi Department of Education. (2012c). ESEA flexibility request. Retrieved from http://www.mde.k12.ms.us/maaecf/ Mistretta, L. A. (2008, Fall). What are the effects of the Virginia Alternate Assessment Program on the instruction of students with severe disabilities in one school district (Master's thesis)? Retrieved from ProQuest Dissertations and Theses database. (UMI No. 3346878)

Retrieved from http://www.mde.k12.ms.us/map?ShowList=1 Mississippi Department of Education. (2011b). Teacher resource guide for the Mississippi Alternate Assessment of Extended Curriculum Frameworks (MAAECF). Retrieved from http://home.mde.k12.ms.us/docs/studentassessment/maaecf-20trg-20-20reduced-20pdf.pdf?sfvrsn=2 Mississippi Department of Education. (2012a). District resource guide. Jackson, MS: Author. Mississippi Department of Education. (2012b). Educator licensure: Certification of special education. Retrieved from http://www.mde.k12.ms.us/educator-licensure/ certification-for-special-education Mississippi Department of Education. (2012c). ESEA flexibility request. Retrieved from http://www.mde.k12.ms.us/maaecf/ Mistretta, L. A. (2008, Fall). What are the effects of the Virginia Alternate Assessment Program on the instruction of students with severe disabilities in one school district (Master's thesis)? Retrieved from ProQuest Dissertations and Theses database. (UMI No. 3346878)

Although there are federal protections for students with dis/abilities under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) 1975, Black students with and without dis/abilities continue to be suspended and expelled at rates that exceed their peers. Still, there is limited research on how Black girls and Black boys are disciplined across suspension types, and based on their identification for special education services. The purpose of this article is to examine the overrepresentation of Black girls and Black boys with and without dis/abilities and to determine, using a quantifiable percentage, how the overrepresentation of Black students for in-school and out-of-school suspension can be eradicated. We use data from the U.S. Department of Education, Office for Civil Rights, Civil Rights Data Collection 2011–2012 to examine equity (justice and fairness) in disciplinary referrals using state-by-state and regional data. Using an equity formula, we analyzed national data to determi...

Intended to secure school safety, these rigid strategies mandated the perpetration of predetermined punitive consequences for specific school infractions (American Psychological Association Zero Tolerance Task Force, 2008). American youth, disproportionately those of color, were subject to harsh disciplinary measures regardless of behavioral circumstances or mitigating factors (Kang-Brown et al., 2013). Through the criminalization of education and the stigmatization of youth, zero tolerance policies initiated the emergence of the school-to-prison pipeline (STPP), heightening a juvenile's risk toward future justice system contact. Although a surfeit of STPP data targets male youth in substantiating the existence of the pipeline, a surge of scholarship addressing female youth has been noted. The following exploratory case study exemplified the interrelationship between the STPP and exclusionary punishments. Through the distribution, collection, and evaluation of survey data completed by 55 incarcerated female inmates, housed within one of three New York State correctional facilities, the subsequent study validates the prevalence of the STPP. The findings suggest a correlation between the female participants' current incarceration and a history of suspensions and expulsions during their educational years. In conjunction with existing STPP scholarship, this study identified an overrepresentation of Black participants affected by exclusionary discipline. Black female participants were disproportionately funneled through the pipeline accelerating juvenile and criminal justice contact.

The escalation of school violence within the United States during the 1980s and 1990s inadvertently prompted the school-to-prison pipeline (STPP) emergence. Heightened efforts were implemented to abate this surge in school violence and keep American youth safe in the academic environment. With the imposition of zero-tolerance policies and the enactment of the Gun Free Schools Act 1994 (Pub L No. 103-882), American students, disproportionately those of color, are subject to stringent disciplinary actions regardless of behavioral circumstances or mitigating factors (Kang-Brown et al., 2013). These harsh punitive measures fuel the pipeline resulting in the growth of uneducated, stigmatized "delinquent" youth populating our juvenile and criminal justice systems. The following case study exemplified the interrelationship between the STPP and exclusionary punishments. Through the distribution, collection, and evaluation of survey data completed by 55 incarcerated male inmates, housed within one of two New York jails, the subsequent study validates the prevalence of the STPP. The findings suggest a correlation between the participants' current incarceration and a history of suspensions and expulsions during their educational years. In conjunction with existing literature, this study identified an overrepresentation of Black and brown participants affected by exclusionary punishments. Black and brown participants were disproportionately funneled through the pipeline accelerating juvenile and criminal justice contact.

This study evaluates mothers experiences in living with children with ADHD. This is a qualitative study with a phenomenological approach. Through a convenient sampling, a purposeful sample was selected from Shams Family Counseling Center in Tabriz. The sample consisted of 10 mothers that were interviewed in-depth interviews. Answers were recorded, coded, and organized. Data was gathered through in-depth interviews and analyzed using the seven-step method defined by Colaizzi method. Findings were summarized in four core concepts (named: "family disorderliness", "social worries", "educational worries " and " mother s negative experienced senses ") as well as several sub concepts. The findings can contribute to future plans for improving support resources and therapy strategies for mothers to provide their mental health.

Twenty Korean-American mothers of children with disabilities participated in interviews concerning perceptions of the expertise, attitudes, and behavior of social and educational service providers, differences in cultural values and communication styles, and the need and use of translation services. Mothers reported satisfaction with the availability of services and expertise of professionals. Mothers were dissatisfied with repeatedly requesting services, dealing with professionals who disenfranchised and marginalized them, and in managing Individualized Education Plan (IEP) meetings; difficulties to which differences in cultural values and communication styles substantially contribute. Mothers reported on concerns about translators and suggested some attributes that a qualified translator should possess. Sensitivity and respect for parents' emotions, requests, and need for support from service providers are essential, especially for providers who aim to nurture parental engagement and promote a positive educational experience for children and their families of diverse cultural backgrounds.

Disability as an identity and/or lived experience is a way of
being diverse, but disability itself is diverse, too. The
implications of this reality are manifold for the field of music
education and amplified by the fact that the global population
of disabled persons/persons with disabilities is estimated to be
over 15%, which is more than one billion people. In this chapter
we discuss how normative practices of music education impact
disabled persons/persons with disabilities in both school and
community contexts and examine the complexities of how and
why pedagogical practices can be inclusive or exclusive for a
given learner. Using a narrative approach, we tell the stories of
a learner named Ray as they encounter different music learning
contexts throughout their lifespan. First, we open with Ray
experiencing the “norm” in school and community music
learning settings to identify issues. Following, we offer a
commentary of Ray’s experiences as a disabled person/person
with a disability with regard to (1) diversity (of approach,
perception, and pedagogy), (2) access (to instruction, to
experiences, to instruments/tools), and (3) equity (the
monetary, personal, and social costs of music learning).
Drawing on key concepts from the field of Disability Studies, we
discuss how Ray’s bodymind disrupts normative music
education practices, thereby identifying engrained ableist
practices that need to be unlearned. Furthermore, we advocate
for re-learning by reorienting to a disability-centered approach
that recognizes, values, and honors disability epistemology.
Finally, we conclude with a vision of what a more just music
education world might look like for Ray, but with the caveat
that what is right for Ray may not be for others because
disability is diverse and therefore the work of inclusion is
always incomplete.

This achievement would not have been possible without the collective efforts of many people who contributed morally, spiritually and financially. First of all, i would like to thank my supervisors Professor Geoffrey K Karugu and Dr JB Okech Olweny for their professional support and guidance which enabled me to complete this thesis. I would also like to thank my parents who laid a foundation of my education without discriminating me as a person with disability. I would also like to acknowledge KenyattaUniversity Admission"s Board for admitting me to a MED Special Needs Education Degree course. Special thanks go to International Fellowship Program Ford Foundation for financial assistance during my course without them i wouldnt have made to the end. My deepest gratitude goes to my husband, daughters, son, parents, sisters, brothers and relatives for their moral and spiritual support. May God bless you all. v TABLE OF CONTENT

Using the methodology of critical autoethnography and theoretical frameworks of Black Feminist Thought and Critical Dis/Ability Race Theory (DisCrit), three African American women faculty collaborated on documenting and sharing their experiences and impact in predominantly White institutions. The authors shared their personal narratives; core identities; intersectionality of cultural and sub-cultural identities and experiences (race, gender, abilities, generation/age, discipline, skills, expertise, faculty classification, critical consciousness, etc.);
hegemonic institutional culture that focuses on compliance vs. inclusion and outcomes; and their support systems and strategies employed to do more than survive and aim to thrive.

The educational status among African Americans is a story of continuing achievement and continuing disparities in outcomes. On one hand, there are continuing stories of high academic accomplishments among Black Americans who attend and graduate from high-ranking American institutions of higher education. On the other hand, the continuing gap in educational opportunities and outcomes within Black America is shaping present and future education disparities. This essay examines the impact of recent education policy on education reform and outcomes for African Americans. The dynamic characteristics of the Black American educational experience are discussed. Some attention is given to historical factors that helped shape present-day education reform measures and their impact on the African-American educational experience. Education policy as a public health issue is briefly addressed throughout this article. Suggestions are made for future policy initiatives and advocacy, teaching, and for human-service professionals working with Black children and youth in school settings.

In American schools, conversations about violence prioritize direct violence, while indirect violence is virtually ignored. This current emphasis overlooks the structural violence deeply embedded in America’s social, political, and economic institutions, which were intentionally designed to exclude, and position some groups to experience disproportionate levels of poverty, exploitation, and persecution. To understand the mechanisms of structural violence, the concepts of structural violence and total institutions, the tenets of Disability Critical Race Theory can be used as an analytical lens. This retrospective comparative case study does so by exploring similarities in the lived experiences of Black, Emotionally Disturbed males across metropolitan special education, juvenile justice, and medical systems. The findings demonstrate a “convergence of violence” in America’s juvenile justice, medical, and special education systems, collectively pushing K–12-aged participants into carcer...

Part of the Disability and Equity in Education Commons Recommended Citation Recommended Citation Smith-Alexander, Janelle N., "Until superheroes learn how to use their power: Exploring the triple consciousness of African American male students identified as dis/abled" (2020). Theses and Dissertations. 2793.

Traditional mainstream public schools are not for everyone. Some students are unable to function in traditional schools, though they might have the aptitude to do so. Other students have special needs (e.g., emotional problems, marriage, children), and still others have been retained for one or more years and may feel out-of-place in traditional environments. Then there are those students who are placed in alternative schools in lieu of expulsion or suspension. One issue that has taken on greater urgency in recent years concerns the discipline of racial and ethnic minorities in school. There is mounting evidence that Black and Hispanic students are disciplined at rates greater than their representation in school. It is quite reasonable to assume that alternative schools might be used to house ethnic/racial minority students. Moreover, if this is the case what is the focus of these schools, academic, vocational, or disciplinary? The purpose of our paper is to explore some of these issues by (1) examining the relationship between the percent minority in a school district and the presence of at least one alternative school, and (2) examine the traits/focus of these schools.

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It is well established in research that early childhood classrooms are one of the most controlled environments during the human life course. When control is discussed, the enactment of regulatory frameworks and various discourses are analysed but less focus is paid on the materialities of classrooms. In this article, we pay attention to ‘special’ non-human actors present in an ‘inclusive’ early childhood classroom. These ‘special’ non-human actors are so named as they operate in the classroom as objects specific for the child with a diagnosis. The ‘special’ non-human actors, in the specific case the wrist band, the lock and the scooter board, take on meaning within discourses in the ‘inclusive’ classroom. We illuminate how these non-human actors contribute to the constitution of the ‘normal’ and the regulation of educators and children. To trouble the working of power and the control these objects effect on all who is present in the classroom, we ask the following questions: What do...

The purpose of this study was to determine perceptions of involvement of 120 elementary, 120 middle, and 120 high school parents. A combined version of Sheldon and Epstein's Parent Survey of Family and Community Involvement in the Elementary and Middle School Grades and the Parent Survey of Family and Community Involvement in the High School Grades was used to gather data. Descriptive data were used to reveal the results for research questions one, two, and three. A Pearson's r was used to determine the relationships for research questions four, five, and six. Research question 4: What is the nature and strength of the relationship between parents' reported type of involvement activities and their child's educational level (elementary, middle, and high school)?, had a negative correlation of (-.276). For research question 5: What is the nature and strength of the relationship between parent perceptions regarding responsibilities toward parent involvement and their child's educational level (elementary, middle, and high school) had a negative correlation of (-.175). And, for research question 6: What is the nature and strength of the relationship between parent perceptions regarding their ability to help students with school-related work and their child's educational level (elementary, middle, and high school)? had a negative correlation of (-.011). Implications for this study include ways to enhance students' lives. With simple involvement ideas, beliefs are that parents will engage in involvement activities, thus facilitating their student's academic performance. This study serves as a springboard for additional research on parental involvement.

Context: Geographies of exclusion (e.g., segregated special education classrooms, school district zoning) are constituted through intersecting oppressive ideologies (e.g., ableism, racism, classism) that co-naturalize notions of "normalcy" and deviance and yield harmful consequences for disabled children of Color. Geographies of exclusion dynamically contribute to and constitute teacher candidates' feelings about themselves and their social worlds. White teacher candidates' investment in dominant racial ideologies is well-documented, and recent scholarship has interrogated the role of white emotionality in these processes. However, the extent to which white teacher candidates emotionally ascribe to oppressive constructions of ability have been underexamined. Focus of Study: We sought to uncover how white teacher candidates (TCs) used emotional practices to position themselves in relation to ability within geographies of exclusion as they narrated their educational journeys. Such an examination is necessary to upend ongoing constructions of racial-ability hierarchies in and through teacher education. Using disability critical race theory and emotional geographies, our study was guided by the following question: How do white, nondisabled TCs engage in emotional practices in relation to geographies of exclusion? Research Design: This critical narrative study took place in two teacher education programs in the Pacific Northwest with 42 white, nondisabled teacher candidates. We drew on qualitative mapping as a method for participants to tell stories about

Purpose: In this study, it has been aimed to determine the effect of 8-week ball-handling training program on upper-lower extremity muscular strength of individuals with Down syndrome. Method: In the study, twenty one individuals who had been medically diagnosed with trisomy down syndrome and still attending special education and rehabilitation centres have participated as voluntarily. The participants have been selected randomly and divided into exercise (10 participants) and control groups (11 participants). The exercise group was trained with Ball-handling Training Program for 8 weeks; 2 days a week and a 60 minute per day. However, the control group did not participate in any activities regularly. In the study, Takei hand grip dynamometer was used to measure upper extremity strength. For the measurement of lower extremity strength, standing broad jump-vertical jump, wall squat test and Takei leg dynamometer strength tests were utilized. The statistical analyses of the data were realized by using SPSS 21.0 package program. Results: The means of after eight weeks, leg strength test (pre:22.47±13.12; post:30.90±13.87; p=.005) wall squat test (pre:23.55±10.95; post:30.92±13.87; p=.005) and dominant hand grip strength (pre:11.35±5.74; post:14.55±7.18; p=.024) were found more significant than the means of baseline in exercise group. But, It was not significant differences between post measurements of exercise and control groups (p>0.05). Conclusion: The findings of the study have revealed that 8-week ball-handling training program made a positive effect on upper-lower extremity strength of individuals with Down syndrome. However, it is assumed that if the program implemented is brought to you by CORE View metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk

We acknowledge that some students with severe disabilities are not being taught in general education. We do not agree that inclusion in general education is inherently better, nor do we think it is always appropriate, and we provide some reasons that a full continuum of alternative placements is not only legally mandated but appropriate. We are supportive of placement in general education for children with severe disabilities when it is appropriate.

In-service tutor development on inclusive education provides an opportunity for preparing student teachers to educating all children. This study aimed to investigate the efficacy of teacher educators' capacity and commitment for quality training of student teachers towards inclusive education in Uganda. The study adopted a qualitative approach. Participants included tutors (N = 8), students with disabilities (N = 8) and students without disabilities (N = 56). Individual interviews were conducted with tutors and students with disabilities while focus group discussions were held with students without disabilities. Data was analyzed using themes generated from transcripts. Results of this study indicate increased support to a number of students with disabilities admitted in primary teacher colleges. It however noted the need for skills in functional assessment, braille and sign language, modifying methods and providing resources to accommodate individual disability. The study recommended increased mentorship, improved skills in functional assessment and continuous professional development in inclusive education. These findings identify modifications in teacher education intended to promote inclusive learning for children with disabilities and other special needs.

The present study focused on instruction in identifying the 1st sounds of different words. We taught this phonological awareness skill in a mainstream classroom through an evidence-based strategy of time delay to a student with severe intellectual and developmental disability. We implemented the time-delay strategy within a single-subject design and a multiple baseline across 3 different sets. Results indicated that the student learned to identify the initial letter sound of the words taught once the intervention ended and across the maintenance period. Contributions and limitations of the study are presented, and future research and practical implications are discussed. Access to the general education curriculum, participation, and learning have recently been acknowledged as relevant issues in the

In American schools, conversations about violence prioritize direct violence, while indirect violence is virtually ignored. This current emphasis overlooks the structural violence deeply embedded in America’s social, political, and economic institutions, which were intentionally designed to exclude, and position some groups to experience disproportionate levels of poverty, exploitation, and persecution. To understand the mechanisms of structural violence, the concepts of structural violence and total institutions, the tenets of Disability Critical Race Theory can be used as an analytical lens. This retrospective comparative case study does so by exploring similarities in the lived experiences of Black, Emotionally Disturbed males across metropolitan special education, juvenile justice, and medical systems. The findings demonstrate a “convergence of violence” in America’s juvenile justice, medical, and special education systems, collectively pushing K–12-aged participants into carcer...

It is alarming to suspect that no University has provision for people with disability in terms of accessible sport facilities and motivation for participation as perceived by Nigerian University students with disabilities. This was conceptualized as a great discrimination, exclusion and wastage of potentials especially for economic skill in sport. To provide empirical prove of the interest and potential of students with disabilities in marketable skills in sport, a survey of 60 purposively selected students with disability were carried out in three Universities to investigate how participation and access to facilities predict their marketable skills in sport. Data was collected using Sport Marketable Skills Scale (SMSS-reliability = .071) as well as Facilities and Participation Questionnaire (FPQ-reliability = .80). Data collected was analyzed using multiple regression statistic and findings show that participation and facilities are significant predictors (F(2, 57) = 186.34 and p < .05) and accounted for 48% of marketable skills in sport among the students. It was recommended that sport for persons with disability be established in the Universities consequently, sport facilities be expanded to ensure access and participation of persons with disabilities so as to give them optimum development of marketable and social skills advocated in the global inclusion of all.

This article posits an updated, broader perspective on the concept of learning disabilities (LDs) than that accepted in the local Israeli literature, revealing how it is immersed in class, ethnicity, and culture. This is shown through historical description, accreditation, and contrasting of the two special education discourses: the ''cultural deprivation'' discourse and the ''LDs'' discourse. There are three sections. Part One presents the theoretical, conceptual, and methodological background of the sociological and discursive debate about LDs. The socialconstructivist model used in an analysis of the two categories is proposed as an alternative to the clinical-medical model. The definitions of LDs and cultural deprivation accepted in the Israeli discourse are presented in Part Two. The metamorphoses in the discourse about the category of LDs are uncovered through reference to their conceptual and historical antecedents. This part discusses the various understandings and constructions of learning difficulties. Part Three examines the textual representation of parents of children with disabilities in both cases, exploring the meanings of guilt, responsibility, and agency in each discourse. The conclusion clarifies the social and political significance of the distinct textual and rhetorical representations. It becomes evident that the discourse on LDs and the discourse on cultural deprivation are two special education tracks directed at different target audiences: the culturally enriched audience, well-off and educated on the one hand, and the Mizrahi audience of limited means and education on the other hand.

Using data to make decisions is commonplace in education. Types of data collected include demographic information, student achievement, and data related to the instructional process. Unfortunately, data often goes unused or underused in schools while other potentially useful forms of data are not collected at all. Reasons for this include existing data being inaccessible, a lack of training in how to use data, a fear that data will be used in a punitive manner, or the belief that data has little value. When strategically collected, data can be used for a variety of reasons such as research on accountability and the improvement of services. Additionally, access to data can help make a difficult or unpopular decision easier to make, can potentially guard funds, and may challenge assumptions or beliefs. Regardless of the type of data that is collected, within the education literature a number of suggestions are made for effective data use to occur in schools. First, a data-friendly environment must exist. Teachers and administrators need to feel supported in their data collection efforts and secure that the data will not be used in a punitive manner. Second, staff must be trained in data collection as well as its use. Third, the data that is collected should be tied directly to stated goals at the individual, classroom, school, or district level. Data can be reviewed to understand and measure the progress being made toward stated goals. Fourth, teachers must receive timely and continuous feedback of data for it to be incorporated into their instructional decisions. If data is collected and analyzed but results are not sent back to teachers in a timely fashion, the data will hold little to no value for them and will likely be viewed as a burden rather than a benefit. The effective use of data has become a pressing topic in education, especially data collection and use for accountability. This particular application of data use has increased greatly since the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act of 2001. NCLB pushes states to show annual progress to increase the number of students who are proficient in reading and math and to reduce the gap among students from different socioeconomic backgrounds. In an effort to demonstrate the required progress, many states have implemented large-scale testing. This type of testing may be classified as low-stakes or high-stakes testing. Low-stakes testing is used to compare students to the national average and can influence changes in curriculum. In contrast, high-stakes testing has rewards and/or sanctions attached to the results. The types of tests used, grades targeted with testing, rewards or sanctions, and who is held responsible vary by state and sometimes by district. Some of the rewards and sanctions used include: public dissemination of testing results by school, offering vouchers to students in perpetually low-performing schools, students being required to pass a test to graduate or pass to the next grade, and more recently, tying teacher pay to student performance, and basing teacher bonuses on student performance. The widespread use of large-scale testing for accountability purposes has led to a number of criticisms. These include restricted local school autonomy, poor test design on standardized tests, possible measurement bias, concerns about the disparity in the passing rates of minority students, a narrowing of teaching to focus more on test content, and a lack of feedback on how to improve student learning. Conversely, it is argued by supporters that the public interest is served by increased and more regular monitoring of school performance as greater control and efficiency are introduced. See also: > Accountability; > Outcomes-based education Suggested Reading Streifer, P. A. (2002). Using data to make better educational decisions. Landhman, MD: The Scrawcrow Press. Wilson, M. (Ed.) (2004). Towards coherence between classroom assessment and accountability. Chicago, IL: The University of Chicago Press.

Using data to make decisions is commonplace in education. Types of data collected include demographic information, student achievement, and data related to the instructional process. Unfortunately, data often goes unused or underused in schools while other potentially useful forms of data are not collected at all. Reasons for this include existing data being inaccessible, a lack of training in how to use data, a fear that data will be used in a punitive manner, or the belief that data has little value. When strategically collected, data can be used for a variety of reasons such as research on accountability and the improvement of services. Additionally, access to data can help make a difficult or unpopular decision easier to make, can potentially guard funds, and may challenge assumptions or beliefs. Regardless of the type of data that is collected, within the education literature a number of suggestions are made for effective data use to occur in schools. First, a data-friendly environment must exist. Teachers and administrators need to feel supported in their data collection efforts and secure that the data will not be used in a punitive manner. Second, staff must be trained in data collection as well as its use. Third, the data that is collected should be tied directly to stated goals at the individual, classroom, school, or district level. Data can be reviewed to understand and measure the progress being made toward stated goals. Fourth, teachers must receive timely and continuous feedback of data for it to be incorporated into their instructional decisions. If data is collected and analyzed but results are not sent back to teachers in a timely fashion, the data will hold little to no value for them and will likely be viewed as a burden rather than a benefit. The effective use of data has become a pressing topic in education, especially data collection and use for accountability. This particular application of data use has increased greatly since the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act of 2001. NCLB pushes states to show annual progress to increase the number of students who are proficient in reading and math and to reduce the gap among students from different socioeconomic backgrounds. In an effort to demonstrate the required progress, many states have implemented large-scale testing. This type of testing may be classified as low-stakes or high-stakes testing. Low-stakes testing is used to compare students to the national average and can influence changes in curriculum. In contrast, high-stakes testing has rewards and/or sanctions attached to the results. The types of tests used, grades targeted with testing, rewards or sanctions, and who is held responsible vary by state and sometimes by district. Some of the rewards and sanctions used include: public dissemination of testing results by school, offering vouchers to students in perpetually low-performing schools, students being required to pass a test to graduate or pass to the next grade, and more recently, tying teacher pay to student performance, and basing teacher bonuses on student performance. The widespread use of large-scale testing for accountability purposes has led to a number of criticisms. These include restricted local school autonomy, poor test design on standardized tests, possible measurement bias, concerns about the disparity in the passing rates of minority students, a narrowing of teaching to focus more on test content, and a lack of feedback on how to improve student learning. Conversely, it is argued by supporters that the public interest is served by increased and more regular monitoring of school performance as greater control and efficiency are introduced. See also: > Accountability; > Outcomes-based education Suggested Reading Streifer, P. A. (2002). Using data to make better educational decisions. Landhman, MD: The Scrawcrow Press. Wilson, M. (Ed.) (2004). Towards coherence between classroom assessment and accountability. Chicago, IL: The University of Chicago Press.

This paper reviews the literature on assessment bias issues in special education. While assessment instruments yielding a single IQ score are seen as useful components in a comprehensive multifactored assessment, and are the primary tool of diagnosis for mental retardation, they are found to be irrelevant when applied to stud:nts with learning disabilities (LD), as many students with LD have splcific deficits in the areas most emphasized by IQ tests. Recent litigation in four cases of alleged assessment bias is reviewed, highlighting the history of controversy over racial differences in IQ and disproportionately high placements of students from racial minorities in special education, as well as low levels of minority placement in programs for gifted and talented students. The validity of using IQ tests for placement purposes arises as a major issue in these cases, as does the stigma associated with labelling. Principles of culture-balanced testing are explored, and while arguments in favor of completely eliminating IQ testing in schools are presented, surveys are reported to find broad-based support for IQ testing among psychologists and educational specialists. Alternatives to IQ testing are discussed, with an emphasis on multiple intelligences models and dynamic assessment. (Contains 67 references.) (PB) Reproductions supplied by LJRS are the best that can be made * * from the original document.