Special school

In Markku Jahnukainen’s article “Inclusion, Integration, or what?” the focus is on the perceptions that principals have in Finland schools versus those in Alberta, Canada. Jahnukaiken provides history on past-and-present ideologies and realities of education. To elaborate, in the 1960s there was the mainstream ideology of integration – enabling education to be easily accessed (2015). That being said, there has been a shift from integration to inclusion. The latter implements the principle of…

issues in special education today is disproportionality. Disproportionality was first reported in 1968 by an educational researcher named Lloyd Dunn. Dunn observed that 60 to 80 percent of students who were misidentified for special education services were students from low-status backgrounds including African Americans and students from non-middle class environments (Vallas, 2009). Still, years later, the problem continues to exist. Minorities continue to be overrepresented in special education…

have witnessed two parents’ interactions with special education educators during my fieldwork experience. Both of these experiences could have been approached better using cultural reciprocity to ensure that the teachers understand the parents’ point of view and to take it into consideration. The observations were conducted in an Integrated Co-teaching (ICT) classroom in the second grade. I have witnessed an interaction between a parent and the special education teacher. The student is a…

What is Special Education? There are still some whom really don’t understand or even know what a person who is considered to have special needs and special education are. By definition a person who is considered to have special needs refers to any disability requiring specially designed instruction. This term acknowledges one or more sensory, physical or mental disabilities, and also addresses exceptional gifts and talents. Then Special Education can be referred to specially designed…

graciously welcomed into Reedy Creek Elementary School to observe and gain valuable experience. The teacher that I observed with is Mrs. Polli Mays who is one of the EC general curriculum resource teachers at Reedy Creek. Throughout the day, I observed her co-teaching in 3rd and 5th grade classrooms as well as teaching kindergarten and then 1st grade in the resource room. The special education classroom is separate from the school in a building behind the school. It is decorated like most…

Disproportionate Minority Representation Special Education can be provided to any student with disabilities if they qualify for an Individualized Education Plan (IEP), but is there a disproportionate representation of minorities in special education classrooms? As it appears now, there is two sides to this argument, the first being an overrepresentation of minority students in special education classes and the second being an underrepresentation of minority students in special education…

taking a special education class was something that never crossed my mind. As I came to the realization that I needed an extra elective my roommate suggested I take intro to special education. It has ended up being one of my favorite classes thus far. From learning different learning disability’s that students can have to IEP’s to accepting what autism actually is, it gave me an understanding that there is more to special education then just knowing that someone is considered “special.” With…

watching Including Samuel my original beliefs on inclusion and least restrictive environment were swayed. I am a Special Education major, and tutoring in an MMD classroom ultimately led me down the path of special education. Because separate is all I really knew, I thought that it was the best option for exceptional children. I assumed the one on one and endless resources of a special ed room would outweigh the social benefits of a traditional classroom. The video made me think otherwise for…

Historical issues/laws that effect special education In 1954, Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, the United States Supreme Court found that “separate but equal is inherently unequal in the context of public education.” (Brown, 1954). Although the case dealt with racial segregation, it served as the legal foundation for the rights of children with disabilities. In 1975, congress enacted the Education for All Handicapped Children Act (EHA), which was later renamed the Individuals with…

The Special Education Process I. Referral: The first part of the special education is the referral. There must be a written request that can be done by parents, school personnel, school district staff, or anyone else that is knowledgeable about the student. The written request must state why the person requesting the referral believes the student may need special education services. The referral will need to be given to an appropriate school staff member that is involved with special…