Wazz up with Education : Looking at Challenges, Contexts, and Complexities Elizabeth B. Kozleski Arizona State University

Wazz up with Education: Looking at Challenges, Contexts, and Complexities

Elizabeth B. KozleskiArizona State University

Of Every 100 White Kindergartners

88 Graduate from High School58 Complete some College26 Obtain at least a Bachelor’s

degree

(24 Year Olds)

Source: US Bureau of Census, Current Population Reports, Educational Attainment in the United States; March 1998 (p 20-513) Detailed Tables No. 2

Of Every 100 African American Kindergartners

(24 Year Olds)



degree

Of Every 100 Latino Kindergartners

(24 Year Olds)



degree

Of Every 100 Native American Kindergartners

(24 Year Olds)

58 Graduate from High School7 Obtain at least a Bachelor’s

degreeSource: US Bureau of Census, Current Population Reports, Educational Attainment in the United States; March 1998 (p 20-513) Detailed Tables No. 2

Of Every 100 Students in Special Education

(24 Year Olds)

50 Graduate from High School7 Obtain at least a Bachelor’s degree

About 6 million students in the US on IEPs (out of 55 million)3 million graduate from high school420,000 receive a BA

Challenges

• Lack of Confidence– Schools– Teacher Education

• Lack of Agreement in the Field– What should teachers know and be able

to do– How should teachers be prepared

• Education for some but not all

Contexts

• NCLB• IDEA ’04• NCATE• INTASC• CEC• TASH• OSEP

IDEA ’04: Congressional Findings

(1) Disability is a natural part of the human experience and in no way diminishes the right of individuals to participate in or contribute to society.


Improving educational results for children with disabilities is an essential element of our national policy of ensuring equality of opportunity, full participation, independent living, and economic self-sufficiency for individuals with disabilities.


However, the implementation of this title has been impeded by low expectations, and an insufficient focus on applying replicable research on proven methods of teaching and learning for children with disabilities.


Almost 30 years of research and experience has demonstrated that the education of children with disabilities can be made more effective by…


(A) having high expectations for such children and ensuring their access to the general education curriculum in the regular classroom, to the maximum extent possible, in order to


(i) meet developmental goals and, to the maximum extent possible, the challenging expectations that have been established for all children; and


(ii) be prepared to lead productive and independent adult lives, to the maximum extent possible;


The opportunity for full participation by minority individuals, minority organizations, and Historically Black Colleges and Universities in awards for grants and contracts, boards of organizations receiving assistance under this title, peer review panels, and training of professionals in the area of special education is essential to obtain greater success in the education of minority children with disabilities.

Features

• Changes in Compliance and Monitoring

• Focus on Response to Intervention

• General Education Teachers and Principals

4 Pillars of Public Policy

Complexities

• Assumptions about knowledge generation, diffusion, adoption

• Interaction between general and special education

• Special education as a vehicle of exclusion and segregation vs. special education as a vehicle for support

• Intersection of race, SES, and disability

• Funding• Cultural Reproduction

INTASC Standards

Model Standards for Licensing General and Special Education Teachers of Students with Disabilities: A Resource for State Dialogue

http://www.ccsso.org/content/pdfs/SpedStds.pdf




(1) Content –

Both general and special education teachers have command of the subject matter that they teach such as math, English language arts, science, social studies, and the arts.

Special educators also have knowledge of communicative, social and emotional development, communication skills and oral language development, social/behavior skills, motor skills, functional and independent living skills, employment-related skills, self-advocacy skills, orientation and mobility skills, and travel instruction.

(2) Pedagogy

Both general and special educators understand how, and can effectively teach, content to students with disabilities. This means teachers have a repertoire of instructional strategies, assessment techniques, and accommodations they can employ to meet each student’s needs. They create a positive learning environment that motivates students, and are able to communicate with students, plan instruction, self reflect, and collaborate with families and other professionals to further student learning. In addition, special education teachers know how to design and implement specialized accommodations, to access resources and assistive technologies to support student learning, and to provide transition support.

(3) Students with Disabilities –

Both general and special education teachers know their students, including specific information about each student’s abilities and disability(ies), learning strengths and needs, prior experiences, and cultural and linguistic backgrounds. In addition, special education teachers have specialized knowledge of specific disabilities and their implications for teaching and learning in order to address the unique needs of individual students with disabilities.

(4) Contexts –

Both general and special education teachers have knowledge of the special education policies, procedures and legal requirements that provide the framework within which teaching of students with disabilities occurs. In addition, special education teachers have a greater understanding of the larger contexts within which the teaching of students with disabilities occurs (family, classroom, school, community, district)….

Inside the Academy

• Reinventing ourselves– Boundaries– Expertise– Knowledge Production– Practice Communities

Perspectives

• Activity Theory• Intersection

between P-12 and Teacher Education

Research & Development

Practice Communities

Networking & Diffusion

Continuous Improvement


• Action Research• Professional Development

Schools• Evidence Based Practice• The Connecticut Case Studies• School Improvement• Sustainability


• Performance Based Assessment linked to P-12 student performance

Networking and Diffusion

• Every School• Every Teacher• Every Family


• What Works• Why• How

Special Education

Educating Teachers



Networking & Diffusion


IHE Leadership: the 4 Cs

• Curriculum• Context• Complexity

– Identity– Technical– Conditional– Critical

• Commitment– to partnership

Join the TA & D Network

http://www.rrfcnetwork.org/www.nccrest.orgwww.urbanschools.org

http://www.rrfcnetwork.org/

http://www.nccrest.org/

http://www.urbanschools.org/

References

• Borko, H., Liston, D., & Whitcomb, J. A. (2006). A conversation of many voices: Critiques and visions of teacher education. Journal of Teacher Education, 57, 199 - 204.

• Commins, N. L. & Miramontes, O. (2006). Addressing linguistic diversity from the outset. Journal of Teacher Education, 57, 240 - 246.

• Hargreaves, A. (2001). Beyond anxiety and nostalgia: Building a social movement for educational change. Phi Delta Kappan, 82, 373-377.

• Interstate New Teacher Assessment and Support Consortium (2001, May). Model Standards for Licensing General and Special Education Teachers of Students with Disabilities: A Resource for State Dialogue. Washington, DC: Council of Chief State School Officers.

• Kozleski, E. B., Pugach, M., Bellamy, G. T. & Yinger, B. (2002). Preparing teachers to work with students with disabilities: Challenges and possibilities for special and general education teacher preparation. Washington, D. C.: The American Association of Colleges of Teacher Education.

Documents

Wazz up with Education : Looking at Challenges, Contexts, and Complexities Elizabeth B. Kozleski Arizona State University