Role of Administrators of Special

¶ … Role of Administrators of Special Education in the 21st Century

The question of the role of the administrator in special education in the contemporary educational environment is largely predicated on the present reform and policy initiatives and the way that social education is viewed in the 21st century. In the first instance, there has been a radical change with regard to national policies addressing the education of students with disabilities and to special education in general. This refers to questions of access and the inclusion of students with learning and other disabilities in public schools; with the focus on how these students are incorporated into normal schooling and in which ways this affects their educational possibilities.

However, as many studies point out, the idea of inclusion has not always fulfilled the initial ideals that were set out in policy constructed in the 1970s. (Defur 2002) One study found that, "...special education reform efforts have fallen short of universally improving the achievement outcomes of all students with disabilities in a substantial way" (Defur 2002).

As a result of these poor outcomes the 1997 amendments to the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA '97) was instituted, which stated that the educational progress of students with disabilities had been limited by low academic expectations and that this resulting in a "narrowing" of student access to the general curriculum. Furthermore, IDEA '97 indicated "...participation in state accountability systems (assessment) was the key to increasing participation in the general curriculum and raising the academic expectations for all students with disabilities" (Defur 2002).

In the light of these developments, one of the central roles of the contemporary administrator in special education is to deal with and implement solutions to these problematic aspects, particularly with regard to the high dropout rate of special education students in schools in the United States. In this regard it is important to note that more than fifty percent of special education administrators in one study expressed their concern that students were experiencing "....lowered self-esteem as a result of their participation in the SOL, and 44% were concerned that students with disabilities would experience higher drop-out rates and fail to earn a diploma" (Defur 2002).

Administrators therefore play an important role in ascertaining the success rate of the implementation of directives and policy in terms of better success outcomes. In the study by Defur (2002) it was found that while special education administrators supported ongoing participation in the SOL by students with disabilities, more than a third of the administrators interviewed were of the opinion that the standards should be lowered, and believed accommodation and access options should be increased (Defur 2002). This again points to the important role that the administrator plays in the regulation and assessment of policy directives with regard to the special education.

In the light of these challenges, the 21st century administrator should focus on a number of important aspects. These include the following. There is a need for the administrator to implement effective and functional instructional strategies and this requires implementation in the light of the needs and requirements of the student in special education. Central to the role of the modern administrator is the need to improve the standard of achievement of students with disabilities. A central problematic area that will also be the focus of the administrator in the present time is the need to, "...counter the failure that will be experienced as standards for achievement are raised" (Defur 2002).

Another challenge is that many studies note that a considerable number of administrators in this area of education are not adequately trained to deal with the complex problems and issues in this field. In an article entitled, SPECIAL EDUCATION ADMINISTRATORS in the UNITED STATES: PERCEPTIONS on POLICY and PERSONNEL ISSUES by Arick and Krug, (1993) it is claimed that there is a shortage of special education administrative personnel. Furthermore, this study also reiterates a view that is supported by many recent studies, namely that, "The education and experience of many special education directors appears adequate; however, over one third of the respondents had neither certification in teaching special education nor appreciable experience teaching in special education" (Arick and Krug, 1993).

As noted, a central role of the modern administrator is the reduction of dropout rates. This is also related to a cardinal function of the administrator and other stakeholders, which is the implementation of the policy in collaboration with regulator or mainstream education. As the study by Arick and Krug (1993) states, "The policy/practice with the highest training need was...to increase collaboration between regular and special education..." (Arick and Krug, 1993). The study also notes that those directors and administrators who have backgrounds in special education teaching and special education course work were those who tended to have significantly higher levels of mainstreamed students. (Arick and Krug, 1993) Related to this is the concern that "....district practices regarding service-delivery models and integration of students with disabilities into the least restrictive environments are at risk of being in noncompliance with special education law" (Arick and Krug, 1993). This has necessitated further research into the policies and practices of special education administrators in order to identify the goals and priorities needed to improve current practices.