Special Ed Since the 1990s,

Special Ed

Since the 1990s, the issue of special education inclusion inside the classroom has been increasingly brought to forefront. This is because there was political pressure placed on many schools to be in compliance with the American with Disabilities Act. Under this law, it is illegal for public and private institutions to have separate facilities for someone that is disabled. Special education students are considered to be one of the groups that are covered by this law. (Winzer, 2000, pp. 3 -- 28)

As a result, the school system has been wrestling with the challenges of integrating them into the classroom. While at the same time, they have to provide the one on one attention that the student will need. Evidence of this can be seen by looking no further than observations from Winzer (2000). She found that the recent trends to integrate special education students into general environments are a part of an effort to improve educational opportunities for everyone. This has been occurring because of the requirement that each person is provided with equal opportunities. (Winzer, 2000, pp. 3 -- 28)

In the case of special education students, research has shown that many of the more mild cases can learn to adapt from regular interaction with ordinary students. Once they finish school, is when these skills can be used to obtain a job and live an independent life. (Winzer, 2000, pp. 3 -- 28) to determine the best techniques for dealing with these issues requires examining two ideas that can help to improve the ability of educators to reach out to students. This will be accomplished by conducting a research study that is focusing on: specific classroom practices, the problem statement, rationale, hypothesis, personal beliefs, a literature review, data collection techniques, resources / equipment and possible solutions. Together, these different elements will offer the greatest insights as to how the two techniques can help to improve the ability of educators to reach out to these students.

Classroom Practice

The current practices inside the public schools have been to place special education students in with the rest of the general population. The basic idea is that regular interaction with other students will help these individuals to develop the social and coping skills to effectively interact with people on a regular basis. Moreover, a group environment is often utilized in helping students to learn more effectively (especially when the lesson plan has been revised in consideration of these students). However, some research has been introduced that is showing how educators will often have problems working with these kinds of students. This is because they are not trained in how to reach out to these individuals. Throughout the school year, this can mean that special needs students will not receive the kinds of attention they require. This is from the teacher not having the knowledge or the skills in working with these students. (Ingersoll, 2006, pp. 79 -- 87) (King, 2008, pp. 79 -- 87)

Problem Statement

The lack of training of educators and taking a one size fits all approach is making the process of working with special needs students more difficult. To determine how these issues can be dealt with we will focus on what kinds of tactics should be utilized. This is when we can make specific recommendations that will help educators to address these challenges in the future.

Rationale / Purpose

The research study that is being conducted will seek out two techniques that can be utilized by educators to improve the overall amounts of learning comprehension among special needs students. This will be achieved by focusing on a specific research question and sub-question.

Research Question

What specific tactics are used to most effectively interact with special needs students in a general education environment?

Sub-question

How were these ideas integrated to improve the ability of teachers to reach out to these individuals?

Hypothesis

The challenge of integrating special needs students into the classroom is a good idea in principle. However, more parent - teacher training is needed and the curriculum should be adjusted to reflect these issues. If this can occur, it will provide a protocol that will address the requirements of these students and remain in compliance with state guidelines.

Personal Beliefs

Our personal beliefs are that showing educators and parents' specific tactics to use when interacting with special needs students will improve their ability to learn. In the future, this will prepare them for the challenges they will face on their own. Once this happens, is when the student has a good chance of living an independent and productive life.

Literature

To determine what technique are most effective in reaching out to students requires conducting a literature review. According to the research that was conducted, there are specific skills and tools required to help special needs students. Buell (1999) found that the federal government has implemented a comprehensive program in teaching educators about how to deal with these challenges called the Comprehensive System of Personal Development. This protocol is scientifically-based math and reading strategies to improve learning comprehension in these students. When this is used in its proper context, it can help to integrate these individuals into a general classroom and address their specific needs. (Buell, 199, pp. 143 -- 156)

Moreover, Maxwell (1997) found that parents must be involved in the process as well. This is because they can reinforce the ideas that are taught in the classroom and help to push students to do more. Once the student is ready to begin making the transition into the workplace, is when this approach will have created a strong supervisory position inside the home. This increases the chances of the individual being more successful. However, in order for this approach to work, the parents must be actively involved and continuously collaborating with educators to address these issues. (Maxwell, 1997, pp. 197 -- 226)

Data Collection / Methodology

The data collection methodology that will be utilized is the qualitative approach. This is when there is an examination conducted of various scholarly journals and studies to see what techniques are most effective. Once this occurs, is when we can determine how teacher and parental training will improve the amounts of learning comprehension in special needs students. (Jabline, 2001, pp. 168 -- 196)

Resources and Equipment

The basic resources and equipment that will be used during this process includes: the use of various scholarly journals and the time spent conducting the study. In general, the research should take between 2 to 5 days to complete. This is when actuaries can begin corroborating the findings from other sources to show the importance of parents and educators during these activities.