April 2020 - Special Educator e-Journal
Table of Contents
- Special Education Legal Alert. By Perry A. Zirkel
- Buzz from the Hub
- COVID-19 and K-12 Students with Disabilities: Initial Guidance. By Perry A. Zirkel
- Factors Affect Transition to Postsecondary Education for Minority Students Who Are Deaf and Hard of Hearing. By Anwar Alsalamah
- Hacking Leadership: 10 Ways Great Leaders Inspire Learning That Teachers, Students, and Parents Love. By Melissa A. Johnson
- Who Moved My Cheese? By Kiran Khan Paracha
- School Leadership that Works: From Research to Results. By Coral Saban
- A Framework for Understanding Poverty. By Natasha C. Quesada
- Latest Employment Opportunities Posted on NASET
- Acknowledgements
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Special Education Legal Alert
By Perry A. Zirkel
© March 2020
This month’s update concerns issues that were subject to recent, unpublished federal court decisions of general significance: (a) potential liability for the bullying behavior by school personnel, and (b) sanctions for the bad-faith litigation conduct of the parties and/or their advocates. For further examination of such issues, see Publications section at perryzirkel.com
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Buzz from the Hub
All articles below can be accessed through login:
- Coronavirus. COVID-19! What to do, where to turn?
- COVID-19 Info in Other Languages or Formats
- Telecommuting Technology and Tips
- Tips for Working Remotely
- Schooling at Home
- Coping Tips and Other Useful Info
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COVID-19 AND K-12 STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES: INITIAL GUIDANCE
By Perry A. Zirkel
The COVID-19 pandemic and its legal implications for students with disabilities are subject to not only changes from day to day but variance among both the states and the school districts within them. Thus far the U.S. Department of Education (USDE) has issued various guidance documents (see www.ed.gov/coronavirus), which include the Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) interpretations regarding the IDEA and the Office for Civil Rights (OCR) interpretations regarding § 504/ADA. In addition some state education agencies (SEAs) have issued their own guidance, which in some cases extends beyond the federal guidance for students with disabilities in elementary and secondary schools.
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Factors Affect Transition to Postsecondary Education for Minority Students Who Are Deaf and Hard of Hearing
By Anwar Alsalamah
Washington State University
The current literature review was conducted to identify the common factors that affect the success of minority students who are deaf and hard-of-hearing (DHH) in their transition to post-secondary education. The result shows that inadequate academic preparation is one of the factors that prevent these students from successfully meeting the requirements of post-secondary education. In addition, parental involvement in the transitional planning of these students is not as effective as a result of the many challenges parents face. The results also show the lack of appropriate opportunities to develop non-academic skills, especially those related to self-determination and self-advocacy, despite their importance in supporting minority students who are DHH in achieving a successful transition to post-secondary education. Suggestions to improve the current situation as well as recommendations for implications and future research are discussed.
Keywords: Transition, deaf, hard of hearing, minority, postsecondary education.
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Hacking Leadership: 10 Ways Great Leaders Inspire Learning That Teachers, Students, and Parents Love
It can be assumed that every leader aspires to be a great one, but what exactly does a “great leader” exemplify? More specifically, what would a great leader look like within the context of education? Authors Joe Sanfelippo and Tony Sinanis coauthored “Hacking Leadership: 10 Ways Great Leaders Inspire Learning That Teachers, Students, and Parents Love”. The two authors who are well versed in education (both working as educators, administrators, and later as superintendents) address some of the common issues today’s school leaders face, and provide “hacks”, or unique solutions to these issues in practical and easy to implement ways. A main recurring theme is for educational leaders is to remain visible, present, and engaged-this hack is an essential part of the book and critical for any aspiring leader. To start, the authors suggest leaders “Make one consistent change at a time until it becomes a habit in your practice” (p. 20).
Keywords: Transition, deaf, hard of hearing, minority, postsecondary education.
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Book Review: Who Moved My Cheese?
By Kiran Khan Paracha
Abstract
This is a book review that focuses on some of the primary themes running through one of the classic books on change titled Who Moved My Cheese by Spencer Johnson. The author has mentioned change in the context of business or employment but can also be seen in the context of other aspects of life. Book review also studies the book in the light of leadership and change theories mentioned in other popular books on the subject. However apart from the strengths, weaknesses are also highlighted to show that while it is a great book on the subject, its not perfect because regardless of how hard a writer tries, its impossible to capture every scenario and discuss an issue from every possible angle. Suffice it to say that this book is close enough to perfection even though it has its weaknesses. It pays to read the book more than once to get a good idea of the underlying themes and messages which may not be apparent right away.
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Book Review: School Leadership that Works: From Research to Results
By Coral Saban
Purpose and Thesis
“Leadership is vital to the effectiveness of a school.” Robert J. Marzano, Timothy Waters, and Brian A. McNulty examine the correlation between leadership and student achievement in School Leadership that Works. The authors of this book used their shared expertise of education, quantitative data from 69 studies, and various questionnaires completed by teachers regarding their perceptions of leadership practices to answer the following questions: What does research inform us about the impact of educational leadership on student achievement? Which leadership practices contribute to the school’s effectiveness? And how can leaders implement these practices in their own schools to increase student achievement? (Marzano, Waters, & McNulty, 2005).
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Book Review: A Framework for Understanding Poverty
By Natasha C. Quesada
The author of A Framework for Understanding Poverty, Ruby K. Payne, is a former educator, principal and administrator. She began lecturing on educational topics in the early nineteen nineties, and quickly became a national and international educational speaker and author. This particular book cover describes her as “the leading U.S. expert on the mindsets of poverty, middle class, and wealth.” While this book is primarily geared towards educators serving children living in poverty, it can also be beneficial to employers, policymakers, and service providers that work with children and adults affected by poverty in any capacity.
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Latest Employment Opportunities Posted on NASET
* Executive Director - The Timothy School is the oldest Approved Private School in Pennsylvania devoted exclusively to teaching students with autism. Its instructional program, widely considered one of the best in the region, provides students with the communication, social, cognitive, and life skills necessary to enable them to function effectively and as independently as possible in the least restrictive environment. To learn more - Click here
* Director of Academic Support - As program director, assist with school admissions and develop plans based on IEP/Psychological evaluation for students with mild learning disabilities, and or students with ADD/ADHD. Limited academic evaluations. Must consult regularly with teachers, students, parents, and administrators regarding the development of interventions for students demonstrating learning and/or behavioral challenges. To learn more - Click here
* Special Education Teacher - The Moffat County School District is looking for a motivated, caring, and enthusiastic persons to fill Special Education Teacher positions on the Elementary and Secondary level for the 2020-2021 School Year. Along with parents and classroom teachers the Special Education teacher will assess students’ skills to determine their needs to develop and implement Individualized Education Programs for each student based on their specific needs and abilities.To learn more - Click here
* Special Education Teacher - Ascend is a network of K-12 public charter schools serving 5,500 students in 15 schools across Brooklyn—New York's most populous borough. Our undertaking is to lead all students on a great intellectual adventure, provide them with an exceptional college preparatory education, and place them firmly on the path to success in college and beyond. To learn more - Click here
* 2020-2021 Classroom Teachers (PreK-12th) - Founded in 2013, InspireNOLA Charter Schools is currently the highest performing charter school management organization in New Orleans. InspireNOLA operates seven public charter schools and serves more than 5,000 students in Pre-Kindergarten through 12th grade. To leern more - Click here
* Teacher (10-month) SY 2020-21 - As part of a comprehensive reform e?ort to become the preeminent urban school system in America, DCPS intends to have the highest-performing, best paid, most satis?ed, and most honored educator force in the nation and a distinctive central o?ce sta? whose work supports and drives instructional excellence and signi?cant achievement gains for DCPS students. To learn more - Click here
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* 2020 Arizona Education Job Fairs - The Arizona Department of Education will be hosting the 2020 Arizona Education Job Fairs. Arizona public schools will be looking for administrators, teachers, related service providers, and support staff. To learn more - Click here
Acknowledgements
Portions of this or previous month’s NASET’s Special Educator e-Journal were excerpted from:
- Center for Parent Information and Resources
- Committee on Education and the Workforce
- FirstGov.gov-The Official U.S. Government Web Portal
- Journal of the American Academy of Special Education Professionals (JAASEP)
- National Collaborative on Workforce and Disability for Youth
- National Institute of Health
- National Organization on Disability
- Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration
- U.S. Department of Education
- U.S. Department of Education-The Achiever
- U.S. Department of Education-The Education Innovator
- U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
- U.S. Department of Labor
- U.S. Food and Drug Administration
- U.S. Office of Special Education
The National Association of Special Education Teachers (NASET) thanks all of the above for the information provided for this or prior editions of the Special Educator e-Journal