2012 UCEA Convention

Are leaders influenced by advocates in the special education eligibility decision? Erin Kirkland, George Mason University; Scott C. Bauer, George Mason University
The purpose of this study was to investigate the influence of private practitioner and educational advocate opinions on school-based administrators’ decision-making thought processes when making a recommendation for special education eligibility. School-based administrators (N = 56) with varying years of experience as a special education administrator participated in this study. Using data from a series of vignettes, results indicated that private practitioners and educational advocates significantly influence administrators’ recommendations for special education eligibility.

Educational Administrators Expressed Perceptions of Students with Disabilities. Jacob Williams, The University of Texas at Austin; James R. Yates, The University of Texas at Austin
The disproportionate exposure to exclusionary discipline for students with disabilities is acknowledged. The use of exclusionary discipline for students with disabilities results in denied opportunities and services. This denial would indicate the possibility of prejudice, a construct understood to arise from the existence of a perception of threat from the ingroup in an intergroup relationship. The purpose of this synthesis is to capture K-12 school administrators’ perceptions relative to the discipline for students with disabilities.

Sustainability and Fighting for Respect: Special Population Students in a Turnaround Urban High School. Barbara Pazey, The University of Texas at Austin
The ESEA Blueprint for Reform has elicited numerous calls to rethink the direction in which our nation’s education system is headed. “Turnaround strategies” are supported as potential solutions for low-performing schools. Do turnaround strategies work? What are the residual effects on students and teachers? This research describes student perspectives of accountability strategies, their desire to restore school pride, and their recognition that they can fight for what they perceive as their right: sustainability and respect.