Discussion:  What Would You Do?

Experts in the field of special education are knowledgeable about historical, philosophical, and legal foundations impacting the field as they relate to the protection of student and family rights. Special education leaders are savvy in their craft and able to effectively collaborate with colleagues to plan individualized educational programs and articulate the services, resources, materials, equipment, and needs of students with exceptionalities.

The role of collaboration and consultation is particularly critical in the field of special education, allowing both the special education and the general education expert the opportunity to formulate the most appropriate plans for students using their expertise. In addition, social and emotional competencies are essential, as neither collaboration nor consultation exist void of a relationship with other people.

For this Discussion, you will take on the role of a team leader, in which you will examine the facts and information presented in the case study and module Learning Resources to formulate recommendations for an action plan.

To prepare:

• Enter the Grand City interactive community and locate West Ridge Middle School. View the case study video titled, "The New Student."
• Review all module Learning Resources.
• Consider what you might do as the grade level team leader with respect to Jamal's current situation. How might you formulate a plan of action recommending what you would do next for Jamal?

As you form your recommendations for a plan of action, consider the following:

• What are the issues identified in the case study?
• What are the facts the principal and teachers need to consider in planning for Jamal?
• Were there any issues related to cultural diversity and cultural responsive practice? If so, what were they?
• What would be the initial steps for the team to consider regarding response to intervention (RTP) to support Jamal in the regular education classroom?
• What additional resources and/or personnel would be needed to assist in further identifying, understanding, and/or supporting Jamal?
• Are there any ethical implications and issues of integrity related to special education, Jamal and his mother, and/or the school and program that need to be considered? If so, what are they?
• What are the relevant cultural and linguistic diversity considerations you would need to keep in mind with regard to the students and families? What external factors (i.e., culture, language, social and emotional, etc...) need to be considered? How might these impact student learning?
• What actions are needed related to preparing for Jamal to be successful in the regular education environment?

Post, from the perspective of the team leader, a plan of action for what you would do next for Jamal. Clearly explain the next steps along with your rationale and research-based strategies to:

• Address the concerns presented by Jamal's mother.
• Assist Jamal in his transitioning to the school.
• Support the teachers who will be working with Jamal.

Assignment:  Becoming a Scholarly Practitioner

As you continue in your advanced graduate program and work towards becoming a special education scholar-practitioner, you become equipped to handle the complex issues involved in creating individualized educational plans and services to advance the learning of students with exceptionalities. Scholar-practitioners are aware that all students do not learn in the same manner, nor follow the same path to achieve academic success.

As a result, there is no single prescription for success, rather a commitment to the field of special education and a compilation of research-based strategies and best practices to create meaningful learning opportunities for students with exceptionalities. Scholar-practitioners participate in professional learning communities in which they engage in rich discussions and collaboration to develop comprehensive curricular agendas, while sharing best practices and the latest in research in the field of education.

For this Assignment, you will synthesize credible research while identifying best practices, innovations, and strategies to support and make sound educational decisions.

To prepare:

• Enter the Grand City interactive community and locate West Ridge Middle School. Re-view the case study video titled, "The New Student."
• Review all module Learning Resources.
• Gather at least 3 scholarly articles to support your educational plan of action, along with your reflection and rationale identified in the discussion related to the case study.

Imagine that you are one of the teachers in the video and the principal has asked you to create an educational plan of action. You are to give this plan of action to the other teachers who will be working with Jamal so they can be prepared to foster his success in school.

Your educational plan of action must summarize Jamal's strengths and needs and identify best practices and research-based resources that will be beneficial to his situation. The plan should be a minimum of 2 pages. Include at least 2 best practices and 2 resources while considering at least 3 of these topics in your plan:

• Response to Intervention (RTI)
• Universal Design for Learning (UDL)
• Cultural Responsive Teaching
• Cultural Awareness and Diversity
• Assessments (Informal and Formal)
• Behavioral Intervention
• Ethical and Legal Implications
• Data Recording (Academic and Behavior)

Be sure to support your educational plan of action with current scholarly resources.

Learning Resources -

Note: To access this module's required library resources, please click on the link to the Course Readings List, found in the Course Materials section of your Syllabus.

Required Readings

Florian, L. (Ed.). (2014). The SAGE handbook of special education (2nd ed.). London, England: Sage Publications Ltd.

Chapter 46, "Inter-agency Working and Special Education: Beyond 'Virtuous' Ideas of Partnership Towards Alternative Frameworks for Collaborative Work With Children" (pp. 785-800) Focus on the description of alternative frameworks for collaboration.

Bal, A., Sullivan, A. L., & Harper, J. (2014). A situated analysis of special education disproportionality for systemic transformation in an urban school district. Remedial and Special Education, 35(1), 3-14. Retrieved from the Walden Library databases.

A mixed method collaborative case analysis that examines disproportionality in one urban school district.

Gofen, A., & Blomqvist, P. (2014). Parental entrepreneurship in public education: A social force or policy problem? Journal of Education Policy, 29(4), 546-569. Retrieved from the Walden Library databases.

Focus on the analysis of aspects of parental entrepreneurship and the role parents play in reforming public education.

Yull, D., Blitz, L. V., Thompson, T., & Murray, C. (2014). Can we talk? Using community-based participatory action research to build family and school partnerships with families of color. School Community Journal, 24(2), 9-32. Retrieved from the Walden Library databases.

Focus on the findings from several focus groups that consisted of parents of color. Parents share their experiences within the school and in the community. Information that was collected is analyzed using critical race theory.