Are Paraprofessionals Being Hired to Replace Special Educators? A Study of Paraprofessional Employment

Special education teacher employment began to decline in 2006, concurrent with increased paraprofessional employment. At the same time, the prevalence of students with disabilities in several categories changed substantially, and the proportion of students being served in general education settings increased as well. The purpose of this study was to determine whether the decline in special education teacher employment was related to increased paraprofessional employment, and if the increase in paraprofessional employment was related to shifts in the composition of students with disabilities, educational placements, or more general state-level factors. We created a panel dataset for 2006–2015 and analyzed these relationships using a two-way fixed effects model. We found that, although changes in paraprofessional employment were unrelated to changes in special educator employment, they were related to changes in the prevalence of students with autism spectrum disorder. In addition, states with larger populations and higher K12 expenditures employed more paraprofessionals.

Alignment of Supplementary Aids and Services With Student Needs and Placement

Trends in the supplementary aids and services (SAS) written in individualized education programs (IEPs) for students with significant disabilities (a) in different educational placements, (b) with and without behavior support plans (BSP), and (c) with and without complex communication needs (CCN) are examined using multivariate analysis of variance. Results show no significant differences in SAS for students across separate, resource, and inclusive placements. Students with BSPs had significantly more collaborative and behavior SAS than those without BSPs. Students with CCN had significantly more social-communication SAS than those whose IEPs indicated little to no communication support needs; however, 51.1% of students with CCN had no social-communication SAS. Findings raise concern around the extent to which SAS are considered before placement decisions, the high frequency of paraprofessional support for students with BSPs, and the low frequency of social-communication SAS written for students with CCN. Implications for policy, practice, and future research are provided.

Volume and Verve: Understanding Correction/Behavioral Warnings in Teacher–Child Classroom Interactions Involving an African American Kindergarten Student

Purpose Using a framework of culturally and linguistically responsive classroom management, this study employed both quantitative and qualitative analyses of ethnographic data to illustrate patterns of corrections/behavioral warnings in teacher–child interactions for an African American child in the classroom. Method Three child participants and their teacher were recruited for the study: MJ, an African American kindergartner, the focal child, and two same-sex Filipino classmates who spoke a nonmainstream dialect of English, Ben and Leo, for frame of reference. None of the three boys were diagnosed with language-learning difficulties. Data analyses included (a) categorical analyses of observational field notes taken across a 7-week period of classroom observation and (b) situated discourse analysis taken from video-recorded small group literacy lessons also in the classroom. Results Two key findings emerged. First, MJ, the focal participant, received a relatively high frequency of correction/behavioral warnings, both relative to the other forms of teacher-initiated interaction and also relative to his two classmates. Second, the majority of MJ's corrections/behavioral warnings were directed toward his volume and verve—features that have been associated with the communication style of many African American students. Conclusions We need to include teachers and administrators in our discussions about the communication style of African American students and broaden these discussions to explicitly consider the influence of nonverbal features, such as volume and verve, on patterns of teacher–student communication interactions. In particular, such communication features may be contributing to high-stakes outcomes for African American children, such as referrals, diagnoses, educational placements, and disciplinary actions.

Rethinking Shortages in Special Education: Making Good on the Promise of an Equal Opportunity for Students With Disabilities

In this article, the authors describe the complexity of special education teacher (SET) shortage, how shortage undermines equal educational opportunity, and strategies that school districts and state and federal governments have used to combat them. The authors consider the economic consequences of shortage and describe how school budgets are burdened by turnover and, in some cases, litigation. The authors consider specific aspects of SET shortages, including the problems of staffing high-poverty urban and rural schools, recruiting and retaining teachers of color, and staffing alternative educational placements. The authors then consider more general factors related to shortage, including the valence of teaching as a profession, attrition, working conditions, and compensation. The authors describe how broad policy-based interventions, such as federal spending on personnel preparation and alternative route entrées to teaching, have largely failed to remedy SET shortage. Finally, the authors posit that SET shortage cannot be addressed successfully without improving working conditions and differentiating compensation for shortage area teachers and teachers working with struggling students. Although special education cannot achieve such sweeping change alone, the time seems ripe for moving forward on this important agenda.

Trends in LRE Placement Rates Over the Past 25 Years

The least restrictive environment (LRE) mandate suggests a preference for educating students with disabilities in general education settings provided their needs can be met there. This study examined national trends in the educational placements of students with disabilities ages 6 to 17 in the 50 states and the District of Columbia from 1990 through 2015. Data were retrieved electronically from the U.S. Department of Education and the U.S. Census Bureau websites. Cumulative placement rates were then calculated. Findings indicate that from 1990 through 2015, (a) general education placements increased while more restrictive placements decreased, (b) students in secondary schools continued to be placed in more restrictive settings, and (c) the impact of disability categories on national LRE trends varied. Future research is needed to investigate the effect of increased identification rates in specific disability categories on national placement trends and explore how placement practices vary across schools, districts, and states.

Implementing Observations in BSW Social Work Field Placements

The 2015 Council on Social Work Education Educational Policy and Accreditation Standards require assessments of students' competence to involve observation in real or simulated practice situations. This educational case study provides the reader with real-world strategies for making observation of practice a reality in everyday bachelor of social work (BSW) field educational placements. The case study provides a blueprint for infusing an observational culture of learning, beginning in the freshman year and ending in earnest in the senior year of the BSW program. Specific implementation strategies are provided, allowing the reader to replicate this model in any BSW program, large or small.

The Education of Individuals With Disabilities in Guyana: An Overview

Over the past 20 years, the education system in Guyana has significantly improved. Despite this improvement, students with disabilities in Guyana still face higher rates of poverty, lack of access to schools, and a lack of teachers who are trained in how to best meet their needs. Guyana has tried to address these problems with the drafting of legislation and policies such as the Persons With Disabilities Act of 2010 and the SEN Inclusion Policy. While progress has been made, there is still a need for additional efforts related to the education of individuals with disabilities in Guyana before their full potential is realized. This column presents a brief historical background and summary of current practices related to the identification, educational placements, and provision of educational services and supports for students with disabilities in Guyana. Additional needs and future recommendations are also included.

Addressing and Preventing Disproportionality in Exclusionary Discipline Practices for Students of Color With Disabilities

Historically, schools across the nation have struggled to address significant racial or ethnic disproportionality, including overrepresentation in exclusionary discipline practices, special education identification, and restrictive educational placements. The federal government has mandated that local education agencies monitor and address disproportionality but has provided little guidance on how to begin. This current topics column discusses this moral and ethical issue and provides ways schools can begin to address or prevent disproportionality in disciplinary practices.