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October 2018 – Special Educator e-Journal

October 2018 Cov

Table of Contents

 

Perry A. Zirkel

© September 2018

This monthly legal alert addresses the significant rulings of two recent, officially published federal appeals court decisions under the IDEA— Krawietz v. Galveston Independent School District, which reinforced the ad hoc nature of “child find,” and L.H. v. Hamilton County Department of Education, which provided a new twist on both least restrictive environment and reimbursement for private placements.   For automatic e-mailing of future legal alerts, sign up at perryzirkel.com

In Krawietz v. Galveston Independent School District(2018), the Fifth Circuit addressed an issue that we have previously visited, reinforcing the individualized ad hoc—rather than absolutist red flag—nature of the ongoing child find obligation under the IDEA.  In this case, in response to a two-month disciplinary alternative education placement and failing grades in most classes for a 9th grader whose parents had homeschooled for the previous five years, the district provided a 504 plan based on ADD, OCD, and PTSD.  She successfully completed grade 9.  However, the following semester her academic problems returned, including failure to pass half of her classes, and her parents therapeutically hospitalized her in October for two theft incidents at home.  In mid-February, they filed for a due process hearing under the IDEA.  At a resolution session, the parties agreed to an IDEA evaluation.  The district completed the evaluation two months later, determining that she was eligible under the IDEA.  Subsequently, first the hearing officer and then the federal district court ruled that the school district had violated its child find obligation.  Upon appeal….

For the first component of child find, which is reasonable suspicion, the Fifth Circuit upheld the lower court’s determination that in October the district had reason to suspect the student’s need for special education based on her academic decline, thefts at home, and hospitalization “taken together.”

In response to the district’s contention that the lower court had relied on the hospitalization alone, the Fifth Circuit emphasized that the basis was a combination of factors and that the academic-decline was a reasonably known part of the combination prior to issuance of the final grades for the semester.

For the second component of child find, which is reasonable period, the Fifth Circuit ducked the district’s argument that the relevant ending point should be the date of consent, not that of completion, of the evaluation.  Assuming without deciding that the earlier date applied, the appeals court concluded that the four months between the October reasonable suspicion and the mid-February consent was unreasonable under the circumstances.

Although this second component is not quite as flexible as the first component, it is still based on the circumstances, with the various factors including the age of the child and the parents’ level of cooperation.  For a more complete picture of the substantial case law on each of these two components, see the successive items under the “Child Find” subheading of this website’s Publications section.  

Related but more general issues are remedies and attorneys’ fees.  Here the parents requested but did not receive reimbursement for private services and prospective residential placement.  Nevertheless, they obtained attorneys’ fees as the prevailing party.  

Illustrating that these matters are also not black and white, the Fifth Circuit ruled that the more limited relief that the parents obtained still met the primary criterion to qualify for attorneys’ fees, which is an alteration of the legal relationship between the parties.

In L.H. v. Hamilton County Department of Education (2018), the Sixth Circuit addressed two other significant issues under the IDEA—the meaning of least restrictive environment (LRE) as differentiated from free appropriate public education (FAPE), and (b) the applicable standard for the appropriateness of a unilateral placement in the context of tuition reimbursement.  The child in this case was a mainstreamed second grader with Down Syndrome.  When his progress “hit the wall” according to his teachers, the IEP team, over the parents’ objection, proposed placement in a segregated special education class for grade 3.  His parents unilaterally placed him in a Montessori School, where he made broad-based progress though still notably less than his peers. 

 

For the LRE issue, the Sixth Circuit ruled in favor of the parents.  Although at least implicitly recognizing the overlap between LRE and FAPE, the appellate court elaborated on their divergence in several debatable ways.  First, the comparative benefits component of the multi-factor test for LRE is not the same as the substantive standard for FAPE; Endrew F. modifies it “only slightly if at all.”  Second, mastery of the general curriculum is not the standard for LRE.  Third, functional isolation does not demonstrate a failure of mainstreaming but a failure to properly implement it.  Fourth, FAPE focuses on academics, such as methodology, for which school officials merit judicial deference, but LRE extends to other factors and does not merit such deference.

This decision is unusual because it directly addresses the tension and differentiation between FAPE and LRE.  Similarly unlike the general previous trend of cases that include both issues, it does so in various ways that clearly, although not absolutely, support a pro-mainstreaming view of LRE.  The court’s opinion is subject to careful examination for possible internal inconsistencies and, in federal circuits that have a different variation of the multi-factor test of LRE, for possible jurisdictional limitations.  Nevertheless, it should not be dismissed as wrong-headed or ignored as non-generalizable.  One way or the other, like the Sixth Circuit’s 2004 decision in Deal v. Hamilton County Department of Education, this ruling will likely play a “distinguished” role in future case law.  

The second issue in this case was the standard for appropriateness of the private placement for the requested reimbursement remedy, which in this case was for not only the Montessori annual tuition but also the even higher cost of the full-time aide whom the parents additionally provided for each of the five years during this protracted litigation.  While rejecting the district’s stereotyping argument that a Montessori School lacks the systematic structure that a student with intellectual disabilities needs, the Sixth Circuit ruled that Endrew F. is the standard for the unilateral placement.

Although the Fifth Circuit’s rejection of the district’s argument for this issue is consistent with its treatment of the district’s position for LRE, the much more significant generalizable ruling is the court’s extension of Endrew F. to the private-school step for tuition reimbursement analysis.  See the three Endrew F. articles under the “FAPE” subheading of this website’s Publications section; they explain the inevitability of this conclusion despite its slow recognition in the lower courts previous to this officially published federal appeals court decision.

      To top

      By Sarah AL-Sharif

      Abstract

      Head Start program presents information on practices embraced to ensure children, including the ones with disabilities and special needs, get opportunities and benefit from early childhood education. It ensures they get family and community support and as well focus on interactive and responsive practices in enhancing children emotional security, grasp of problem-solving and critical thinking skills. It also avails the focus on the use of individualistic interventions to meet children learning and developmental needs hence optimizing opportunities for their respective cognitive development. The adopted model as well focuses on family engagement and social services and identifies children needs. It has nationwide recognized activities such as ‘National Reading Month’ which enhances awareness. Other recognized activities include involvement in physical activities, partnerships, and sponsorships which ensure continued support for early childhood learning, educational and developmental needs.

      Introduction

      The Head Start program is one that gives education, health, nutrition and family involvement to the children coming from poor families. The services given by the program ensure that the child and the family have a good relationship, they have good health, and they are in an environment that helps to build their cognitive skills. Before joining school, a child should interact with people, be adapted to a class environment and have the requirements that are needed in the school (Schmit & Ewen, 2010).

       

      The Goals of The Head Start Program

      The program has certain goals. The goals include;

      1. Giving support to parents in their care giving responsibilities

      2. Improving teaching and learning skills to ready the child for kindergarten

      3. Give an environment that improves their emotional and functional skills of the children.

      4.  Give resources to ensure good health of the child and her family

      5. Giving a platform for the child, parent and school to prepare for the transition to kindergarten (Baby FACES, 2015).

       

      The Main Points/Strategies/Ideas of The Head Start Program

      Head Start’s instructive program is intended to meet every kid’s individual needs. It additionally means to address the issue of the group served and its ethnic and social attributes. Each youngster gets an assortment of learning encounters to encourage emotional, intellectual and social growth. The program also provides medical and dental health to the participating group. The program gives good nutrition and takes care of their mental health. The other strategy of the program is to ensure parent involvement. Parents are involved in various decisions concerning their children. They volunteer in classrooms and participate in workshops. The program also gives family services by respecting them and building relationships that focus on the child (Schmit & Ewen, 2014).

       

      Framework for Programs Serving Infants and Toddlers and Their Families

      The outcomes of the program include; ensuring that the child grows and develops; enhancing a strong relationship between the children and their families and strengthening the families. The program services given include: Providing each child with individualised services; linking the family and child to the community resources and developing a relationship with both parties.  The management systems ensure that the program meet the high-quality standards that ensure there is family engagement, nurturing environment, strong partnerships and staff proficiency (Hintz, 2014).

      What Do Early Head Start Programs Look Like?

      The program accepts children from birth to the age of five years to children from families with low income. The program can accept approximately 10% of the children being from families living above the poverty line. Additionally, children in foster care, those in families receiving public funding and those who are homeless are also accepted in the program. Early Head Start requires that the parent agrees to be involved in the education of the child. The aim of the program at this point is to form strong partnerships with the parents to ensure that the child benefits from the program to the maximum. When the children are enrolled in the program for a period of time, they are given tests to determine their growth and development. Parents also have tests through interviews and questionnaires (Schmit & Ewen, 2014).

      Early Head Start Children and Families

      The Head Start families are strong but they experience some challenges to their well-being. The risk factors of the families help to determine the factors that might hinder them from reaching their goal of supporting children development. One of the risk factors is the maternal demographic risk. This explains the chances of the child to live in poverty conditions. Various factors are included in this category including teenage birth, parent lacking a high school certificate, single motherhood, unemployment and assistance from public funds. The other factors are psychological including depression symptoms or stress in a parent that are higher than the normal level (Schmit & Ewen, 2010).

      Early Head Start Children’s Development

      The development of a child has shown to be a result of the child attending the Head Start Program. The risk range of children at the age of 2 is less than the risk range of children at the age of 1. At the age of 1 approximately 7 to 21 percent of the children risk having issues with their general skills. At the age of 2, the range of risk was between there was a risk rate of about 4 to 10 percent. The range in these ages was determined by fine motor skills, gross motor skills, communication skills, problem solving and social skills. At the age of 2, the comprehension of words test score was near that of the peers (Baby FACES, 2015).

      The Impact of the Program on Children Emotional, Social, Language, and Cognitive Development…

      In general, the Head Start program has positive benefits to the child in terms of their social, emotional, cognitive and language skills. They children are able to interact with their peers and adults better than they could before the program. Additionally, they are able to express what they feel better to their peers and adults. They learn skills such as counting and phonological knowledge. Therefore, the program is essential in developing the above-mentioned skills in a child (USHHS, 2006). This is just the general terms; the specific details are contained in the studies below.

      The Effectiveness of the Head Start Program on Children Emotional, Social, Language, and Cognitive Development

      STUDIES

      The Effectiveness of Early Head Start for 3-Year-Old Children and Their Parents: Lessons for Policy and Programs

      The study shows the impact of the program after a one-year completion for children at the age of 3. The study considered three research question. It examined the results of the cognitive, emotional and social skills of the children. The intervention is aimed to change the children who are at risk in the positive direction. The study states that the direction of the children in a risky state can be altered by giving stable, empowering and watching them. The program enrolled a variety of families from different backgrounds, living places and composition. The study expected to find the cognitive and language outcomes. The results varied because of the difference in the time of entry and exit of the children.  Also, some families did not attend the whole of the program that was approximated to be 22 months (Love et al., 2005). The evaluation showed a significant impact in the child’s cognitive at the age of 2 but disappeared by the time they were age 3. The positive effects from this study showed an improvement in the cognitive skills and language functioning of the child.

      Parenting Programs and Their Impact on the Social and Emotional Development of Young Children

      Just like the Head Start program, preschool projects have focused on changing the behaviour and attitude of parents. The change helps in improving the emotional and social development of the children. The association of parents and children in their early childhood helps to reap later benefits in socio-emotional outcomes. The study states that in the last two decades, the parenting programs have put their target on the families that are economically disadvantaged. During the prenatal and the infant period, the family risks were identified as income, parent education, and maternal depression. In the children, the emphasis was placed on delay in language and cognition, development delays and having disruptive behaviour (Shaw, 2014). Late developments in the extent of child rearing programs are promising.

      Introductory child rearing programs have advanced to fuse discoveries from formative psychopathology that feature the impact of child and parent traits, and in addition family and group factors that may trade off child rearing and child psychosocial improvement. Unmistakably, the most encouraging techniques consolidate child rearing as a focal establishment, yet model programs likewise join extra parts to address basic parts of the child’s and guardians’ social setting. These increases to customary child rearing programs seem, by all accounts, to be key elements for boosting children’s potential for positive social and enthusiastic improvement inside and outside the home (Shaw, 2014).

      Head Start: Strategies to Improve Outcomes for Children Living in Poverty

      The study states that Head start has a purpose of promoting low income youngsters in order to enhance their cognitive, emotional and social development. The program provides an environment that supports the growth of children in terms of science, mathematics, literacy and creative arts. The study argues that there is much evidence that supports the idea of Head Start. It states that all children, not only those in low income families, require a suitable environment that addresses their needs in order to prepare them for school. When children enter school with good health and better skills, they are more likely to achieve success in school and other parts of their life. The paper also says that some studies show that the benefits of Head Start to children are uneven although they have given measures to improve the situation (Ramey & Ramey, 2010).

      Bringing Early Head Start Home

      The Early Head Start program should be taken home. Getting out of the Head Start door should not mark the end of learning. Other than having teachers in the program, parents are the first and most important teachers for their children. They should be involved in many activities with their children that incorporate learning. Many parents participate in learning activities with their children. Most of them provide a home that supports the child and help them to grow cognitively. At the age of 2 parents were warmer to their children and had less hostility. They helped the children learn about shapes, sizes, numbers, colours and alphabets (Baby FACES, 2015).

      Home Reading and Story Telling

      The parents read for their children and give books that help to boost their cognitive development. Reading helps the children in understanding their language and communication skills. It helps to enhance what the children learn in Early Head Start program. At the age of 2, approximately 57% of the children resided at home and had about 25 books. 90% of the children were read to by their parents or caregivers at least one time in a day. 77% of them were told a story by their parents once a day. In general, more than three quarters of the parents in the program read to their children and told those stories (Baby FACES, 2015).

      Parents as Leaders in Early Head Start

      Parents are the leaders of the Early Head Start program. In the study, the staff rated the involvement of the families in the education of their children. Most of the families were fully involved in the program and only a small proportion of the parents were not involved completely. At age 2, the parents were involved in activities like;

      1. Social events

      2. Group activities

      3. Volunteering in classrooms

      4. Father events

      5. Policy council

      6. Workshops

      7. Parent education.

      8. Committee membership and program volunteer.

      Most of the families extended the program for more than two years while other joined in late and left early (Baby FACES, 2015).

      The Circumstances of the Time Period When the Program Was Started

      The head start program was started in 1965 (Hintz, 2014). Head Start was based on the solid premise of social liberties support. At the EOA and the Civil Rights Act 50th commemorations, Head Start was conceived, the president being Lyndon B. Johnson. He had a war on destitution amidst the development of social equality in the 1960s. President Johnson declared the start of the Head Start program in his message to Congress in January 1965. Its motivation was to concentrate on the extension of the preschool programs with the goal that the impeded children would be achieved early. There were shifted sees about the idea of the Head Start program. It was trusted that neediness and welfare would be spread from one age to other in light of the fact that instruction, desire and freedom were imparted amid childhood. The general population who held this view trusted that the counter destitution projects should take both of two alternatives. Since they trusted that guardians were in charge of their children, they said that the projects should expel the children from the impact of the guardians who were not ready to address their issues or enhance the status of the guardians to profit the children. This prompted the hypothesis that the poor required an instruction for them to fix up and act like genuine Americans. Moreover, Head Start was intended to serve differing populaces in that, they likewise dealt with children from vagrant families and those that lived on government Native American reservations. They trusted that it was not right to disregard a few gatherings that constituted to a vast piece of the populace in America. In the beginning of the Head Start program, it started as just a midyear program. In the main summer 562,000 children took an interest in the program in 2500 focuses in the US. There were 41000 teachers and around 46000 teacher associates. There were 256000 volunteers and around 170 specialists about early childhood. The endeavours of those in work guaranteed that there were satisfactory grown-ups and assets in each class (Hintz, 2014).

      The Pros and Cons of The Head Start Program

      Some of the Pros of the Head Start Program include:

      1. Educational benefits- the children who attend the program normally get some skills before they join kindergarten such as writing and reading skills. Additionally, they have above national norms when they are in the spring of the kindergarten year. In addition, the children who have attended the children who have attended the program are more likely to graduate from high school as compared to those that did not attend the program

      2. The children also receive social and economic benefits. They have more positive social behaviour and social esteem than those who did not attend the program. The program has high returns for every dollar that is spent on the program.

      3. The children are less likely to be involved in criminal activities in the future.

      4. The parents also benefit in their parenting responsibilities (Gullo, 2005).

      The Cons are;            

      The most noticeable disadvantage is that some studies show that the impacts that are there for the Head Start children do not last for the children by the time they get to first grade. If the gains in terms of learning and development made in the program disappear after a while, then the investments made in the program are a waste (Gullo, 2005).

      Impacts Differ by Approach of Head Start

      A study done by the Columbia University Centre and the Mathematical Policy Research shows the different approaches used by the program. The nature of the program was determined by type of approach that they chose to give to the families.

      The Three Approaches Used in the Program Include;

      1. The centre-based approach- In this approach, the children and their parents were required to attend the program from the centre where they would receive their education. However, there was an inclusion of at least two home visits every year.

      2. The home-based approach- In this approach; the teachers would conduct two home visits each week and conduct group socializations at least once in two weeks.

      3. Mixed approach- In this approach some families received home based approach. Others were given the centre-based approach while other were given a combination of the two approaches (USHHS, 2006).

      By 1997, seven programs took an interest in home based, six of them engaged in mixed and four in the centre-based approach. The varieties in the effects were as per the following. The effects on the centre-based programs were chiefly in the cognitive and social-emotional advancement in youngsters. They had some great effects on different child rearing perspectives, however just a couple on independence. The home-based programs impact affected decreasing the child rearing anxiety and the child’s social-emotional improvement when contrasted with the control group. The programs were executed completely and affected dialect and cognitive improvements at 3 years that had not been found in assessments of home going by programs. The mixed programs demonstrated the most grounded impacts for the families that they served. They significantly affected the youngsters’ dialect advancement and social-emotional improvement. They likewise upgraded significant child rearing conduct and cooperation in exercises based on independence. A mixed program that was actualized completely demonstrated solid examples of effects on the two parties, the parents and their children (USHHS, 2006).

      Why the Program Was Founded?

      The program was founded as a way of helping the children from economically disadvantaged backgrounds with high risk factors get access to education. Its aim was to break the poverty cycle. The program wanted to provide an environment for the children from low income families that would nurture their health, social, emotional and psychological needs. The program wanted to ensure that they achieved their goal by including parents in the education of their children. The founders believed that the participation of the parents in the education of the child would help both the families and the children. The program was meant to help the parents in their nurturing responsibility and ensure that they provide a good home environment for their children (Gullo, 2005).

      The History of How the Program Has Progress Over the Time

      The Head Start program continues to show its benefits even in the 21st century. Less than a decade ago (2010), the program had various benefits to family and children. In a study by Schmit and Ewen in 2012, they show the benefits and the changes that was a result of the program between 2006 and 2010. The report they came up with showed the following results;

      1. The program is of service to people of different backgrounds. In 2010, the highest percentage was white with about 40% of the population. Latinos or Hispanics consisted of the next largest group with about 36%. 29% of the people in the program were blacks and the other 8% considered themselves as others.

      2. During the same time, the program helped the children to get medical and dental care. Among the children who lacked medical insurance before they joined the program, more than half of them that enrolled in the program got a medical insurance. In 2010, almost all the children had an ongoing access to medical care and had dental care. Those who had access to medical care were about 96% and those with dental care were about 89% (Schmit & Ewen, 2010).

      3. The biggest proportion of the families participating had one parent who had a job, but they had limited education skills. In 2010, more than half of the families had a parent in a work environment (65%).  The families that had a parent in job training or school were about 14%.  Those who did not graduate from high school were 31%, 41% having a high school diploma and about 5% of them had a bachelor’s degree.

      4. The biggest percentage of the teachers in the program had a bachelor’s degree and other had a higher one. The one with the bachelor’s degree or a higher one was about 76%. Approximately 6% of the teachers in the program lacked any degree or credential.

      5. Most of the centres that offered the program were full day centres. Although there were several options to choose from, almost all of the centres were centre based (90%). The least approach used was mixed with about 1% and 7% of them being home based. The remaining 1% were local designs. The full day services were comprised of about 6 or more hours in a day with children attending the program for five days in one week (Schmit & Ewen, 2010).

      What Head Start’s program doing now?

      Since it was started, Head Start is still a significant program in preschool education. It continues to serve many children and their parents from disadvantaged backgrounds. It has managed to maintain its goals and achieve what it was initially created for. It promotes school readiness for children. The program has continued to involve the parents in the education of their children. The program continues to serve the children and the families that have low income levels. It still tries to focus on eliminating the poverty in these families (Hintz, 2014).

      The Particular Aspects Associated with that Program that Make It Unique

      Head Start is focused on relentless outreach. This sort of steadfast effort has dependably been at Head Start’s centre focus. Head Start is focused on discovering individuals who have fallen through society’s splits and bring them back up. Head Start considers it to be its central goal to secure children’s directions to progress by likewise setting their families the correct way. By joining forces with and enabling parents, Head Start helps to remove hindrances to their children’s prosperity and develops parents’ capacity to help their children. One of Head Start’s most vital, however minimum commended, victories have been this two-generational way to deal with breaking the cycle of destitution. Head Start is focused on helping the entire child: that implies preparing children forever, not simply school; and that implies working with two ages, not only one. Would it be a good idea for us to keep the national sense of duty regarding sparing the window of chance for the most helpless children? Tuning in to Head Start families, the appropriate response leaves no uncertainty (Gullo, 2005).

      The Head Start in the law

      The Head Start program is funded by the Federal government in the US. It is a preschool program meant to offer various services to children and their families. In 2007, the Congress reauthorized it to an improved program that helped the children to be ready for school (Gullo, 2005).

      The Theory Behind the Program and Implementation of the Curriculum

      Educators deliberately take after the curriculum’s approach and direction while utilizing their insight into children’s and families’ qualities, needs, interests, and social and semantic foundations to alter the curriculum’s exercises or instructing rehearses. Locally established curriculum exercises must be individualized in light of the particular life conditions of the family, the tyke’s or guardians’ interests, or their social or etymological foundations. Early teachers must regard and incorporate children’s and families’ social and semantic foundations to help their full support in the curriculum. The curriculum should offer recommendations to incorporate children’s and multiculturalism and home dialects. Projects evaluate curriculum loyalty by gathering and utilizing information as a feature of their constant change procedure of curriculum usage (Gullo, 2005).

      Research on the Effectiveness of the Program

      STUDIES

      Head Start’s Lasting Benefits

      The investigations about the benefits of the Head Start program started in the controversial arguments during its start years when the Westinghouse Learning Corporation study said that the program had only few sustained benefits. The children in the 1st, 2nd and 3rd grade was compared with those who did not enrol in the program. The focus of the study was on the cognitive development and the social-emotional development. The findings of the researchers are either short or long term. In this study, the findings were that the children who participated in the program had benefits as compared to others that did not attend the program. The study included phonic and vocabulary awareness (Barnett & Hustedt, 2005).

      The study shows that even the parents of the children were safer than those of the children that did not participate in the study. Thus, the study showed strong short-term benefits of the program. The review showed that effects of the program on the long term were mixed. The study stated that the effects that the program had initially, faded with time (Barnett & Hustedt, 2005).

      Head Start Teachers across a Decade: Beliefs, Characteristics, and Time Spent on Academics

      This study looked at the changes in the belief of teachers in the development appropriate practice by using Head Start program data. It also examined their education, credential and experience and how these factors related to their belief in DAP. There was likelihood that there was a connection between the instruction and cohort, and the test.

      The research questions addressed in the study included;

      1. The changes in the belief of teachers through the years (From 2000 to 2009)

      2. The relationship between their credential and experience with their belief in cohorts

      3. The existence of a communication of teacher training and cohorts connecting to their belief

      4. Changes across the cohorts because of frequency in literacy and math activities (Walter & Lippard, 2017).

      The connection between training and their beliefs was predictable but the expanded instruction did not beat the cohort impact. The findings of the study showed that the year 2003 had the most positive conditions for DAP. The teachers got more training at this time than in 2000. However, at this time, the teachers did not feel the weight of the responsibility that those in the 2006 and 2009 cohort may have felt (Walter & Lippard, 2017).

      Head Start Impact Study Final Report 

      The study comprised of 84 agencies having 5000 children between the ages of 3 and 4. They were randomly assigned to the participating and control group. The collection of data was between 2002 and 2006. The study did a separate examination for the 3-year olds and the 4-year olds. The separate examination was better because the two groups came from different backgrounds. The racial distribution, however, was even in the groups. The findings of the study were divided into two parts (Confirmatory impact and exploratory subgroup) (USDHHS, 2010).

      The confirmatory findings were as follows;

      1. The Head Start program had a benefit to children before they entered school. There was a significant difference in the participatory and control group in every aspect of school experience.

      2. The program had benefits in various angles of readiness to school

        1. In the 4-year-old group, the positive effect was packed in the proficiency components and dialect in the cognitive space. This incorporates letter-word ID, shading recognizable proof, letter naming, spelling and pre-scholastic aptitudes. On the wellbeing space, there was an effect on the dental care get to.

        2. For the 3-year-old category, the effects were found in all the four territories that were analysed toward the finish of the program. This included

      C. vocabulary, pre-school abilities, letter distinguishing proof, phonological handling, unending motor aptitudes, hyperactive conduct, connected issues, dental care, withdrawal conduct, parent hitting, and improvement exercises of the family culture (USDHHS, 2010).

      1. The end of kindergarten had benefits in;

        1. Social-emotional outcomes

        2. Cognitive outcomes

        3. Parenting outcomes

      2. The exploratory group findings;

      1. The groups showed effects in cognition, health and socio-emotional domains.

      2. In the 4-year old group, the subgroups that indicated beneficial outcomes had parents with side effects of mellow despondency; the youngsters were double dialect students who had lower cognitive aptitudes. Toward the finish of kindergarten, Black kids experienced positive effects on the social-emotional; area (USDHHS, 2010).

      3. In the 3-year-old group, the subgroups that indicated positive effects were those with uncommon requirements, kids with parents having no manifestations of sadness, those in non-urban settings and kids from family units with higher hazard. Alternate groups with ideal effects amid the early years included kids with lower cognitive abilities and double dialect students.

      1. The children with unfavourable results were those whose parents had signs of mild depression. Most of these kids were those at the age of 3. They had adverse effects in health, cognition and social-emotional areas (USDHHS, 2010).

      The Long-Term Impact of the Head Start Program

      The study talks about the long-term effects of the Head Start program. A developing assortment of thorough confirmation proposes that strategy mediations went for early childhood proves to be fruitful for a considerable length of time. Crosswise over many investigations of a few programs, preschool participation among burdened kids has been found to decidedly affect members. Head Start, the extensive scale government preschool program, has appeared to enhance post-preschool results, including high school culmination and wellbeing results. The study used the NLSY (National Longitudinal Survey of Youth) (Bauer & Schanzenbach, 2016). Confirmation shows that early childhood instruction intercessions like Head Start affect high school graduation rates, cause increments in high school graduation rates over 10 years after the fact. It enhances instructive results—expanding the likelihood that members move on from high school and go to school. Head Start likewise causes social, passionate, and behavioural improvement that wind up plainly clear in adulthood measures of restraint, confidence, and positive child rearing practices. Head Start interest expanded positive child rearing practices for every ethnic group and for members whose moms did not have a high school degree when contrasted and the results of youngsters who went to a preschool other than Head Start (Bauer & Schanzenbach, 2016).

      Exploring the Impact of Head Start on Parents: A Pilot Study

      The objective of this study is to determine the impact of the Head Start program on the employment, education and personal development of those who participate in the program. The study involved about 30 parents with their children who were randomly selected in a class list of graduates. Interviews conducted with parents showed significant changes two years after the completion of the program. The areas focused on by the study were education and employment. Additionally, the focus was on the lasting effects of the Head Start activities and services (Sydnor et al., 2007). Changes in employment and education were shown by descriptive analysis but none of them were significant in terms of statistics. The program had an effect on education through emotional and financial support. The changes in employment were supported by education. The effects on parents included family relationships, personal development and having heath education. The findings indicate that there were no long term parental effects incorporated (Sydnor et al., 2007).

      References

      Barnett, W. S., & Hustedt, J. T. (2005). Head Start’s lasting benefits. Infants & Young Children, 18(1), 16-24. 

      Bauer, L., & Schanzenbach, D. W. (2016). The Long-Term Impact of the Head Start Program. The Hamilton Project, the Brookings Institution. (link).

      Faces, B. (2015). The Faces of Early Head Start.

      Gullo, D. F. (2005). Understanding assessment and evaluation in early childhood education. New York: Teachers College Press.

      Hinitz, B. S. (2014). Head Start: A Bridge from Past to Future. YC Young Children, 69(2), 94. 

      Love, J. M., Kisker, E. E., Ross, C., Raikes, H., Constantine, J., Boller, K., … & Fuligni, A. S. (2005). The effectiveness of early head starts for 3-year-old children and their parents: lessons for policy and programs. Developmental psychology, 41(6), 885.

      Ramey, C. T., & Ramey, S. L. (2010). Head Start: Strategies to improve outcomes for children living in poverty. Investing in young children: New directions in federal preschool and early childhood policy, 59-68.

      Schmit, S., & Ewen, D. (2012). Putting children and families first: Head Start programs in 2010. Washington: Centre for Law and Social Policy. 

      Shaw, D. S. (2014). Parenting programs and their impact on the social and emotional development of young children. Parenting skills, 65.

      Sydnor, K. D., Holt, M., Headen, G., Moore, S., Yates, D., & Gee, T. (2007). Exploring the impact of Head Start on parents: A pilot study. Progress in community health partnerships: research, education, and action, 1(2), 123.

      US Department of Health and Human Services. (2006). Early head start benefits children and families. Washington, DC: Author. 

      US Department of Health and Human Services. (2010). Head Start Impact Study: Final report, executive summary. Washington, DC: Administrations for Children and Families. Retrieved January 18, 2012.

      Walter, M. C., & Lippard, C. N. (2017). Head Start Teachers Across a Decade: Beliefs, Characteristics, and Time Spent on Academics. EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION JOURNAL, 45(5), 693-702.

      About the Author

      I am Sarah AL-Sharif. From Saudi Arabia, Riyadh. Currently, I am doctoral student at Ball State University- Special Education Department. In 2015, I graduated from master’s degree from Ball State University- Special Education Department. I obtained my bachelor’s degree from King Saud University – Special Education Department in Saudi Arabia, Riyadh. I have started my dissertation in full 2017. I am working at King Saud University as lecture. After I graduate from the PHD, I will back to my work at King Saud University in Saudi Arabia, Riyadh. I changed my dissertation topic from “Using Dramatic Playing Center to Improve Social Skills in Children Who Diagnosed with Autism in Early Childhood Education”. To “Teacher’s Perceptions of The Impact of Peer-Mediated Instruction Intervention Through Social Playing to Improve Social Skills for Children with ASD In Preschool in General Education Classrooms”. Actually, I have changed my dissertation topic because I found from my reading that, children with ASD have several social effects especially on the school setting. They have many problems that involve adults or their peers including recognizing non-verbal language, participation in group play, making eye contact, making lasting friendships and responding to conversations and non-verbal expressions. Peer-Mediated Instruction Intervention (PMII) is one of the most effective intervention that assist children with ASD to improve social skills. In this intervention, teacher train peer without disabilities to interact with children with ASD by encourage children with ASD to engage and participate with peer in different activities in classroom in general education classrooms. Additionally, PMII, have shown to improve the non-verbal skills, social interaction, friendships, and reciprocal social communication. All the reviews state that PMI is an effective way of improving the social skills of children with autism (Chang & Locke,2016). There are short-term benefits of PMII to children with ASD. It shows that interacting with peers during play helps to improve the social skills of children with ASD. There are various types of PMII They include Peer Tutor, Peer Buddy, Group-Oriented Contingency, Peer Networks, Integrated Peer Groups, Peer Initiation Training and Pivotal Response Training. Integrated Play groups are the type where an adult gives the peers and children with autism an environment that would help them interact with one another. Children with ASD enjoy playing like other children without disabilities, but children with ASD face challenges since they only play with few toys in a repetitive way. They may find it difficult to copy some actions, explore the surrounding, share their objects, take turns, and respond to others. Improving the social skills of the children with ASD is the most important aspect to teachers in the school setting. Teachers should observe those peers that children interact with (Chang & Locke,2016). To support peer engagement that yields interactions, teachers should look at the emotional support given to all the students in class. Teachers should show support to all children and avoid favoring others. It may be difficult to show emotional support to all children. Therefore, professional development and training with support from counsellors can help to improve this factor. Supporting children with autism does not mean only in their behavior and social skills. The workload that the teacher gives to the students is also a way of helping them. The teacher should ensure that the work they give to children with autism either in school or at home is achievable. It should not be too much or too little. Children with autism often find some topics interesting and others not interesting (Chang & Locke,2016).  Therefore, due to this nature, teachers should sometimes give the children a choice on what they want to do. Many studies have been conducted to understand the perception that teachers have in using intervention as a method of helping children with autism improve their social skills. There are many types of interventions that have been used in classrooms to help improve the social skills of the children with autism (Katz, 2014). In conclusion, knowing teacher’s perceptions about various interventions for children with ASD assist the school administration to provide to teachers who are working with children with ASD, professional development workshops, in the interventions that teachers believe that they are effective for children with ASD achievement and interaction with peer in general education classroom Katz, 2014).

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      By Karina Constantine

      Abstract

      This paper will examine the idea of using music as a tool to help attain social and emotional well-being during morning meetings, as an adaptation for non-verbal special needs students, while reviewing the following four academic articles obtained from Library.FIU.edu’s social and psychological, and educational databases on the topic of music in SEL:

      1. A study of teacher formative influence upon and student experience of Social-Emotional Learning climate in secondary school music settings. 

      2. So many lifetimes locked inside: reflecting on the use of music and songs to enhance learning through emotional and social connection in Trainee Clinical Psychologists.

      3. Exploring the rationale for group music activities for parents and young children: Parents’ and Practitioners’ Perspectives.

      4. Can music enhance school-readiness socioemotional skills?

      While the research is varied and data somewhat conflicting due to the varied age groups and settings, it is clear from these experiments and research articles, that adding music to a modified morning meeting can only benefit and help the outcome of establishing healthy and positive Social and Emotional Learning.

      The Effect of Music on Social and Emotional Learning

      The Palm Beach County School District has made a five year goal incorporating Social and Emotional Learning and the idea of using a morning meeting to facilitate students in creating a healthy social and emotional environment before starting their school day. The belief, through established data, is that by helping the students make friends, gain trust for their teacher, and experience a safe environment, student academics will increase while bad behaviors will decrease. It is especially important for teachers of non-verbal special needs students to explore using other tools such as music in creating modified morning meeting in order to accomplish the goal of the district. According to Ritblatt, Longstreth, Hokoda, Cannon, and Weston (2013), “music is a universal connector that inspires, soothes, excites, and bonds human beings of all ages and cultures…forms the basis for social and emotional communication throughout the life-span.” (p. 258-9) This review will take a look at the following concepts within four academic articles on the subject of music and its effects on Social Emotional Learning:

      Goals of Each Study in Relation to a Modified Morning Meeting

      Age Groups Studied and the Significance

      Types of Research and Methods and the Significance

      Results and Data for Modified Morning Meeting

      In using the data from these research academic articles, the use of music in a Modified Morning Meeting can be explored and possible adaptions considered.

      Goals of Each Study in Relation to a Modified Morning Meeting

      In “Can Music Enhance School Readiness Socioemotional Skills?” Ritblatt, Longstreth, Hokoda, Cannon, and Weston (2013) analyze whether music can help Pre-K students get ready for entering elementary school. Their research focuses on whether a music program helps prepare the students better for the “acquisition of social skills” and “language, learning, and self-help skills.” (p. 257) The data from this study can help establish whether music will possibly benefit non-verbal students at the beginning of the day in Morning Meetings, and if so, in which areas. In Pitt and Hargreave’s study, the authors explore the effect of music studies on younger children from the perspectives of the parents versus the practitioners. Vygotsly’s theory that “interaction with others and cooperation with peers is important learning in the social domain” (Pitt & Hargreaves, 2017) is considered within the research, and the use of music is tested in this regard. Since social issues are imperative to students with ASD, this study is very beneficial in considering whether music can help with a Modified Morning Meeting. Carlisle’s (2013) study of music, explores more the usage of music within formal and informal settings and contexts, which can help in the process of deciding which kind of music is best along with which approach. Keville, Nutt, Brunton, Keyes, & Tacconelli’s (2018) study is more about using music to influence the students to be in a better emotional and social state for better learning achievement. They claim that “music is universal; it can provide a common language that speaks from the heart enabling others to connect with the private felt experience of others regardless of differences within or between people.” For non- verbal students, this is something great to consider. It also tackles diversity of music, and since this study aligns perfectly with the Palm Beach School District Goal, it is a good one to review for the purposes of the modified morning meeting and its possibilities of enhancing learning experiences and minimizing bad behaviors.

      Age Groups Studied and the Significance

      Ritblatt, Longstreth, Hokoda, Cannon, and Weston’s (2013) study focuses on pre-K students, while Pitt and Hargreave’s (2017) study focuses on children zero to five. On the other hand, Carlisle’s (2013) study focuses on high school students and Keville, Nutt, Brunton, Keyes, & Tacconelli’s (2018) study addresses more of the adult population, so consideration of the fact that none of these studies actually have data on elementary school children, needs to be taken into account.

      Types of Research and Methods and the Significance

      According to Ritblatt, Longstreth, Hokoda, Cannon, and Weston (2013) “music can affect a child’s approach to learning by increasing enthusiasm for and engagement in learning new skills.” (p. 258) Their study examines the views of 3,000 kindergarten teachers in a qualitative study after they have taken quantitative data on 102 ethnically diverse children randomly split into two equal groups, one receiving music intervention, and the other not. In Pitt and Hargreave’s (2017) study, a qualitative questionnaire is prepared for the parents and facilitators in phase 1 of the experiment. Phase 2’s questionnaire is set up with questions purely for data purposes (quantitative), and then the combination of the two is used to come up with the results. In Carlisle’s study (2013), she questions “primary formative and shaping influence upon the design of the learning environment” (p. 227) and so three schools are picked and given specific instruction on how to administer music. Each one has a different approach and then data is taken. The goal of this qualitative data is to compare formal and informal administration of music and its effects on learning. Keville, Nutt, Brunton, Keyes, & Tacconelli’s (2018) study uses pure qualitative research by experimenting on a small group of adults and then interviewing them. Each adult is given a piece of writing with a story on it. There emotions are measured, and then they have to listen to a song related to the story. Once again their emotions are recorded and compared to their original sentiment of the story.  In this instance, music is use as a “catalyst” and thus “enables communication and social connection”, this in turn “enhances the learning process” (p. 382)

      Results and Data for Modified Morning Meeting

      Ritblatt, Longstreth, Hokoda, Cannon, and Weston’s study (2013) proves that students who are exposed to music have an increase in social and emotional skills over those students that are not exposed to music, but that there exists very little difference between the groups in academics. The authors none the less, believe that “encouraging music helps one’s ability to function and learn…promoting the highest levels of creativity and social and cognitive development.” (p. 259) In Pitt and Hargreave’s (2017) study, parents are shown to be more interested in their children “making friends and having fun”, whereas facilitators are more interesting in the child learning. The results show that both are achieved through the use of music. In Carlisle’s study (2013), it is proven that a combination of formal and informal implementation of music, works the best with a variety, and the right choice of music for the appropriate time. It also establishes the importance of creating a safe and positive environment for increased learning. Keville, Nutt, Brunton, Keyes, & Tacconelli’s (2018) study of adults shows that “music can provide the motivation to use language through its characteristic use of repetition.” (p. 385) This is a great concept for autistic students who thrive on structure and repetition.  All four these studies show that the implementation of music in a morning meeting can only help and improve the goal of social and emotional learning and wellness.

      References

      Carlisle, K. (2013). A study of teacher formative influence upon and student experience of
                Social-Emotional Learning climate in secondary school music settings. British Journal  
                Of Music Education      , 30(2), 223-243.

      Keville, S. s., Nutt, K., Brunton, I., Keyes, C., & Tacconelli, E. (2018). So many lifetimes locked
                inside: reflecting on the use of music and songs to enhance learning through emotional and
                social connection in Trainee Clinical Psychologists. Reflective Practice, 19(3), 376-388.
                doi:10.1080/14623943.2018.1479687

      Pitt, J., & Hargreaves, D. (2017). Exploring the rationale for group music activities for parents
                and young children: Parents’ and Practitioners’ Perspectives. Research Studies In Music
                Education      , 39(2), 177-194.

      Ritblatt, S. R., Longstreth, S., Hokoda, A., Cannon, B., & Weston, J. (2013). Can music enhance
                school-readiness socioemotional skills?. Journal Of Research In Childhood
                Education      , 27(3), 257-266. doi:10.1080/02568543.2013.796333

      About the Author

      My name is Karina Constantine and I was born and raised in South Africa where I received a unique but very positive perspective of education and the world in general. I started my career in music where I enjoyed much success performing in professional musicals around the world, recording contracts and session work, and an 18 year run with the www.gypsylaneband.com (with original members from the VILLAGE PEOPLE) I am today a proud (but very humble) and blessed ASD teacher at Whispering Pines Elementary in Boca Raton. I teach low functioning, non-verbal “angels”, and we are the pilot school for a new curriculum program for special needs children. I am additionally trained in PCM, VB Maps and I love thinking out the box and using music and technology to touch and reach and accomplish that which others consider impossible. This Literature Review was about bringing my two passions together.

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      By Elizabeth Haddad

      Abstract

      Are special healthcare needs being implemented effectively in Special Education? When children with severe disabilities and special health care needs are in school, there are many considerations and precautions to be made. The life, health, wellbeing, safety of a child is in the hands of educators, school nurses, and other employees of the school they attend. It is important that all aspects of their health are addressed, documented and shared with their primary care doctors, parents and specialists.

      Special Education and Healthcare

      Special education is individualized and diverse to educate children with a wide range of disabilities, individualized education plans(IEPs) are put in place to meet the student individual needs and help them succeed. Health plays a huge role in the child’s ability to maintain in school and continue to progress. A child’s health and mental health can influence and directly affect their ability to succeed in school. The increase in children with special health care needs and severe disabilities that attend school in the US has increased through modern technology and further research in medicine (Pufpaff, McIntosh, Thomas, 2015). Students with special healthcare needs, mental health issues or severe disability requires specific attention and accommodation while at school. The following literature review shows examples of how health care and mental health are an important part of a child’s education and requires multiple roles, and communication to always ensure the best care for the child.

      The health of a student with special healthcare needs and severe disabilities relies on a combination of people in order to maintain and improve the child’s health and education. School nurses, primary care doctors, the teacher, specialists and parents all have to work together and always maintain communication about the child’s health to ensure the child is getting the best health care and education possible. According to Aruda, Kelly, and Newinsky (2011), the school should maintain communication between all of these caregivers to make ensure the child’s participation in school and minimized standard and emergency health episodes. Lack of communication can lead to the child’s health worsening and lead them to no be able to attend school because of their health. This study also found that families rated their communication between the school and doctor to be good and average, they stated that the lack of communication that was experienced was stopping the child from receiving adequate care and appropriate school accommodation. Families that participated in the study also recommended ways to help communication between the school and doctor.

      There are many important roles that contribute to a child with special health care needs or severe disabilities, and maintaining their ability to participate in a school setting and receive appropriate education, and accommodations. The school nurse works closely with the special education teacher to make sure all health needs are met for students with special health needs and severe disabilities, the school nurse can ask the teacher about a specific student and the teacher relies on the nurse to assist the student with any health related issue, learn techniques and in the case the nurse if not available (Pufpaff, McIntosh and Thomas, 2015). School nurses play a big role in the child’s health while at school, they have specific medical responsibilities to assist the child throughout the day. In a study done by Pufpaff, McIntosh and Thomas (2015), results showed that teachers stated feeling comfortable completing nursing tasks and also having their teacher’s assistant also help. This study also showed that nurses often chose what procedures to give to teachers and assistants when working with children with severe disabilities or special healthcare, and also the way they choose the distribution of procedure duties was not consistent. This study also showed that special education teachers are responsible and should be more than just an educator, they also should advocate and be a healthcare provider between the family and school. School nurses and special education teachers also work closely with the child’s primary care doctor. A study by Singer, Butler, Palfrey (1986), found that children with regular care, a primary doctor and insurance coverage did not guarantee that the child would visit the doctor, only 56% saw a doctor in a year, 15% had seen a specialist and 38% of children did not see a doctor at all. The results of this study also showed that the sample of the study was a factor in healthcare, such as economic status, racial, ethnic differences, city and state they live in. Singer, Butler, Palfrey 1986 also bring up that special education laws do not coordinate health care for the child, there has been opinions that special education students should receive healthcare that could help them receive public education appropriate to them. This is something to consider for special education students when trying to set up an appropriate education and health care plan.

      Often when thinking of health and health care physical health is the first thought. Mental health is a big part of a person’s overall health, and well- being. For children this might be a difficult thing to express, for children with disabilities this might be even more difficult. According to the National Institute of Mental health, young children may need to be evaluated for mental health problems if they have tantrums, worry and are often scared, stomach aches and headaches with no real answer, do not show interest to play with other kids, either sleep to much or too little, their grades worsen, and constantly are moving and find it hard to sit quietly.  For older children and teenagers should be evaluated if they show signs of low energy, loose interest in things they used to enjoy, spend more time alone, engage in self harm, risky behavior, and hear voices, and use drugs and alcohol. A child’s mental health status can directly affect them in all aspects of their life including school. The study by Ringgeisen, Casanueva, Cross, and Urato (2009), focuses mental health and special education services and needs for children involved in maltreatment. This study found that mental health services for children with behavioral problems was mostly given through outpatient services and children with cognitive needs that had an IEP. The levels of needs left unmet was significantly higher for mental health services than for special education services. This study also found that schools lack services for children that have experienced maltreatment and experience mental health issues. The overall result of this study was that children living with a foster family were often more likely to have mental health care and special education services, compared to the high amount of children getting no mental health or special education services living with their biological family.

      Education for students with disabilities has come a long way and has advanced and progressed to meet specific needs of the child. Today with all of the new technology, medicine and research, there is much more advanced opportunities for the child. Their health is a very important part of their ability to excel in education and this requires the combination of advocates for all aspects of their health and education. Further research is needed to positively help reinforce communications of all providers and advocates of the child to ensure proper care and to follow an appropriate plan of his or her education and health.

      References

      Aruda, M. M., Kelly, M., & Newinsky, K. (2011). Unmet needs of children with special health care needs in a specialized day school setting. The Journal of School Nursing, 27(3), 209-218. doi:http://dx.doi.org.ezproxy.fiu.edu/10.1177/1059840510391670

      Pufpaff, L. A., Mcintosh, C. E., Thomas, C., Elam, M., & Irwin, M. K. (2015). Meeting the health care needs of students with severe disabilities in the school setting: Collaboration between school nurses and special education teachers. Psychology in the Schools, 52(7), 683-701. doi:http://dx.doi.org.ezproxy.fiu.edu/10.1002/pits.21849

      Ringeisen, H., Casanueva, C., Cross, T. P., & Urato, M. (2009). Mental health and special education services at school entry for children who were involved with the child welfare system as infants. Journal of Emotional and Behavioral Disorders, 17(3), 177-192. doi:http://dx.doi.org.ezproxy.fiu.edu/10.1177/1063426609334280

      Singer, J. D., Butler, J. A., & Palfrey, J. S. (1986). Health care access and use among handicapped students in five public school systems. Medical Care, 24(1), 1-13. doi:http://dx.doi.org.ezproxy.fiu.edu/10.1097/00005650-198601000-00001

      Children and Mental Health. (n.d.). Retrieved from www.nimh.nih.gov/health/premium-publications/children-and-mental-health/index.shtml

      About the Author

      Elizabeth Haddad grew up in Miami, Florida. She is a graduate student at Florida International University where she is pursuing her Master’s degree in Special Education with an Autism endorsement. She graduated with her B.A. in Psychology in 2017. She is currently working as a teacher’s assistant. In her free time, she enjoys taking her dogs to the park and running.

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      By Katherine McMeekin

      Abstract

      Lead Like a Pirate: Make School Amazing for Your Students and Staff, by Shelley Burgess and Beth Houf is an insightful and motivating read for educational leaders and professionals in the educational system.  The review looks at the book and states main themes, key quotes and strong and weak points from the book.  The review compares the book to Leading in a Culture of Change, by Michael Fullan, and the similarities both books have regarding empowering educational leaders. 

      Lead Like a Pirate Book Review

      In the book Lead Like a Pirate (2017), the authors Shelley Burgess and Beth Houf “inspire courage and provide practical ideas” (p. xix) for educational leaders.  The purpose of the book is to help educational leaders become the inspiring leaders that today’s teachers, students, families and school districts need.  Schools are often met with leadership that is not willing to take risks to find the best solutions to problems.  Lead Like a Pirate (2017) teaches educational leaders to see themselves as a pirate captain, and their team as the crew.  Burgess and Houf (2017) dive into the risks of educational leaders becoming “ultra-serious and never showing their fun side” (p. xix).  They discuss how becoming uncomfortable and taking risks as a leader makes you “more comfortable in your ‘un-comfort’ zone” (p. xix).  To get readers to the point of feeling courageous and ready to take risks, Burgess and Houf discuss how to lead like a pirate.

      The book begins with an inspiring and relatable acronym for PIRATE.  P is for passion where leaders need commitment to succeed while avoiding a task just for compliance without knowing the meaning of the task.  Not only do they discuss the meaning of our personal passions and the passions that bring us to do the work we do every day, but they discuss how important it is for leaders to know the passions of their crew.  Not only will this help build a strong team, states the authors, but it also allows leaders to pair their crew with tasks that tie to their strengths.  The book Leading in a Culture of Change (2001), by Michael Fullan, has a purpose like this theme.  Fullan focuses on the moral purpose that the leader of an organization should share with their team.  The book states that “Moral purpose is about both ends and means.  In education, an important end is to make a difference in the lives of students, however, the means to getting to that end are also crucial.  If you don’t treat others (for example, teachers) well and fairly, you will be a leader without followers” (p. 13). 

      The remainder of the acronym for Pirate delves deeper into how to keep followers and your crew on board.  To keep followers and an inspired, risk taking team, Burgess and Houf show that I is for Immersion.  This means that leaders “walk the walk” and do what they say.  They understand what they are implementing and know how to lead their crew through it.  Educational leaders should include their team in creating new ideas which in turn gains their trust.  R is for rapport.  Leaders need to ensure they show appreciation for their team and build community.  The authors warn about being negligent of your crew and only caring about winning, not about the team and how you get there.  A is for Ask and Analyze.  Educational leaders need to “ask probing questions, dig deep to get to the root of the issue, and actively seek solutions” (p. 47) to challenges that may arise.  T is for Transformation.  Burgess and Houf remind leaders to be courageous and “take risks for growth” (p. 54).  E is for Enthusiasm meaning leaders need to be captivating and look “outside of the box” to have fun and engage their staff and students. 

      Lead Like a Pirate is strong in motivating leaders to go outside of their comfort zones to improve their schools and have students and staff “knocking down the doors to get in rather than out” (p. xviii).  The book has a strong section devoted to having meaningful, positive coaching conversations with teachers that will help leaders phrase feedback in motivating and positive language.  The authors discuss being clear with employees about a practice that could improve student learning that they saw, or did not see, implemented.  Leaders need to explain the importance of the practice to their crew and point out how successful it was for a student they may have seen them implementing the practice on, even if it was not intentional.  The leader can ask some more questions to the crew member, such as how they feel implementing the practice has benefitted their students.  Leaders should follow up with staff and ask to come in at a time when it will be implemented again.  Although the book devotes a chapter to “captain-directed coaching conversations”, it does not devote any insight into having a more difficult “courageous S.O.S session” (p. 168) with teachers or employees who need a conversation for something that has gone “seriously wrong” (p. 168).  This section could be beneficial in a book because often educational leaders may feel uncomfortable speaking in clear, yet direct terms about a serious problem an employee may have.  If the authors could include a section on how to have “serious conversations” with staff, it may alleviate some of the discomfort the one of the most uncomfortable parts of the job brings.

      In the book Leading in a Culture of Change, by Michael Fullan, leaders are encouraged to structure their organization in a way that can successfully take change as it is given and implement it accordingly.  Fullan explains that if an organization is not structured to easily accept and implement change, it will be in a constant flux of restructuring and reorganization.  Lead Like a Pirate focuses on having a team that is ready to take risks and try new instructional strategies in the classroom.  Lead Like a Pirate wants teachers to be creative and not fear failure, but instructional leaders need to set the stage for teachers to feel comfortable doing so.  Both books stress that having a culture in which team members can feel comfortable implementing change and new ideas is vital for success and growth.  Both books offer insight into the values of educational leaders and teams learning from each other.  Allowing leaders to visit other programs and share knowledge is a valuable source of information that is not utilized enough.  Both books stress that sharing knowledge and information within the educational system needs to improve.  To grow, we need to learn from each other and teach each other through our experiences and our own learning.

      Lead Like a Pirate is a great read for all educators.  It is a refreshing look at why we decide to continue through struggles to help build successes for students and educators alike.  The book is highly recommended for everyone who is a member of the education system.

      References

      Burgess, S., & Houf, B. (2017).  Lead Like a Pirate: Make School Amazing for Your Students and Staff.  San Diego, CA: Dave Burgess Consulting, Inc.

      Fullan, M. (2001). Leading in a Culture of Change.  San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

      About the Author

      Katherine McMeekin is a teacher of students with autism in Jacksonville, Florida.  Katherine has been teaching for 3 years and is completing her Masters in Special Education at Florida International University.  When not teaching or studying, Katherine enjoys playing volleyball, climbing, paddle boarding and swimming.

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      By Valerie Omans

      Neila A. Connors, Incentive Publications Inc., Nashville, Tennessee, Printed by Sheridan Books, Inc., Chelsea, Michigan, www.incentivepublications.com, 2000, 143pp. ISBN 978-0-86530-457-4. US$16.99

      If You Don’t Feed The Teachers They Eat The Students! is a success guide for administrators and teachers written in a very practical format. This book is written as a guide to choosing the delicious food at restaurants and combing true ingredients for incredibly successful recipes. The author was born in Lexon Dale, Massachusetts. Degrees were obtained from St. Leo College (Bachelor’s) in Florida and Florida State University (Master’s and Doctorate). Dr. Connors is the founder and president of N.A.C. (Networking and Client) Connections Inc. This corporation promotes positive attitudes and actions for a successful life. Dr. Connor’s enthusiasm and positivity invite the reader to an experience of pleasurable cuisine and a fine dining experience.

      Dr. Neila Connor’s previous experience as a teacher at all grade levels and an experienced administrator provided the perfect background for her recipes and advice for success. Each chapter opens and ends with a quote, and then provides a step by step guide to building meaningful relationships with suggested activities for self-examination of one’s current practices and beliefs. Through flavor and spice, Dr. Connor provides a similar perspective as Michael Fullan portrays in Leading In A Culture of Change. Both authors concentrate on leading with a purpose and assisting organizations with the process of change to make a difference through self-examination of current practices and principles while preparing to change the culture by building meaningful relationships. A must read for school administrators preparing for effective leadership. The ingredients of this book can also be applied to any organization seeking to improve practices, culture, and change.

      Based on her past history, experiences and observations, Connor dishes up a compelling argument for including fun and humor into relationships and at the workplace. Her style is non-judgmental as she takes the reader through exercises of identification of leadership types; large bites of practical advice and suggestions during a full-course meal from appetizers through dessert.  This approach and light-hearted humor wets the reader’s appetite; leaving one hungry for more.

      “The best teacher is the one who NEVER forgets what is like to be a student. The best administrator is the one who NEVER forgets what it is like to be a teacher” (Connor, 2000, p.11). ”This book begins with a very honest and reality-based approach as Dr. Connor’s explains that her recipes are based on experience and observation as opposed to scientific research. The first course is the appetizer. Identifying the characteristics of a truly successful leader and a self-reflection questionnaire to identify one’s strengths and needs begins the appetizer course. Connor sets the stage for the following chapters by referencing the administrator as the Master Chef of the kitchen. Let the cooking begin!

      Dr. Connor creates her ambiance and invites the reader to dine. Administrators will enjoy the whimsical format for setting the table in preparation for making meetings and trainings meaningful; offering teachers all you can eat buffets and choosing their favorite foods.  Tables are filled with success, support, communication, and humor. “Leaders who feed their teachers consistently are intensely aware of what needs to be in place to be successful” (Connor, 2000, p. 79). Meals, referred to as the acronym, M.E.A.L.S. (Meaningful Experiences Affecting Long-Term Success) set the table with hand-picked ingredients for collaborative work that makes a difference.

      Once the table has been set, she forges ahead to turning up the heat and letting the readers know that if they can’t stand the heat, to get out of the kitchen. Ideas to determine stress levels and strategies to confront and manage them are real plate fillers. Connor reminds us that “no one has ever died laughing” (Connor, 2000, p. 106). She refers to a happy school as a “Happening Place” (Connor, 2000, p.106). And no great meal should be served without dessert. Teachers understand the value of support, encouragement, and rewards to motivate students and affect positive growth and outcomes. Successful administrators must serve the desert too. Dr. Connor shares 150 items that could top off any great meal. And the check, please! Reminders for encouragement and a quick guide for troubleshooting when the meal did not taste as one had planned brings the meal to completion.

      It is difficult not to develop a fondness for the author and her infectious positive attitude. One can almost smell the delicious brewing aromas, hear her laughter and feel her smile through the pages. The quotes used throughout the book are motivating and thought-provoking, while the continual use of acronyms may leave the reader fatigued from flipping back and forth to the glossary. The ideas and practices presented may have the reader calling for dinner reservations before the final chapter is read. The format of the book may not be for everyone. The light-heartedness of an important subject matter may leave some diners confused and unable to enjoy their meals. But, those diners that want another course may enjoy other books by Dr. Conner, such as If You Don’t Feed The Students They Will Starve! Bon appétit!

      About the Author

      Valerie Omans has been a special educator for 35 years at the School District of Palm Beach County in Florida. She earned her Bachelor’s Degree from Eastern Michigan University and Master’s Degree at Florida International University. She has three adult children and a new grandbaby, which keeps life busy and exciting. Continuous education and building and maintaining positive relationships at work have been a constant career goal. Including fun and play at work is essential to maintaining positivity and remaining excited about the new adventures each new school year brings.

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      By Danielle Williams

      Abstract

      How can we increase student achievement? This question is the driving force behind everything we do as educators. Phillip Schlechty’s Working on the Work proposes that we should focus not on improving teachers or students, but rather on creating tasks for students that inspire curiosity and motivate them to genuine engagement with the content. This book review explores Schlechty’s ideas and considers its connections with Michael Fullan’s Leading in a Culture of Change. Implications for classroom practice as well as systemwide reform are discussed.

      Schlechty, Phillip C. Working on the Work:  An Action Plan for Teachers, Principals, and Superintendents. San Francisco:  Jossey-Bass, 2002.  128pp.  $30.00.  ISBN 978-0787961657.

      How can school leaders boost student growth?  In Working on the Work, Phillip Schlechty (2002) proposes that administrators “abandon the idea that they can somehow improve student learning by working on teachers and… [instead] work with teachers to improve the quality of work teachers provide to students” (p. xiv).  Expounding on this premise, Schlechty exhorts school leaders to focus on providing work that piques students’ interest in order to drive achievement.

      Throughout Working on the Work (abbreviated by the author as WOW), Schlechty describes how school leaders can inspire students to greater academic performance by focusing on creating learning tasks that evoke curiosity and enthusiasm.  He believes that school leaders must tap into students’ needs and values in order to design tasks that will naturally draw them into learning.  First, Schlechty (2002) considers other suggestions for school reform such as “work on the teachers” or “work on the students” (p. xiii), but rejects these ideas as they create frustration or superficial engagement in learning.  As an alternative, Schlechty (2002) offers mechanisms to infuse the focus on student tasks into school culture, such as school-wide study groups that can “take up one of the dialogue topics in the WOW vision… and assign responsibility to different faculty members… for developing a data-based answer” (p. 30).    Schlechty (2002) continues by advising teachers to design student tasks that will “produce authentic engagement…[that] will result in their… learning what is intended that they learn” (p. 37).  He then provides specific standards that school staff can use to gauge whether student tasks are in line with WOW principles.  Finally, Schlechty offers principals specific techniques for integrating his ideas into their schools’ daily practice.

      The strongest points of Working on the Work include Schlechty’s rationale explaining why curriculum and lesson design are an essential part of increasing student achievement as well as his lists of standards.  One list is designed to help principals examine staff perceptions of how the school climate measures up against WOW ideals.  The other list is for teachers to self-assess their implementation of the ideals including operational definitions and limited examples.  Where WOW falls short is Schlechty’s (2002) statement that teachers must have “collegial support and technical support from technology specialists and persons with special expertise in curriculum design and assessment…” (p. 90).  Many districts do not have funding nor access to such specialists, and this statement feels like a sad substitute for actual support materials and curriculum/lessons that his institute, The Schlechty Center (formerly the Center for Leadership in School Reform), should have developed.  Further, actual curriculum that met WOW standards could have then been studied to ascertain which strategies were most effective for specific populations of students.

      The ideas presented in Schlechty’s Working on the Work are similar in many ways to the key concepts contained in Leading in a Culture of Change by Michael Fullan.  For example, WOW’s focus on the schoolwide and districtwide integration of new task-design standards is reminiscent of Fullan’s (2001) notion of “reculturing” which he defined as “changing the way we do things around here” (p. 44).  Likewise, Schlechty’s (2002) multiple mentions of staff study and discussion groups, particularly his observation that  “…when high school teachers and elementary teachers join the same groups, creativity is increased” (p. 40) echo Fullan’s (2001) sentiment of  building relationships to facilitate professional growth, which he stated as “…talented people working together, and… developing shared expertise” (p. 63).

      In conclusion, Phillip Schlechty’s book, Working on the Work, provides a valuable framework for principals and teachers who need to consider the philosophical implications of boxed, scripted curriculums and how they may stifle student learning and achievement unless they are tailored to individual students’ needs and interests.  Schlechty’s concerns regarding the current obsession with grades and outward signs of achievement versus targeting students’ inner motivation to learn by creating enticing tasks are worthy of further consideration by all members of the educational and political establishment.

      References

      Fullan, M. (2001). Leading in a culture of change. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

      Schlechty, P. C. (2002). Working on the work: An action plan for teachers, principals, and superintendents. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

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      All articles below can be accessed through the following links:

      https://www.parentcenterhub.org/buzz-sept2018-issue1/

      https://www.parentcenterhub.org/buzz-july2018-issue2/

      SAMHSA’s Disaster App| Access critical, disaster-related behavioral health resources right from your phone
      The SAMHSA Disaster App makes it easier to provide quality support to survivors. Users can navigate pre-deployment preparation, on-the-ground assistance, post-deployment resources, and more-at the touch of a button from the home screen. Users also can share resources, like tips for helping survivors cope, and find local behavioral health services. Self-care support for responders is also available.

      Preventing Parent Burnout
      Nobody wants to burn out from work, and parenting is hard work, especially parenting a child with mental health issues. Avoiding parent burnout is also hard work and means consistent self-care, establishing a strong support network for yourself, and having a trustworthy therapeutic team for your child. Another piece of the puzzle is learning to tap into one of the most powerful motivators on earth: your love for your child. Here are 12 ideas for how to do that.

      Financial Planning for Special Needs Families
      Although the prospect of financial planning for the rest of a child’s life can seem difficult in the midst of all the everyday challenges, having a plan can provide a greater sense of security. Financial planning for special needs families involves making plans for medical expenses, care-taking, and preserving the child’s government benefits. This checklist provides a guide for navigating the legal and financial needs that families need to address.

      Integrating Assistive Technology into Adapted Physical Education | Webinar
      This archived webinar can help families and schools be more informed about and prepared for adapting physical education programs to address the needs of students with disabilities. The webinar discusses what adapted physical education (APE) is, and why it is important for students with disabilities to receive APE services. It provides information about apps specially designed to help students with disabilities be active, the use of communication devices to communicate effectively in a physical education setting, and the use of specially designed equipment for specific sports. From the Center on Technology and Disability.

      The 101 Guide To Telling a Compelling Story With Data
      Walk through the eight steps it takes to tell a compelling story through data.

      2018 KIDS COUNT Data Book
      The Annie E. Casey Foundation’s annual data book gives us information on national and state-level data on 16 key indicators of child well-being within the domains of economic well-being, education, health, and family and community. States are ranked, best to worst, on overall child well-being, and on each of the four domains.

      Opportunity for All? Technology and Learning in Lower-Income Families
      This report presents the results of the first nationally-representative telephone survey of lower-income parents on issues related to digital connectivity. How connected are they? And how are they connected?

      The Direct Support Workforce and People with Intellectual, Developmental, and Other Disabilities
      This issue of IMPACT examines the workforce challenges in our long-term care system and their consequences. It presents data on the direct support workforce; shares personal stories of what is and isn’t working for those delivering and receiving supports; looks at creative actions being taken around the country to address workforce issues; and explores ways to ensure that quality supports are there for people with disabilities and their families in all our communities.

      2018 State Determination Letters from OSERS
      The Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services released State determinations on how well each state is implementing IDEA for babies and toddlers with disabilities (birth through 2) and for school-aged children (Part B). Just 21 states received the “meets requirements” designation in an annual compliance review. How did your state do?

      State-level Statistics and Fact Facts
      The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) is an excellent resource to consult for education data at both the nationaland statelevels. The back-to-school data are especially interesting!

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      * Special Education Teacher – Chicago, IL – We are currently seeking full-time Special Education Teachers in Chicago, IL where you will be part of a dynamic, collaborative team of professionals focused on driving positive outcomes for students in Chicago area schools. Call 800-434-4686 today to speak with a dedicated Career Services Manager! To learn more – Click here

      * Special Education Teacher – Philadelphia, PA – We are currently seeking a full-time Special Education Teachers in Philadelphia, PA where you will be part of a dynamic, collaborative team of professionals focused on driving positive outcomes for  students in a high school, charter school setting. For more information, call 800-434-4686 today to speak with a dedicated Career Services Manager! To learn more – Click here

      * Director of the Arch Learning Community – The Director of the Arch Learning Community (a comprehensive academic enhancement program for students with diagnosed Learning Challenges). The Arch Learning Community has been widely regarded for 15 years as a premiere program for college students with learning disabilities and/or challenges. As a critical component of the Morton Family Learning Center, the qualified candidate will direct all aspects of the program including vision, staff supervision, development, implementation, budget and evaluation. To learn more – Click here

      * Martin Luther School Director – Martin Luther School (MLS) serves students in kindergarten through eighth grade who require full-time emotional support in an out-of-district placement. The School’s curriculum closely mirrors that of the public schools, and MLS has a strong record of helping students make sufficient behavioral and academic gains to successfully transition back to their home districts. To learn more – Click here

      * Part Time School Social Worker – Under the direction of the Principal and Director of Student Services, perform a variety of social service case management functions involved in identifying, assessing, and counseling students and families with attendance problems; develop referral plans; provide intervention as needed; and participate in the development of programs aimed at improving student attendance, achievement, self-esteem, and behavior. To learn more – Click here

      * Special Education Resource Teacher – Full Time Special Education Resource Teacher. Seeking candidates with PEL with Special Education (K-12) endorsement. We offer a competitive salary, health insurance, fully paid TRS pension, flexible benefits, 50K life insurance policy, etc. To learn more – Click here

      *Special Education Coordinator – This position will work from home and can be based anywhere in the state. This is a statewide position and will provide support to districts throughout Wisconsin. This includes day and some overnight travel. The Wisconsin RtI Center works in a virtual office environment. To learn more – Click here

      * Development Intervention (Per/Diem) – The Arc of Union County’s Early Intervention Program is in search of Development Intervention Consultants to join our multi-disciplinary team providing services to children ages 0-3 with developmental needs ages in their homes or community settings throughout Union County. Schedules are flexible and based on the needs of the children and families. To learn more – Click here

      * Teacher – Special Education (all categories) – Responsible for planning and providing for appropriate learning experiences for students based on the district’s AKS curriculum as well as providing an atmosphere and environment conducive to the intellectual, physical, social, and emotional development of individuals. GCPS offers full benefits and 2 Retirement Packages! To learn more – Click here

      *Special Education Teacher – Rivermont Schools are now hiring special education teachers at multiple locations throughout Virginia. Sign on bonus of $2,000 and relocation assistance of $5,000 are available for those who qualify. To learn more – Click here

      * Special Education Teacher – DCD Center Based at Roosevelt Elementary School – Provides research-based specialized instruction to address the instructional goals and objectives contained within each student’s IEP. Assesses student progress and determines the need for additional reinforcement or adjustments to instructional techniques. Employs various teaching techniques, methods and principles of learning to enable students to meet their IEP goals. To learn more – Click here

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      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

        Download a PDF Version of This e-Journal

        To View or Download a PDF file for this issue of the Special Educator e-Journal  –  CLICK HERE

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