In Transition: Experiences of Parents of Children with Special Needs at School Entry

Pre-school children with special needs face a complex transition to school, requiring additional administrative, social and educational support. In this study, parents of 40 children with special needs reported on the transition to school experience of their 4–6-year-old child. They completed a measure of impact of the child’s disability on their family and an assessment of the quality of services experienced. Individual, semi-structured interviews contextualized these evaluations. Twenty children (pre-transition) were in preschool; 20 had already started school (post). Post-transition parents reported less average disability impact on family, generally lower perception of quality of care than pre-transition ones, and long waiting periods for school-based support. Most parents, however, reported satisfactory linkages between prior-to-school services and school. In conclusion, this study demonstrates that, despite the current climate of support for early child development, barriers for satisfactory transition to school still exist, and are largely due to low effectiveness of existing policies.     

PRESERVICE AND EARLY CAREER TEACHERS' ATTITUDES TOWARD INCLUSION,INSTRUCTIONAL ACCOMMODATIONS,AND FAIRNESS: THREE PROFILES

This investigation examined the attitudes of beginning general education teachers (preservice and early career) with respect to teaching in inclusion classrooms. Sixty graduate students, taking a survey at the conclusion of a special education course, completed Q-sorts constructed to evaluate responses regarding attitude toward (a) inclusion, (b) instructional accommodations, and (c) fairness, along two dimensions: positive/negative and anxious/confident. A three-factor solution resulted in profiles of three groups of teachers: keen, but anxious, beginners (mostly preservice teachers with positive attitudes, but who worried about being effective inclusion teachers); positive doers (more experienced teachers whose struggles with the challenges of inclusion had not deterred their positive attitudes); and resisters (mostly experienced teachers whose concerns about fairness signified their resistance to inclusion). Teacher educators may find these profiles useful in preparing teachers to teach in inclusion classrooms.     

NATIONAL STUDY OF EFFECTIVE COMMUNITY COLLEGE TEACHERS

Three major urban community college districts replicated a study of very effective teachers originally conducted at the City Colleges of Chicago. Researchers at the cooperating institutions identified teachers who had outstanding reputations and whose students achieved'at very high levels. Intensive interviews revealed four common attributes of the ninety teachers involved in the original and replication studies. The teachers plan and organize goals, they show respect and interest in their students, they encourage student participation, and they monitor student progress and respond accordingly. The excellent teachers in this study are exceptionally dedicated and hard working. Many of the techniques that they use can be successfully used by other teachers who would like to improve their own teaching.