Superintendents, central office administrators, principals, school board members and students in the field of education will find this book to be useful in guiding their own professional development and practice. The authors cover a variety of useful topics in special education, ranging from finances, how to systematically monitor the assignment of paraprofessionals, and transportation, to legal considerations and methods of promoting parent engagement. Co-editors Bittel and Young invited seasoned educators and professionals to share their expertise in a wide range of important subjects that collectively promote an understanding of how to transform special education programs and service delivery in public school settings. Chapter topics were intentionally selected to address the common special education program challenges facing school superintendents; and the focus throughout this book was on providing practical suggestions to improve actual practice. As such, current and aspiring educational leaders and policy-makers who are interested in learning more about how to successfully tackle some of the more complex challenges in special education while find this book to be an invaluable resource.

Transforming Diné Education: Innovations in Pedagogy and Practice gathers the voices of Diné scholars, educators, and administrators to offer critical insights into contemporary programs that place Diné-centered pedagogy into practice. Bringing together decades of teaching experience, contributors offer perspectives from school- and community-based programs, as well as the tribal, district, and university level. They address special education, language revitalization, wellness, self-determination and sovereignty, and university-tribal-community partnerships. These contributions foreground Diné ways of knowing both as an educational philosophy and as an active practice applied in the innovative programs the book highlights. The contributors deepen our understanding of the state of Navajo education by sharing their perspectives about effective teaching practices and the development of programs that advance educational opportunities for Navajo youth. This work provides stories of Diné resilience, resistance, and survival. It articulates a Diné-centered pedagogy that will benefit educators and learners for generations to come. Transforming Diné Education fills a need in the larger literature of curricular and programmatic development and provides tools for academic success for all American Indian students. Contributors Berlinda Begay Lorenda Belone Michael “Mikki” Carroll Quintina “Tina” Deschenie Henry Fowler Richard Fulton Davis E. Henderson Kelsey Dayle John Lyla June Johnston Tracia Keri Jojola Tiffany S. Lee Shawn Secatero Michael Thompson Pedro “Pete” Vallejo Christine B. Vining Vincent Werito Duane “Chili” Yazzie

Children are already learning at birth, and they develop and learn at a rapid pace in their early years. This provides a critical foundation for lifelong progress, and the adults who provide for the care and the education of young children bear a great responsibility for their health, development, and learning. Despite the fact that they share the same objective - to nurture young children and secure their future success - the various practitioners who contribute to the care and the education of children from birth through age 8 are not acknowledged as a workforce unified by the common knowledge and competencies needed to do their jobs well. Transforming the Workforce for Children Birth Through Age 8 explores the science of child development, particularly looking at implications for the professionals who work with children. This report examines the current capacities and practices of the workforce, the settings in which they work, the policies and infrastructure that set qualifications and provide professional learning, and the government agencies and other funders who support and oversee these systems. This book then makes recommendations to improve the quality of professional practice and the practice environment for care and education professionals. These detailed recommendations create a blueprint for action that builds on a unifying foundation of child development and early learning, shared knowledge and competencies for care and education professionals, and principles for effective professional learning. Young children thrive and learn best when they have secure, positive relationships with adults who are knowledgeable about how to support their development and learning and are responsive to their individual progress. Transforming the Workforce for Children Birth Through Age 8 offers guidance on system changes to improve the quality of professional practice, specific actions to improve professional learning systems and workforce development, and research to continue to build the knowledge base in ways that will directly advance and inform future actions. The recommendations of this book provide an opportunity to improve the quality of the care and the education that children receive, and ultimately improve outcomes for children.

Research-based Practices in Special Education, 1e is an authoritative collection of the best techniques known to work for students with disabilities.A volume unlike any other, it helps practitioners, teacher-educators, and policymakers combat the gap between research and practice by gathering the most meaningful findings in a single source. Written by leading authorities, chapters offer a consistent format that include definition of strategy, theoretical underpinnings, description, fidelity checklist, and research-based summaries. Sections cover a range of special education issues including academic outcomes, behavior outcomes, assessment techniques, and special populations. Features Research-based strategies for improving academic outcomes such as: Emergent Reading Reading Fluency Reading Comprehension Arithmetic Combinations Mathematics' Reasoning Written Expression and more! Research-based strategies for improving behavioral outcomes such as: Positive Behavior Support Preventing Problem Behavior Improving Compliance Decreasing Aggressive, Coercive Behavior Approaches for assessment including: Data-Based Decision-Making Parental Participation and IEP Development Using Assessments to Determine the Least Restrictive Environment for Students with Disabilities Accommodations and Modifications for Assessment Research-based strategies for improving the outcomes of special populations such as: Early Childhood Special Education Students with High Incidence Disabilities Reading Interventions for English Language Learners Language Disorders Autism Spectrum Disorders Sensory Disabilities and more!

Praise for the first edition: ′Peter Earley and Sara Bubb bring together, in a very accessible way, theoretical and practical aspects of CPD and suggest how leadership and management can be applied in this vital area of staff development. This book will help co-ordinators and school leaders to develop their most important resource - the people who work with the children′ - Richard Stainton, Education Journal ′The most obvious target user for the book is the (not rare) person suddenly hoist with the staff development responsibility petard: but, thoughtfully used, most staffrooms will include several people who could benefit from thinking about its contents and putting some of the ideas into practice′ - British Journal Educational Technology ′This book is a welcome and practical guide to the wealth of publications on Continuing Professional Development... [M]akes an excellent contribution to the current and widening debate on the nature of Continuing Professional Development. For School Leadership Teams it is an essential resource and reference for the managing of professional development and learning. It also serves as an excellent practical guide, and CPD coordinators reading this book will find themselves questioning and as a result developing their own practice. The book is written in accessible language using believable case studies to illustrate the wealth of research that has been carried out. The deeply embedded notion among some teachers that professional development consists of the one day course is challenged, and the reader is left in no doubt as to the range of opportunities that exist and need for them to be harnessed in order to ensure school improvement. The book is will surely act as a catalyst for the review and development of CPD in schools′ - Stephen Merrill, Edge Hill College of Higher Education, British Journal In-Service Education ′A practical guide to all aspects of professional development which ought to be in the possession of every professional development coordinator in every primary and secondary school in the land - and their colleagues in leadership teams′ - Tim Brighouse, TES Friday Magazine This new edition of a best-selling book provides an up to date overview of Continuing Professional Development (CPD), combined with a guide to best practice. Changes include: - expanded sections on the professional development of support staff and the wider school workforce (particularly important in the light of workforce remodelling) and the evaluation of CPD - more on making sure that professional development has an impact, and provides good value for money - the common core of skills and knowledge for the children′s workforce, the new standards for qualified teacher status, induction, threshold, excellent teachers and advanced skills teachers as well as those for higher level teaching assistants. Drawing on the latest research, the contents include: - a clear explanation of CPD and latest developments; - practical tips on how to lead and manage CPD for a range of staff in schools - identifying training needs, designing and implementing programmes and evaluating their impact; - detailed guidance on CPD for staff at different stages of their careers. Written in a clear readable style it covers the latest standards and offers examples of current good practice. It is an essential professional reference for all those responsible for leading and managing professional learning in schools (headteachers, deputies, CPD and staff development coordinators) and Local Authorities (LAs). It will also prove invaluable to training providers and universities.

Much has been written about special education and about inclusive education, but there have been few attempts to pull these two concepts and approaches together. This book does just that: sets special education within the context of inclusive education. It posits that to include, effectively, all children with special educational needs in schools requires an integration of both concepts, approaches, and techniques. It has never been more timely to publish a book that helps professionals who work with schools, such as psychologists, special education professionals, and counselors, to identify effective practices for children with special needs and provide guidelines for implementing these in inclusive schools.