Taking Sides Special Education: Clashing Views on Controversial Issues in Special Education

Herausgeber: Byrnes, Mary Ann

• Broschiertes Buch

Produktbeschreibung

Introduces students to controversies in special education through paired pro and con articles on such issues as emotional/behavioral problems, ADD/ADHD, inclusion, minority overrepresentation, learning disabilities, use of paraprofessionals, and applications of brain research.

Produktdetails

• Taking Sides: Special Educatio
• Verlag: Dushkin Publishing
• Seitenzahl: 392
• Erscheinungstermin: Januar 2002
• Englisch
• Abmessung: 235mm x 155mm x 23mm
• Gewicht: 608g
• ISBN-13: 9780072480566
• ISBN-10: 0072480564
• Artikelnr.: 21523164

Inhaltsangabe

PART 1. Special Education and Society ISSUE 1. Is Special Education an
Illegitimate Profession? YES: Scot Danforth, from "On What Basis Hope?
Modern Progress and Postmodern Possibilities", Mental Retardation NO: James
M. Kauffman, from "Commentary: Today's Special Education and Its Messages
for Tomorrow", The Journal of Special Education Scot Danforth, a member of
the School of Education of the University of Missouri-St. Louis, argues
that America's trust in science has led to the creation of an array of
artificial terms, such as mental retardation, that devalue individuals,
have no basis in reality, and blunt the voices of those to whom they are
applied. James M. Kauffman, a professor of education at the University of
Virginia, cautions readers not to be overly distracted by criticism and
asserts that special education is a relatively young profession that uses
accepted research practices and self-reflection to generate reliable common
knowledge of effective instructional strategies for students with
disabilities who were previously excluded from schools. ISSUE 2. Are
Minority Children Overrepresented in Special Education? YES: James M.
Patton, from "The Disproportionate Representation of African Americans in
Special Education: Looking Behind the Curtain for Understanding and
Solutions", The Journal of Special Education NO: Donald L. MacMillan and
Daniel J. Reschly, from "Overrepresentation of Minority Students: The Case
for Greater Specificity or Reconsideration of the Variables Examined", The
Journal of Special Education James M. Patton, a professor at the College of
William and Mary, argues that African American children are overrepresented
in special education programs and that this overrepresentation needs to be
addressed through the involvement of those who are culturally and
interculturally competent. Donald L. MacMillan and Daniel J. Reschly,
faculty members at the University of California at Riverside and Vanderbilt
University, respectively, in examining the issue of overrepresentation,
question the accuracy and usefulness of the mechanisms for assessing
children and determining specific disabilities. ISSUE 3. Is Special
Education So Expensive Because of the Way It Is Funded? YES: Teresa S.
Jordan, Carolyn A. Weiner, and K. Forbis Jordan, from "The Interaction of
Shifting Special Education Policies With State Funding Practices", Journal
of Education Finance NO: Sheldon Berman et al., from "The Rising Costs of
Special Education in Massachusetts: Causes and Effects", in Chester E.
Finn, Jr., Andrew J. Rotherham, and Charles R. Hokanson, Jr., eds.,
Rethinking Special Education for a New Century Teresa S. Jordan, an
associate professor at the University of Las Vegas-Nevada; Carolyn A.
Weiner, president of Syndactics, Inc.; and K. Forbis Jordan, a professor
emeritus at Arizona State University, contend that the number of students
identified as disabled is increasing at an excessive rate because of
funding systems that encourage overidentification and discourage flexible,
creative, inclusive school programming. Sheldon Berman, a school
superintendent, and his colleagues maintain that districts have been
careful and conservative in identifying children with disabilities but that
enrollment and costs are increasing primarily because of the increased
numbers of children with more significant disabilities. ISSUE 4. Are the
Doors of For-Profit Charter Schools Open for Students With Disabilities?
YES: Chester E. Finn, Jr., et al., from "The Policy Perils of Charter
Schools", Charter Schools in Action Project: Final Report, Part III NO:
Nancy J. Zollers and Arun K. Ramanathan, from "For-Profit Charter Schools
and Students With Disabilities: The Sordid Side of the Business of
Schooling", Phi Delta Kappan Chester E. Finn, Jr., et al., educational
policy experts and research fellows at the Hudson Institute, are involved
in the third part of a multiyear study of charter schools. They affirm that
every child is welcome in charter schools but hold that the requirements of
IDEA, along with other regulations, often stifle creativity, limit
resources, and reduce a school's flexibility. Nancy J. Zollers and Arun K.
Ramanathan, a professor and a graduate student, respectively, at Boston
College, maintain that the needs of many children with disabilities are
swept aside as for-profit charter schools pursue their dual commitments to
make money and raise test scores. ISSUE 5. Does Society Have the Capacity
to Prevent Emotional and Behavioral Disabilities? YES: Hill M. Walker and
Jeffrey R. Sprague, from "The Path to School Failure, Delinquency, and
Violence: Causal Factors and Some Potential Solutions", Intervention in
School and Clinic NO: James M. Kauffman, from "How We Prevent the
Prevention of Emotional and Behavioral Disorders", Exceptional Children
Hill M. Walker and Jeffrey R. Sprague, educational researchers at the
University of Oregon's Institute on Violence and Destructive Behavior,
describe the path that leads from exposure to risk factors to destructive
outcomes. They argue that society must recommit itself to raising children
safely, and they advocate strong collaborative arrangements between
schools, families, and communities. James M. Kauffman, a professor of
education at the University of Virginia, states that experts know what
needs to be done to prevent emotional and behavioral disorders but that
society as a whole has invented many reasons not to make prevention a
reality. ISSUE 6. Are Schools Limited in Their Ability to Discipline
Students With Disabilities? YES: Ashley Thomas King, from "Exclusionary
Discipline and the Forfeiture of Special Education Rights: A Survey", NASSP
Bulletin NO: Russell J. Skiba, from "Special Education and School
Discipline: A Precarious Balance", Behavioral Disorders Ashley Thomas King,
bilingual coordinator in the Kwethluk (Alaska) Community Schools, concludes
that court cases have hamstrung administrators so that they cannot
equitably discipline students, regardless of whether a disability is linked
to unacceptable behavior. Russell J. Skiba, an Indiana University faculty
member and codirector of the Safe and Responsive Schools Project, writing
after the passage of IDEA97, comments on disciplinary options that are
available to administrators but questions the wisdom of the current system
of school discipline, which he feels is heavily weighted toward
exclusionary practices. ISSUE 7. Will More Federal Oversight Result in
Better Special Education? YES: National Council on Disability, from Back to
School on Civil Rights: Advancing the Federal Commitment to Leave No Child
Behind NO: Frederick M. Hess and Frederick J. Brigham, from "How Federal
Special Education Policy Affects Schooling in Virginia", in Chester E.
Finn, Jr., Andrew J. Rotherham, and Charles R. Hokanson, Jr., eds.,
Rethinking Special Education for a New Century The National Council on
Disability (NCD), an independent federal agency dedicated to promoting
policies, programs, practices, and procedures that guarantee equal
opportunity and empowerment for all individuals with disabilities, found
that all 50 U.S. states are out of compliance with special education law, a
condition that the council argues must be remedied by increased federal
attention. Frederick M. Hess, an assistant professor of education and
government, and Frederick J. Brigham, an assistant professor of education,
both at the University of Virginia, maintain that increased federal
monitoring will only deepen the separation between general and special
education, drawing resources away from true educational excellence for all.
ISSUE 8. Should One-on-One Nursing Care Be Part of Special Education? YES:
John Paul Stevens, from Majority Opinion, Cedar Rapids Community School
District v. Garret F., U.S. Supreme Court NO: Clarence Thomas, from
Dissenting Opinion, Cedar Rapids Community School District v. Garret F.,
U.S. Supreme Court U.S. Supreme Court justice John Paul Stevens, writing
for the majority of the Court, affirms the "bright line test", establishing
that school districts are required by IDEA to provide one-on-one nursing
services and any other health-related services that can be delivered by
individuals other than a licensed physician. U.S. Supreme Court justice
Clarence Thomas, representing the dissenting minority opinion, asserts that
continuous one-on-one nursing services for disabled children are indeed
medical and, as such, beyond the scope of congressional intent in IDEA. He
concludes that such services are not the responsibility of special
education programs within school districts. PART 2. Inclusion ISSUE 9. Does
Inclusion Work? YES: Dorothy Kerzner Lipsky and Alan Gartner, from "Taking
Inclusion Into the Future", Educational Leadership NO: Daniel P. Hallahan,
from "We Need More Intensive Instruction", LD Online,
http://www.ldonline.org/first_person/hallahan.html Dorothy Kerzner Lipsky,
director of the National Center on Educational Restructuring and Inclusion
at the City University of New York, and professor of educational psychology
Alan Gartner emphasize that IDEA97 supports inclusion as the best way to
educate students with disabilities and discuss the ingredients that
contribute to successful inclusionary practices. Daniel P. Hallahan, a
professor of education at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville,
fears that students with disabilities will lose access to necessary,
specially designed instruction in the inclusionary rush to return them to
the very classrooms in which they experienced failure. ISSUE 10. Does Full
Inclusion Deliver a Good Education? YES: Susan Shapiro-Barnard et al., from
Petroglyphs: The Writing on the Wall NO: Gary M. Chesley an d Paul D.
Calaluce, Jr., from "The Deception of Inclusion", Mental Retardation Susan
Shapiro-Barnard and her colleagues in the Institute on Disability at the
University of New Hampshire affirm the positive outcomes of full inclusion
at the high school level for students with significant cognitive
disabilities. Public school administrators Gary M. Chesley and Paul D.
Calaluce, Jr., express their concern that full inclusion of students with
significant cognitive disabilities does not provide appropriate preparation
for successful life following school. ISSUE 11. Are Residential Schools the
Least Restrictive Environment for Deaf Children? YES: Harlan Lane, Robert
Hoffmeister, and Ben Bahan, from A Journey Into the Deaf-World NO: Tom
Bertling, from A Child Sacrificed to the Deaf Culture Harlan Lane, a
faculty member at Northeastern University; Robert Hoffmeister, director of
the Deaf Studies Program at Boston University; and Ben Bahan, a deaf
scholar in American Sign Language linguistics, value residential schools as
rich cultural resources that enable Deaf children to participate fully in
the educational experience. Tom Bertling, who acquired a severe hearing
loss at age 5 and attended a residential school for the deaf after third
grade, favors the use of sign language in social situations but views
residential schools as segregated enclaves designed to preserve the Deaf
culture rather than to develop adults who can contribute fully to society.
ISSUE 12. Should Students With Disabilities Be Exempt From Standards-Based
Curricula? YES: Rex Knowles and Trudy Knowles, from "Accountability for
What?" Phi Delta Kappan NO: Jerry Jesness, from "You Have Your Teacher's
Permission to Be Ignorant", Education Week Rex Knowles, a retired college
professor, and Trudy Knowles, an assistant professor of elementary
education, argue that federal mandates for all students to master the same
curriculum fail to consider students' individual differences and needs.
Jerry Jesness, a special education teacher, stresses that students who
complete school without learning the basics will be ill-equipped to succeed
as adults and that any program that avoids teaching these essentials fails
to address the long-term needs of students. ISSUE 13. Are the Least Trained
Teaching Our Most Needy Children? YES: Michael F. Giangreco et al., from
"Helping or Hovering? Effects of Instructional Assistant Proximity on
Students With Disabilities", Exceptional Children NO: Susan Unok Marks,
Carl Schrader, and Mark Levine, from "Paraeducator Experiences in Inclusive
Settings: Helping, Hovering, or Holding Their Own?" Exceptional Children
Michael F. Giangreco, a research associate professor specializing in
inclusive education, and his colleagues assert that untrained teacher
assistants spend too much time closely attached to individual students,
often hindering the involvement of certified teachers and nondisabled
peers. Susan Unok Marks, Carl Schrader, and Mark Levine, of the Behavioral
Counseling and Research Center in San Rafael, California, find that
professionally trained classroom teachers are often less prepared than some
assistants to work with children in inclusive settings and that, unprepared
to supervise assistants, they use this lack of knowledge to avoid teaching
children with disabilities. PART 3. Issues About Disabilities ISSUE 14. Are
Learning Disabilities a Myth? YES: G. E. Zuriff, from "The Myths of
Learning Disabilities: The Social Construction of a Disorder", Public
Affairs Quarterly NO: Michael M. Gerber, from "An Appreciation of Learning
Disabilities: The Value of Blue-Green Algae", Exceptionality G. E. Zuriff,
a professor of psychology at Wheaton College, challenges the
differentiation between children who are diagnosed as learning disabled and
those who are found to be slow learners, asserting that all children
struggling in school deserve assistance. He questions the tests and
assessment strategies that are used to determine the diagnosis of learning
disabilities (LD), holding that LD is based on false comparisons to
individuals with brain damage. Michael M. Gerber, a professor in the
Graduate School of Education at the University of California, Santa
Barbara, acknowledges that all the answers about LD have not yet been
found, but he maintains that much has been learned in the process of
exploring the unique learning characteristics of individuals who learn some
subjects with ease and struggle mightily over others. ISSUE 15. Is
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder Real? YES: Edward M. Hallowell,
from "What I've Learned From ADD", Psychology Today NO: Thomas Armstrong,
from "ADD: Does It Really Exist?" Phi Delta Kappan Edward M. Hallowell,
director of a clinic that specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of
attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), discusses how he utilized
his own diagnosis of ADHD to change the direction of his life and those of
his clients, becoming more knowledgeable about brain functioning and
implementing strategies that enhance daily life. Thomas Armstrong, an
author and speaker specializing in learning and human development, is
troubled by the fact that schools, doctors, and society have embraced ADHD
as a real disorder. He raises questions about the reality of ADHD, the
soundness of the diagnostic tools, and the motivation that leads society to
create and believe in ADHD. ISSUE 16. Are We Turning Too Easily to
Medication to Address the Needs of Our Children? YES: Lawrence H. Diller,
from "The Run on Ritalin: Attention Deficit Disorder and Stimulant
Treatment in the 1990s", Hastings Center Report NO: Larry S. Goldman et
al., from "Diagnosis and Treatment of Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity
Disorder in Children and Adolescents", JAMA, The Journal of the American
Medical Association Lawrence H. Diller, a pediatrician and family
therapist, asserts that the use of stimulants on children has risen to
epidemic proportions, occasioned by competitive social pressures for ever
more effective functioning in school and at work. Larry S. Goldman, a
faculty member of the Pritzker School of Medicine at the University of
Chicago, and his colleagues review 20 years of medical literature regarding
the diagnosis of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and the use of
stimulants. They conclude that the condition is not being overdiagnosed or
misdiagnosed and that medications are not being overprescribed or overused.
ISSUE 17. Should Parents Choose Cochlear Implants for Their Deaf Children?
YES: Thomas Balkany, Annelle V. Hodges, and Kenneth W. Goodman, from
"Cochlear Implants for Young Children: Ethical Issues", in Warren
Estabrooks, ed., Cochlear Implants for Kids NO: National Association of the
Deaf, from "NAD Position Statement on Cochlear Implants",
http://www.nad.org/infocenter/newsroom/positions/CochlearImplants.html
Thomas Balkany, Annelle V. Hodges, and Kenneth W. Goodman, of the
University of Miami, argue that the Deaf community actively works to
dissuade families from choosing cochlear implants for their children,
preferring to have the decision made by Deaf individuals as a way to
perpetuate the existence of a separate culture. The authors maintain that
parents must decide whether or not their children receive cochlear
implants, based on each child's best interest. The National Association of
the Deaf (NAD), an education and advocacy organization committed to
supporting the deaf and the hard of hearing, uses its updated position
paper on cochlear implants to express concern that medical professionals
will dissuade parents from considering the positive benefits of the Deaf
community and choose, instead, a medical procedure that is not yet proven.
ISSUE 18. Do Students With Disabilities Benefit From Participating in
High-Stakes Testing? YES: Martha L. Thurlow and David R. Johnson, from
"High-Stakes Testing of Students With Disabilities", Journal of Teacher
Education NO: Pixie J. Holbrook, from "When Bad Things Happen to Good
Children: A Special Educator's Views of MCAS", Phi Delta Kappan Martha L.
Thurlow, director of the National Center on Educational Outcomes, and David
R. Johnson, director of the Institute on Community Integration, both at the
University of Minnesota, assert that high-stakes testing may hold many
benefits for students with disabilities, especially if the tests are
carefully designed and implemented. Pixie J. Holbrook, a special education
teacher and consultant, maintains that high-stakes testing marks children
with disabilities as worthless failures, ignores their accomplishments and
positive attributes, and seriously limits their range of possibilities in
adult life.