What Every Principal Needs to Know About Special Education

by Margaret J. McLaughlin (Editor)

Overview

Lead effective special education programs that promote student achievement!

Updated to address recent federal mandates, this new edition of the best-selling guide helps principals navigate accountability requirements and build high-quality special education programs. New information enables educational administrators to:

• Address requirements of NCLB and the 2004 reauthorization of IDEA, including standards-based individualized education programs
• Ensure that special education students can appropriately access the general curriculum
• Understand standardized testing options and accommodations to comply with federal law
• Support accurate identification and eligibility decisions, including Response to Intervention procedures
• Promote positive behavior and encourage family involvement

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781452295015
Publisher:	SAGE Publications
Publication date:	09/17/2008
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	120
Sales rank:	311,259
File size:	830 KB

About the Author

Margaret McLaughlin has been involved in special education all of her professional career, beginning as a teacher of students with serious emotional and behavior disorders. Currently she is the associate director of the Institute for the Study of Exceptional Children, a research institute within the College of Education at the University of Maryland. She directs several national projects investigating educational reform and students with disabilities, including the national Educational Policy Reform Research Institute (EPRRI), a consortium involving the University Maryland; The National Center on Educational Outcomes (NCEO); and the Urban Special Education Collaborative. She also directs a national research project investigating special education in charter schools and leads a policy leadership doctoral and postdoctoral program in conducting large-scale research in special education.

McLaughlin has worked in Bosnia, Nicaragua, and Guatemala in developing programs for students with developmental disabilities. She has consulted with numerous state departments of education and local education agencies on issues related to students with disabilities and the impact of standards-driven reform policies. McLaughlin co-chaired the National Academy of Sciences Committee on Goals 2000 and Students with Disabilities, which resulted in the report Educating One and All. She was a member of the NAS committee on the disproportionate representation of minority students in special education.

McLaughlin teaches graduate courses in disability policy and has written extensively in the area of school reform and students with disabilities. She earned her PhD at the University of Virginia and has held positions at the U.S. Office of Education and the University of Washington.

Table of Contents

Preface to the Second Edition
Acknowledgments
About the Author
Introduction: What Every Principal Needs to Know About Special Education
Five Things Every Principal Needs to Know About Special Education
Section I. Creating Quality Special Education: Understanding the Basics of Special Education
What Is an Appropriate Education?
The IEP
The Least Restrictive Environment
Who Is Eligible for Special Education?
Procedural Safeguards – “The Law in Special Education”
Other Important Laws Affecting Students With Disabilities
Legal Issues and Assessing Students With Disabilities
Other Federal Disability Laws
Understanding the Differences Among Federal, State, and Local Special Education Requirements
Section II. Creating Quality Special Education: The Foundations
A New Model of Special Education
Access to the General Education Curriculum
Understanding Accommodations
Developing Standards-Based IEPs
Promoting Positive Behavior or How to Avoid the Discipline Problem
Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports
Building Strong Parent and Family Connections
Section III. Creating Quality Special Education: The Context
Adopt Evidence-Based Practices
What Are Evidenced-Based Practices?
The Importance of Using Published Research
Quality of Evidence
Data-Based Decision Making
Creating Shared Responsibility for Students With Disabilities
Collaboration Between General and Special Educators
Section IV. Summary
Glossary
References
Index

Editorial Reviews

I can think of no other book that provides principals with such a rich and practical approach to designing, implementing, and evaluating special education supports and services within the context of general education. Mc Laughlin and Nolet provide principals with a conceptually sound and applied understanding of special education legislation, as well as best practices related to assessment, instruction, and curriculum design.

Susan Brody Hasazi

"What Every Principal Needs to Know About Special Education [is] a guidebook for fostering strong special education leaders."

Education Research Service e-Bulletin

"A means to the worthy bottom line of how to get better education and better results for the special education students who need it most, What Every Principal Needs to Know About Special Education is highly recommended as a core addition to public school administrative reference shelves and reading lists."

Library Bookwatch

"A practical and useable template for school administrators interested in creating exemplary programs for students with disabilities."

John Enloe

"This guidebook provides a solid foundationin special education for principals. The straightforward text will appeal to all building administrators."

Debi Gartland

"The book made me think a great deal about the leadership behaviors and content knowledge needed to create school programs that are effective for all children. The author has done a good job of pulling together critical information for principals."

Jane Belmore

"Contains critical information that administrators need to understand as they navigate through special education policies and procedures. In addition, administrators will discover a practical process for not only improving the quality of special education services, but alsofor transforming the teaching/learning cycle for all students. The clear explanations and examples contain the research-based ingredients that translate into a recipe for success!"

Kim Benton