Sociology in Education 6
- In what ways has inclusion always been a fundamental characteristic of American schooling?
Inclusion in the American schools implies any student is accepted fully as part of the school community where the education setting is similar for the both disabled and non-disabled peers. The emphasis is the inclusion of students with disabilities by providing support service to the disabled child, ensuring the disabled child’s basic education rights and ensuring the education is free and appropriate. Enacted or reauthorized education laws work together ensure all children are able to access education (Spellings & Justesen, 2008).
- What is meant by “no a priori policies can be adopted consigning pupils who have, have had or have been thought to have a certain type of disability to a certain type of program?
This statement means that no policies should be enacted to exclude pupils from the mainstream schools so as to be accorded a different education program on the basis of their supposed disability, present or future. Even if such a program is introduced, the pupils should retain the right to enrolment in mainstream school progam that is close to a special institution so that they can spend part or their entire career in mainstream program. This ensures that there is equality in the American school program(Andersen,Taylor & Logio, 2014).
- What is the “Response to intervention” model? Are there good reasons to implement such model?
The model is an approach used for early identification, and offers support to students with behavior and learning special needs. The model is usually a multi-tier strategy that starts with instructions that are high –quality and applies universal screening for the students in education classroom. The program allows for close monitoring of progress in order to assess performance level and learning rate for individual learners. Thus struggling learners are provided with interventions that are aimed at accelerating their learning rates. The program also enables making of education decisions on the duration and intensity of the interventions for each student (DeRuvo, 2010).
- How does what the law requires differ from what collaboration suggest regarding the education of all children?
The law requires that all the children have the basic right of being provided with affordable education. The Education for All Handicapped Children Act offers support for localities and states in the protection of this right especially for the children with disabilities. The 1997 amendment on Individuals with Disabilities Act focuses on disabled children meeting the education standard applied to all the students. The issue is how these students are able to take part in the accountability systems. The applied collaboration focus on the trainers or special education staff to provide evaluation procedures that can relate to disabled children capability and address their needs differently. It calls for special educators to be adept in curriculum development and content knowledge about implementing objectives of accommodating disabled students in the mainstream classroom (DeRuvo, 2010).
- Why did special education become a system-with-in-a-system?
The main reason for integration of the special education within the mainstream system is to help in identification of children that have special needs and assist in the effective means of meeting the needs. Both the systems play a vital role in catering for exceptional education needs of the children with disabilities. It helps the educators to create accommodative education opportunities for disabled children in the regular programs. Implementing this objective allows the special education system to be a supportive program in managing the needs for these children. The integration increases the capability of the entire system to respond in a more flexible manner to the behavioral changes in individual students and conditions in the school and entire society. Thus, children spend only the necessary time outside the mainstream education system to allow controlling o f the variables important for achieving the learning goals (DeRuvo, 2010).
- Why was 1975 a watershed year for social policy regarding individuals with disabilities?
This was the year in which the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act was passed by the Congress. The act aimed at ensuring all children with disabilities are given the opportunity to access free and appropriate public education like the other non-disabled children (U.S. Department of Education, 2007). The law had a positive impact on many children with disabilities in all the states and the local communities across the United States. The act came up with a national mission of facilitating learning among these children. The law brought about changes aimed at improving the manner in which identification of children with disability was done , an evaluation of how the efforts would be successful and providing a process that would offer protection for these children and their families (Andersen,Taylor & Logio, 2014). It was good news for the millions of children with disabilities who had been excluded from the regular system of education.
- What does inclusion mean? What does it not mean? According to whom? Why are collaboration and flexibility significant in an inclusive classroom?
Inclusion refers to acceptance of diversity in human beings and welcoming every child or adult as equal parties in the educational community. It involves valuing the full participation of people with disability within the settings of mainstream system of education a process that requires the recognition and upholding of their rights. It means an approach that offers education that is rid of discriminatory practices, beliefs and attitudes and puts inclusive values to all children. Inclusion does not mean tolerance of the children with disabilities but accepting them as individuals with brain capacity that can contribute positively to the society (Spellings & Justesen, 2008). It does not mean showing pity but embracing the differences as part of the culture that school community cannot exclude.
Collaboration and flexibility are important aspects of inclusion for the special education teachers. It allows the teachers to create a co-teaching model where teamwork is enhanced. The general education teacher working in conjunction with special education teacher in providing instruction needed b by all the disable and non-disabled children. This means that the teachers will negotiate how space is to be used, evaluation sharing, planning of lessons and the grading system. Flexibility allows teachers to share the decision making in a classroom setting by using the principle of making compromise in order to enhance inclusion. It is also an important factor in the selection of the students who will part of the collaborative efforts, especially those with disabilities or risky behaviors (DeRuvo, 2010). This will make it possible to achieve a balanced classroom that allow for an inclusion environment.
- Does the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) enhance accountability of public school? If so, how?
The law goes a long way in enhancing accountability among the management and teachers in public schools. This is because of its impact on what is taught to the students, the kind of testing done, teachers training and the manner in which funds are spent for education purpose (Klein, 2015).
- What is the difference between social class and social status? How is student social status guaranteed?
Social class defines refers to the type of society divisions based on their relationships to ownership or control over others in terms of resources or distribution means. A social class would, thus, refer to group of individuals with same amount of wealth possession. Social status on the other hand refers to the position held by an individual or social organization. It comprises of the roles or abilities that determines ones opportunity in fulfilling their dreams. Students’ social status is guaranteed when they are provided with the right to affordable education which will let them fulfill their education and economic dreams (Ansalone, 2009).
- What relationship do teacher expectation, social class and student achievement have?
Teachers’ expectation has been shown to have a significant influence on the academic achievement of the students. The expectations make the teacher to be more involved with the child performance so that those seen to be unlikely to succeed are given more attention and the performance progress is carefully tracked. If a teacher is content with a student’s attitude, she or he expect them to do well. Both cases lead to a child that is highly attentive and motivated. A student’s achievement is highly correlated with their social class. A higher social class means that the student can access more resources like private lessons and tutors. Students in lower classes live in non-conducive learning environments and thus low performance (Ansalone, 2009).
References
Spellings M., Justesen,T. (2008). Education and Inclusion in the United States: An overview. U.S Department of Education. Retrieved from: http://www.ibe.unesco.org/National_Reports/ICE_2008/usa_NR08.pdf
Andersen, M. L., Taylor, H. F., & Logio, K. A. (2014). Sociology: The essentials.
DeRuvo, S. L. (2010). The Essential Guide to RTI: An Integrated, Evidence-Based Approach. Hoboken: John Wiley & Sons. 62-69
U.S. Department of Education, (2007). Twenty-Five Years of Progress in Educating Children with Disabilities through IDEA. Retrieved from: http://www2.ed.gov/policy/speced/leg/idea/history.html
Ansalone, G. E. (2009). Exploring unequal achievement in the schools: The social construction of failure. Lanham, MD: Lexington Books.18-22
Klein, A., (2015). No Child Left Behind: An Overview.retrieved from: http://www.edweek.org/ew/section/multimedia/no-child-left-behind-overview-definition-summary.html
