Principals Making a Difference for All Students

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Principals Making a Difference for All Students

• Phyllis Barks, Director
• MSBA Missouri School Boards Association
  
• Board Development

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Background

• Education of All Handicapped Act (1975)
• Reauthorized as Individuals with Disabilities
  Education Act
• No Child Left Behind of 2001
• Reauthorization of ESEA
• Early intervention
• Tiered models of intervention (e.g. RtI, PBS)

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Administrator Preparation

• Special Education laws
• Disability information
• Research-based practices
• LRE, FAPE, IEP

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Standards for School Leaders

• ISLLC 2008 promotes the success for every student
  through
• Shared vision of learning
• School culture conducive to student learning and
  staff growth
• Safe, effective, and efficient learning
  environment
• School and community collaboration
• Acting with integrity in an ethical manner
• Influence political, social, economic and
  cultural context

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Effective Principals

• Effective communication
• Shared vision
• Ethical
• Use data for school improvement
• Build relationships
• Impact school culture
• Understand qualities of good teaching
• (Arnold et al., 2006)

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Principals Impact

• Keys to special educator satisfaction and
  retention
• Colleagues show understanding in the role of
  special educators (in spite of limited resources)
• Engaged in meaningful conversations with staff
  and administrators
• Learning opportunities for special educators
• Gersten et al., 2001

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Principals Role in Inclusive Schools

• Create inclusive school culture
• Provide instructional leadership
• Model collaborative leadership
• Manage and administer resources
• Build and maintain positive relationships
• DiPaola et al., 2004

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Inclusive Culture

• Create inclusive culture through beliefs, values,
  and actions
• Continuous improvement
• High expectations for all
• Engage school and community in problem solving
• Develop leadership skills among staff
• Accountability

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Instructional Leadership

• Provide instructional leadership
• Research-based practices
• Data-based decision making
• Teacher and staff evaluations
• Professional development
• Classroom support
• Coherence and focus

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Collaborative Leadership

• Model collaborative leadership
• Tiered models of intervention, such as Response
  to Intervention (RtI) and Positive Behavior
  Support (PBS)
• Interpersonal skills, team building, problem
  solving
• Engage community
• Walk the talk

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Organizational Leadership

• Manage and administer organization processes and
  resources
• Everyone plays important role
• Effectives scheduling
• Resource allocation based on data-based needs and
  collaborative input

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Positive Relationships

• Build and maintain positive relationships among
  teachers, staff, families, and community
• Knowledgeable about special education
  requirements
• Connect families to community resources
• Involve in problem-solving and decision-making
• Home-school communication

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Secondary School Challenges

• Combined issues of adolescence with disability
• Increased risk of failure, dropout, juvenile
  delinquency, suicide, substance abuse
• Less participation in post-secondary education,
  employment, and earning power
• More homework, higher level of responsibility
  higher level skills needed
• Functional skills, employment, academics
• Coordinate work experience, provide vocational
  education
• Less research on best practices at secondary
  level

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Resources

• Special Education laws
• DESE Division of Special Education,
  http//dese.mo.gov/divspeced/
• US Dept of Education, Office of Special Education
  Programs, IDEA, http//idea.ed.gov/explore/home
• Section 504, US Office for Civil Rights,
  http//www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ocr/504faq.ht
  ml

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Resources continued

• Research-based practices
• What Works Clearinghouse, http//ies.ed.gov/ncee/w
  wc/
• Intervention Central, http//interventioncentral.o
  rg/
• IRIS Center at Vanderbilt University,
  http//iris.peabody.vanderbilt.edu/
• US Dept of Education, Center on Instruction,
  http//www.centeroninstruction.org/

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Resources continued

• Transition
• National Secondary Transition Technical
  Assistance Center, http//www.nsttac.org
• Wrightslaw transition links, http//www.wrightslaw
  .com/idea/art/defs.transition.htm
• National Center on Secondary Education and
  Transition, http//www.ncset.org/

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Resources continued

• General
• Council for Exceptional Children,
  http//www.cec.sped.org/
• National Dissemination Center for Children with
  Disabilities
• Progress Monitoring
• National Center on Student Progress Monitoring,
  http//www.studentprogress.org/

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• YOU
• can make a difference!

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References

• Arnold, M., Perry, R., Watson, R., Minatra, K.,
  Schwartz, R. (2006, December). The practitioner
  How successful principals lead and influence.
  Retrieved from the Connexions web site,
  http//cnx.org/content/m14255/latest/
• Bertrand, L.A., Bratberg, W. (2007, October).
  Promoting the success of all students The
  principals role in providing quality special
  education services. Academic Leadership, 5 (3),
  retrieved from web site, http//www.academicleader
  ship.org/emprical_research/Promoting_the_Success_o
  f_All_Students.shtml

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• Conderman, G., Pedersen, T. (2005). Promoting
  positive special education practices. NASSP
  Bulletin. 89 (644), 90-98.
• Crockett, J. (2002). Special educations role in
  preparing responsive leaders for inclusive
  schools. Remedial and Special Education, 23 (3),
  157-168.
• DiPaola, M., Tschannen-Moran, M.,
  Walther-Thomas, C. (2004). School principals and
  special education Creating the context for
  academic success. Focus on Exceptional Children,
  37 (1), 1-10.
• Fullan, M. (2002). The change leader.
  Educational Leadership, 59 (8), 16-20.

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Gersten, R., Keating, T., Yovanoff, P.,
Harniss, M.K. (2001). Working in special
education Factors that enhance special
educators intent to stay. Exceptional Children,
67 (4), 549-567.