Diane Rodriguez

English Language Learners' Perceptions of School Environment.

Abstract The number of students who speak languages other than English continues to grow in both rural and urban public schools in the United States. This study investigated the perceptions of 123 students (57 monolingual and 66 English language learners [ELLs]) from a rural public elementary school in North Carolina with respect to school climate, curriculum and instruction, extracurricular activities, self-efficacy, and self-esteem. All of these indicators contribute to an overall perception of schools and affect learning experiences of monolingual students and ELLs. Results indicate that the perceptions of monolingual learners and ELLs in this particular elementary school are similar.

Increasing Online Interaction in Rural Special Education Teacher Preparation Programs

This article will highlight strategies to promote interactive distance education activities through special education teacher preparation programs. We begin the discussion by addressing the need for qualified special education teachers in rural areas. We then introduce the potential of distance education via online instruction as a platform for preparing special education teachers to alleviate the current shortages experienced by rural communities. Effective interactive distance education strategies are introduced as a means to improve the quality of distance education preservice teacher preparation programs.

Evolution of Teacher Perceptions Regarding Effective Instruction for English Language Learners

The number of students who speak languages other than English continues to grow in both rural and urban public schools in the United States. Teachers are challenged to accommodate the diverse needs of English language learners (ELLs). This exploratory study investigated the perceptions of eleven teachers from a rural public elementary school in North Carolina and how these perceptions affect the learning experiences of ELLs. This article discusses pedagogical implications for in-service teachers educating ELLs. El número de estudiantes que habla inglés como segundo idioma continua creciendo en las escuelas públicas rurales y urbanas en los Estados Unidos. El reto para los maestros es cómo ayudar a los estudiantes diversos a adaptarse al sistema educativo. Este estudio investigativo explora las percepciones de once maestros de una escuela elemental pública de zona rural en Carolina del Norte y cómo estas percepciones afectan las experiencias de aprendizaje de estos estudiantes. En el artículo se discuten implicaciones pedagógicas para los maestros que imparten este tipo de enseñanza.

Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Students with Autism.

The quest for understanding the dynamics of language and the related sociocultural aspects of students with autism continues to be a challenge. Today, the term “autism” refers to a set of descriptions that profile a wide range of children who have impairments in their abilities to initiate and sustain healthy, normal social relationships (Roseberry-McKibbin, 2007). Authorities in the field of autism, namely Kanner and Asperger, described autism as the inability to interact socially. Griffin, Griffin, Fitch, Albera, and Gingras (2006) described children with autism as frequently exhibiting problems in the areas of social, behavioral, academic, motor, and sensory skills. Educators have a responsibility to examine what we know from the research about students with autism, including students from culturally and linguistically diverse (CLD) backgrounds. We must foster an ongoing and systematic awareness that families from CLD backgrounds who have children with autism are not alone. We also must teach these families how to help their sons and daughters to communicate, acquire basic life skills, distinguish between safety and danger, and otherwise prepare for adult life. Furthermore, and perhaps most challenging for educators, we must prepare families to deal withdifficultbehaviors. CLD students with autism have three particular and pressing challenges: 1) language differences, 2) cultural differences, and 3) disabilities (Baca & Cervantes, 2004; Wilder, Dyches, Obiakor, & Algozzine, 2004). The purpose of this review is to create awareness and propose a theoretical framework for analyzing issues concerning CLD students with autism.

Issues in Education: Freedom from Social Isolation for Young Students with Disabilities

Currently, students in early childhood special education programs experience social isolation. To ameliorate the inappropriate behaviors that often contribute to this isolation, it is imperative that educators begin to include instruction in appropriate social interaction in the general education early childhood curriculum for children with disabilities. To meet this need, young children with disabilities are entitled to early intervention services under the federal Individuals With Disabilities Education Improvement Act (IDEA) legislation. These services are designed to meet early childhood needs in the five developmental areas: 1) physical development, 2) cognitive development, 3) communication development, 4) social development, and 5) adaptive development. Even though early childhood programs across the nation include components of social interaction, many young children with disabilities do not receive services related to the development of social interactions, thus their social isolation grows. Educators need to advocate for the right of young children with disabilities to receive these services in order to help them achieve freedom from social isolation. Addressing the problem of children needing appropriate social interaction services during the early childhood years could reduce negative social outcomes for these children. Another important concern is that although many programs in early childhood promote social development, children with disabilities are often kept from participating in these activities. Young children’s peer interactions and emerging peer relations have been viewed as critical to childhood development and to the development of social competencies that serve children throughout their lives (Choi, 2002). Wetherby and Woods (2006) identified the following characteristics as essential active ingredients of effective interventions for children with disabilities: 1) functional spontaneous communication; 2) social instruction in various settings; 3) play skills that focus on play with peers and peer interaction; 4) new skill acquisition, generalization, and maintenance in natural contexts; 5) functional assessment and positive behavior support to address problem behaviors; and 6) functional academic skills, when appropriate. To address the needs of young children with disabilities, early childhood programs must ensure that children with disabilities engage in developmental activities based on social competencies. These competencies are an essential component of social skills in personal and educational growth. In order to enhance the skills of young children with disabilities, social competencies should not be taught in isolation, but rather in the most naturalistic approach possible. Educators teaching young children with disabilities need to be aware of the potential impact of interventions that target social communication skills. Therefore, it is imperative that educators in early childhood programs continue unceasingly to incorporate social interaction activities, since these activities foster skills that help students maximize their social competencies. Educators have recognized social competence as an essential dimension of children’s development. Gresham, Sugai, and Horner (2001) stressed the importance of social competence when they stated, “The ability to interact successfully with peers and significant others is one of the most important aspects of development” (p. 331). Researchers have argued that the importance of children’s social competence requires the integration of educational activities and interventions to promote and support children’s social development in early childhood education programs (Brown & Conroy, 2001; Jalongo, 2006). Specifically, young children’s social competence has been related to both age and developmental status. Social competence is based on young children’s interactions and relationships withcaring adultsand then, after infancy, on interactions

Special Education Today in Guatemala

Abstract Special education in Guatemala started in the 1940s with the establishment of schools for the blind. While there is a relatively large population of persons with disabilities, the country has an insufficient number of educational and rehabilitation programs because the country is very impoverished. Guatemala has enacted a number of disability laws in the 1990s and early 2000s that enable persons with disabilities to participate in educational services to develop their capabilities and to deter discrimination. The government has three categories of disability, namely, physical, sensory, and intellectual. Most of the special education schools and rehabilitation workshops are in the capital city with few programs in rural areas. Many children with special education needs do not attend school. The government offers public service to families of children with disabilities. In the 1980s, the government formed partnerships with United States universities to help develop service plans for students with disabilities as well as train school personnel in effective instructional methods due to a shortage of licensed teachers. While special education is improving it has a long way to go.

Doctoral Programs in Special Education

Today we begin in earnest the work of making sure that the world we leave our children is just a little bit better than the one we inhabit today. President Barack Obama Individuals involved in the education of children with special needs are concerned about the shortage of personnel in higher education in the field of exceptionality. This has been true for the past quarter century. In the early 1990s, researchers had noted that for over a decade, authorities in the field of special education have been shouting out loud about the shortage of, and need for, personnel in special education (Sindelar, Buck, Carpenter, and Wantanabe 1993; Smith and Pierce 1995). Calls for attention to this issue continue today. Wasburn-Moses (2008) stated: “despite the growing demand for professionals with doctoral degrees in special education, doctoral programs are not producing enough graduates to fulfill this need” (p. 259). Addition–ally, educators are equally concerned about the quality and design of doctoral special education programs across the United States. As the number of children with special needs continues to increase, school districts must respond to the needs of teaching and preparing these young individuals for society.