James R. Yates

Incidence of Exceptionality among Hispanics: Implications for Manpower Planning.

This paper has three purposes: 1) to bring to the attention of the reader information concerning the incidence of handicapping conditions among Hispanics as found in one state in the Southwest. Texas has a large Hispanic population and a long history of extensive service delivery to the handicapped, and therefore, provides an appropriate setting for such a focus on handicapping conditions among Hispanics. 2) to provide a specific example of the application of a manpower planning model of general interest to educators; and 3) to bring to the attention of the reader the significant manpower needs associated with serving exceptional Hispanics.

Professional Development Needs of Teachers Who Serve Exceptional Language Minorities in Today's Schools

This article discusses educational reform and personnel preparation in relation to dramatic changes in the student demography. Professional development needs of teachers who serve exceptional language minorities are delineated. These competencies include understanding first and second language acquisition, using instructional approaches that are appropriate for second-language learners, and effective organization and management of instruction.

Teacher Training Associated with Serving Bilingual Exceptional Students

James R. Yates is Assistant Dean and Professor, College of Education, University of Texas. One of the greatest challenges facing institutions of higher education (It~E’s~ today is the preparation of teachers to serve linguistically and culturally different children. This paper provides a rationale for the preparation of bilingual special educators, introduces competencies for those personnel, and deduces information from adoption of change literature which could prove helpful to development of teacher-training programs in bilingual special education. The preparation of teachers has always been constrained, directed, and focused by a number

The Enemy Among Us Do School Administrators Perceive Students With Disabilities as a Threat

In the United States, students with disabilities are disproportionately exposed to exclusionary discipline. Using Intergroup Threat Theory, literature was analyzed to identify expressed perceptions from school administrators that indicated perceived threat. Analysis revealed perceived threats to administrator beliefs, values, job performance, and available resources for themselves and their school communities. Intervention to alleviate this perception of threat should seek to expand administrators’ knowledge of diversity, specifically for students with disabilities, and provide increased opportunities for personal contact between administrators and students with disabilities.

Baker Dekanter Review: Inappropriate Conclusions of The Efficacy of Bilingual Education

On September 25, 1981, a final draft report was completed by staff members in the Office of Planning, Budget, and Evaluation of the U.S. Department of Education. This report is referred to as a review of the efficacy of bilingual education. The report concludes “the case for the effectiveness of transitional bilingual education is so weak that exclusive reliance on this instructional method is clearly not justified, (abstract, p. 1).” Given the significant effects of the dissemination of the Baker/deKanter Review, there is a need for a scholarly inquiry into the specific studies cited by Baker and deKanter as “methodologically applicable.” Utilizing the same catories and procedures as Baker and deKanter, the original sources for the “twenty- eight” references cited by Baker and deKanter were obtained and reviewed. However, this inquiry produced significant questions concerning the Baker/deKanter data, and found serious methodological problems in at least nine significant areas, with multiple examples of d...

Avoiding the Threat An Exploratory Study Into a Theoretical Understanding of the De Facto Segregation of Students With Disabilities

The purpose of this study is to investigate factors that may influence school administrators’ disciplinary decisions involving students with disabilities. Confirmatory factor analysis suggests that the investigator-developed measures adequately represent the hypothesized latent factors per the pattern of observed responses. The hypothesized structural model fits the data well, indicating a positive and significant relationship between administrators’ perceived threats from students with disabilities and disciplinary decisions involving students with disabilities.