Janet Nelson

Treatment Acceptability: Determining Appropriate Interventions Within Inclusive Classrooms

Discusses the likelihood that teachers will accept various interventions for adapting instruction and accommodating students with disabilities in the general education classroom, emphasizing the areas of homework, grading, and testing

Homework-Communication Problems Among Parents, Classroom Teachers, and Special Education Teachers An Exploratory Study

The purpose of this study was to identify the communication problems that exist between home and school, particularly as these problems relate to homework given to students with mild disabilities in general education classes. Subjects for this study were 15 parents of students with mild disabilities, 14 special education teachers of students with mild disabilities, and 14 classroom teachers who taught students with mild disabilities in their classes. Nine focus groups were conducted: three with parents, three with classroom teachers, and three with special education teachers. Participants identified six major homework-communication problems. These involved initiation, frequency, timing, consistency, follow-through, and clarity and usefulness of communication. Other results, limitations of the study, and future research needs are also discussed.

Homework Communication Problems: Perspectives of Special and General Education Parents.

The practice of including students with disabilities in general education classes has spawned interest in academic interventions, such as homework, that allow these students to be successful. Previous studies have revealed a number of communication problems that can limit the effectiveness of homework as an intervention. The purpose of the present study is to investigate the perceptions and experiences of parents of children with and without disabilities regarding homework load and problems related to communication with teachers. A national survey of 265 general education parents and 83 special education parents was conducted to determine (1) whether these two groups have different experiences with homework, and (2) the extent to which they agree with each other and with teachers regarding communication problems. Results revealed that both sets of parents have had similar experiences with homework, and that both groups perceive teachers to be at fault for not initiating timely and useful communication and for lacking information about their childs needs. Results are compared with those of other studies involving teachers, and recommendations for reducing blame and enhancing communication are discussed.

Recommendations for Homework-Communication Problems From Parents, Classroom Teachers, and Special Education Teachers

The purpose of this study was to generate recommendations for improving communication between home and school regarding the homework assigned in mainstream classes. specifically, the objectives of the study were to identify recommendations for ameliorating homework-communication problems between (a) parents and classroom teachers, (8) parents and special education teachers, and (c) classroom teachers and special education teachers. subjects for this study were 8 parents of students with mild disabilities, 13 special education teachefs of students with mild disabilities, and 11 classroom teachers who taught students with mild disabilities in their classes. six focus groups were used to generate recommendations. many recommendations for solving homework-communication problems were identified by parents, classroom teachers, and special education teachers. five themes emerged from these recommendations: time and opportunity; knowledge; attitudes and abilities; bypass; and other. these results, as well as limitations of the study and future research needs. are discussed

Using the Nominal Group Technique for Homework Communication Decisions An Exploratory Study

The purpose of this exploratory study was to use a collaborative decision-making process, the Nominal Group Technique (NGT), to determine the effectiveness and feasibility of 44 strategies for communication between home and school about homework assigned to students with high-incidence disabilities included in general education classrooms. Nine participants (school administrators, family members, and general and special education teachers) were involved in this collaborative decision-making process. The participants identified 14 homework communication strategies as being the most feasible and effective. Implications for future research and for school practice are discussed. In particular, the use of the NGT is suggested as a vehicle for involving teachers, administrators, and families in determining the communication strategies most appropriate to specific school situations. Further, the NGT holds promise for decision making about other school issues as well.

Using Focus Groups in Schools

By all accounts, there has been a dramatic increase in the last decade in the number of schools using focus groups. A look at the popular media for the 1980s shows that there were virtually no reports of schools across the United States using focus groups for decision making. In the early 1990s, such reports began to appear and had quadrupled in number by the end of the decade (Nelson & Coe, 2000). This trend supports our strong belief that focus groups have an important role in schools. But what is the role of focus groups in school decisions? We begin to answer that question in this chapter and continue to provide answers throughout the book. More specifically, the purpose of this first chapter is to define the term focus group, to discuss, in general, the ways schools can use them, and to provide some specific examples of their use by schools. We then make a case for using focus groups in schools and also explain when they should not be used. Finally, we explain how focus group findings can be used, as well as their advantages and disadvantages as informationgathering tools.