EFFECTIVE SCHOOLS MOVEMENT AND SPECIAL EDUCATION

The purpose of this paper is to examine ways in which the Effective Schools Movement has impacted special education. In this regard, it can be noted that the primary ways in which this movement has impacted special education are in the areas of philosophy, curriculum and practices, and principal/teacher training. Each of these contributions are discussed below.

Impact 1: Change in Philosophy/Orientation

Clearly, one way in which the Effective Schools movement has effected special education has been in terms of causing a shift in educational philosophy of special needs children. Dunlap (1982) reports that almost since its inception in the 1960s, educational theorists have noted that there were many similarities between effective school philosophy and strategies and those of special education.

With respect to the foregoing, Dunlap (1982) reported that the emphasis in effective schools on academic content, a tightly coupled curriculum, and teacher-directed, individualized, and carefully monitored instruction is echoed in the requirements for individualized education programs in special education. Dunlap (1982) also states that, on a schoolwide basis, common goals, high standards, clear rules of conduct, and an emphasis on basic skills are also reflected in the underlying philosophy of special education and P.L. 94142.

Little (1986) has noted that, as applied to the needs and concerns of s

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onal practices demonstrated successful by the effective schools research. These instructional practices include increasing student time-on-task, improving the quality of teacher-pupil interactions, and lowering the teacher-student ratio. Students spend between one and three academic quarters in the program. Caccamo's (1995) preliminary evaluation of the program with a sample of 56 Learning Disabled students was said to indicate that the intervention had a significant effect on reading scores and that this improvement was sustained a year later in the regular fourth grade. He does, however, report some problems in implementing the curricula. These include difficulties with reintegration into the regular class and reluctance by Learning Disabled resource teachers to believe that so much growth is possible in such a short time. In their review of the literature on the characteristics of effective schools, classrooms, instructional processes, and practices, Bickel and Bickel (1986) concluded that the impact of the Effective Schools Movement on special needs education has been profound, particular in terms of the way educators think about schooling and its outcomes. According to the authors, both regular and special educator
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Approximate Word count = 2617
Approximate Pages = 10 (250 words per page)

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