Special Education Leadership

Building Effective Programming in Schools

David Bateman, Jenifer Cline

• Publisher: Routledge
• Year: 2019
• ISBN:
  9781351201339
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Education
• Subtopic: Education General

Integrating coverage of the most important knowledge base, research, and practice in the field, this book prepares educators for the challenging role of special education leader. Special Education Leadership provides leaders with tools to review programs, implement special education law, and build special education programs that effectively supervise and support teachers. Grounded in theory, this book also includes best practice for day-to-day operations, such as issues of teaching and learning, personnel selection and evaluation, basic financial management, working with parent relations, mental health issues, and legal matters related to special education. Full of advice from practitioners, end-of-chapter questions, and coverage of emerging trends, this book helps prepare special education administrators and supervisors to survive the pressures of working with students with disabilities while supporting appropriate services and preventing litigation.

part One

Change Agent

Chapter 1

Introduction

With Verne Beffert

This chapter will highlight the overall broad important role a special education administrator or leader plays in a school district.

Important points

1. Each special education leader will need to have an understanding of different leadership theories and styles.

2. Each special education leader will need a thorough grounding in the specifics and details of special education law and procedures.

3. Each special education leader will need to be able to demonstrate flexibility and work around others’ schedules and needs.

4. Each special education leader will need to develop a clear philosophy on how decisions are made.

Keywords

Leadership, special education law, IDEA, Local Education Agency, Endrew F.

Introduction

The Individual with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) references the term “administrative representative” (IDEA, 2012),¹ which refers to the person who represents the district at evaluation/re-evaluation and Individual Education Program meetings. For the purposes of this chapter, the term “administrator” will cover the breadth of those who may be responsible for supervising special education programs at the building or district level, including assistant directors, principals, assistant superintendents, and superintendents.

Four Key Concepts

Whether you are an aspiring administrator of special education programs or an experienced administrator, everyone who has leadership responsibilities needs to be grounded in Leadership Theory (National Policy Board for Educational Administration, 2015) and Leadership Style (Vecchio & Boatwright, 2002). There is much to be learned about how organizations function, how a leader can effect change within the organization, and why some organizations thrive while others struggle or fail.

Understanding theory and style is but one part of your responsibility as an administrator. Knowledge of special education statutory law, case law, and administrative rule, coupled with the knowledge of the services children with disabilities need to be fully engaged in learning, is equally important in your leadership skill development. Very few general education administrators complete their graduate program with the knowledge needed to supervise special education programs (Bateman & Bateman, 2014). Administrators will need to include special education workshops and conferences as part of their annual professional development – special education is dynamic rather than static – what is known will invariably change over time. One of the primary objectives of this book is to contribute to the development of leadership skills. The topics explored are focused on the background and knowledge necessary for a successful administrator.

The third key concept this chapter will focus on is an often-overlooked aspects of leadership – the “practical” aspects of leadership. Understanding theory and having extensive knowledge will not address the reality of what occurs on a daily basis in a school, nor will those two areas help an administrator determine how they work with underperforming staff or how teachers new to special education come to know what services to provide their students (York-Barr & Duke, 2004). This section of the chapter will provide suggestions for reflection.

The fourth key concept is “philosophy-based decision-making.” This section of the chapter will ask administrators to reflect on how to respond to questions regarding decisions or practices, that may not be obvious to parents, or even teachers and other administrators. In order to be an effective administrator, one must be able to communicate the decision that was made and what supports that decision (Tudryn, Boscardin, & Wells, 2016; Vecchio & Boatwright, 2002). People do not expect to agree with every decision an administrator makes or policy that is recommended; however, staff will respect a decision that is based on a foundation of logic and real-world application.

Finally, the goal of this chapter is to challenge future administrators to develop their own style and beliefs. Remember, a leader should surround himself/herself with people with diverse ideas rather than with people who share identical views of the world of special education.

Section One – Leadership Theory and Style

Virtually all school administration or educational leadership preparation programs require students to study Leadership Theory and Leadership Style. There is much to be learned from research regarding how organizations work, as well as what makes one organization successful while another organization fails. The following is a summary of several leadership theories and styles.

Leadership Theories include (National Policy Board for Educational Administration, 2015):

• Transformative leadership.

• Transformational leadership.

• Great Man or Woman/Trait.

• Situational leadership.

• Charismatic.

• Laissez-Faire.

Leadership Styles include (Vecchio & Boatwright, 2002):

• Authoritarian/Commanding.

• Democratic.

• Visionary.

• Coaching.

• Shared.

• Strategic.

• Facilitative.

It is important for aspiring school administrators to become familiar with leadership theory and style because school leaders are expected to demonstrate competence and effectiveness. Administrators can avoid many mistakes and learn many effective strategies from the experience of others – which is why we study those who have been successful. To demonstrate competent and effective leadership, one will need to learn from the experience of others. Situational leadership best describes the role of an administrator, in large part due to the diverse audiences in an educational setting – students, parents, teachers, support staff, principals, the general public, community and state agencies, and advocacy organizations (Gronn, 2008; Spillane, Halverson, & Diamond, 2001).

Interview #1 Kindel Mason (Day in the Life)

Kindel Mason is the Special Services Director of the Jerome School District in Jerome, Idaho. Approximately two hours from Idaho’s capital, Boise, Kindel described his district as rural and “outdoorsy.” Kindel explained that despite the district’s large size, everyone does try to know each other, in fact, he knows all the Special Services staff members by name. To Kindel, good working relationships are the most important aspect of his work, and Jerome School District uses a mentoring program to support newly hired teachers in gaining an understanding of the district and establishing connections. At present, Jerome School District has an 80% reduced or free lunch count, 50% of students are English as a Second Language (ESL), and it is one of the lowest funded school districts in the state, thus causing frequent staffing issues. Despite these challenges, Kindel makes it a priority to maintain a positive attitude and to stay organized. To do this, he attempts to prearrange his daily tasks based on his timeline of due dates and relies on technology to standardize his schedule. Kindel expressed the importance of being able to say, “No,” especially if he has an impending deadline. Jerome School District students are Kindel’s priority, and he makes sure that this is evident through his work. Further, he uses meetings as a time to connect with parents, staff, and students. Kindel encourages all budding educational leaders to join professional organizations, make connections, and embrace the fact that there is rarely a “typical day” in educational leadership.

Section Two – Knowledge of Special Education

The following quiz is to help determine how prepared an educational leader is to supervise a special education program.

1. Which is a more restrictive placement, a one-on-one para-educator in the general education classroom, or service provided in a resource room with a teacher and three students with similar disabilities?

2. What are the primary differences between the IDEA and Section 504? (See Chapter 2.)

3. May a parent require you to provide services under both an Individualized Education Program (IEP) and a 504 plan?

4. Is it true that a district must provide notice of an IEP meeting to a biological parent, even if the parent is in prison?

5. Are you required to provide an independent educational evaluation, demanded by the parent, before the district has conducted its own special education evaluation?

6. May a parent refuse to allow your school to provide special education services for their child – i.e. refuse to allow you to implement an IEP?

7. If IEP team members cannot reach consensus, who determines the final version of the IEP – the parent, the administrative representative, or the parent’s advocate?

8. May a general education teacher refuse to provide the accommodations described in an IEP or a Section 504 plan?

9. When is a manifestation determination necessary?

Administrators in PK-12 education settings recognize that, to supervise special education programs, an administrator must have more than a casual understanding of the IDEA, Section 504, and the ADA (see Chapter 2). While one is not expected to be the “expert” in all areas, the role is both unique and critical because special education administrators must understand more about the total special education program in buildings or districts than any other single individual (Billingsley, 2007). They are the ones who see and work with all resource teachers, alternative program staff, every specialist, school counselors, community agencies, advocacy agencies, and state agencies and departments. Because they are the administrative representatives, they are required to understand the school’s curriculum and they have the authority to commit district resources. Recognizing that it is impossible to have the knowledge necessary to address the needs of every child, it is the administrators’ responsibility to find the people who do have the expertize to address a child’s needs (Bellamy, Crockett, & Nordengren, 2014).

As an administrator, one will need to develop a network of human resources – experts in behavior, instruction, and programming – that one can rely on to provide advice and counsel to help make decisions appropriate for the student and defensible for the district. It is imperative that the administrator know what services the district is and is not required to provide.

Without a full knowledge of special education, an administrator will be prone to error on either denying services which are necessary for the student to receive a free appropriate public education (FAPE), or the...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Half-Title
• Title
• Copyright
• Contents
• Preface
• eResources
• PART One Change Agent
• PART Two Compliance Leader
• PART Three Instructional Leader
• PART Four Collaborative Leader
• Appendix 1: Advanced Specialty Set: Special Education Administration Specialist
• Appendix 2: Council For Exceptional Children (CEC) Code of Ethics for Educators of Persons With Exceptionalities
• Appendix 3: List of Indicators
• Appendix 4: CEC’s Position on Special Education Teacher Evaluation: A Toolkit for Special Educators
• Index