Walden University Special Education and Discipline Issues Paper

Part 1 I have also attached all resources for you

Post an outline of a plan toaddress the changes needed in the Grand City community with a focus onyour specialization (my specialization is special education). Include the following in your plan:

• Identify 2 or 3 of the most significant issues to address withinyour specialization. I have already selected these for you. (1. Grand City reporting an increase in the special education population over a 5 year period from 9% to 20% of students needing additionalresources and support in the learning environment (Laureate, 2017a). 2.Lack of trained staff – Grand City had a major influx of students requiring special accommodations and resources which requires trained special educators (Laureate, 2017a).)Provide a rationale for your selected issues,explaining how addressing each might make a meaningful impact oneducational and community change in Grand City. Be sure to support yourrationales with specific reference to the city’s education and communitydata
• Based on your specialization (special education), identify 4 or 5 action steps youwould initiate to implement a plan for change based on each of theissues you identified.
• Explain how both quantitative (e.g., community data) andqualitative data (e.g., information from stakeholders and communitymembers) will inform your decisions with regard to your action steps forchange in your specialization

• This is example of how it should look: MayorKeller of Grand City has developed a task force of communitystakeholders to work together to promote needed educational andcommunity change. However, there are specific changes related to myspecialization of early childhood education that need to occur. Thefollowing is an outline of the plan needed to address the changes thatwill improve Grand City’s early childhood education system.
• Most Significant Issues
  1. Lack of Affordable, Quality Daycare and Preschool
     • Data-Only 43% of children in Grand City attend preschool before enteringkindergarten (Laureate Education, 2016b). If we target this area, thenyoung children could receive
     • Rationale-If children could receive quality daycare and preschool services thenthey would likely be more prepared for Kindergarten which would helpclose achievement gaps and potentially reduce the number of studentsneeding special education services.
  2. Lack of Adequate Special Education Training and Staff
     • Data-the number of students requiring special education services hasincreased over the past five years (Laureate Education, 2016b) while thenumber of special education staff and training has not (LaureateEducation, 2017a).
     • Rationale-Providing educators with the knowledge and training needed to bettersupport their learners should improve test scores, attendance, as wellas graduation rates (long-term improvement).
• Initial Action Steps
  1. Surveyparents and families in the community to assess daycare/ preschoolneeds (number of children they would enroll, number of hours they wouldrequire childcare, affordable cost, transportation, etc.)
  2. Meetwith daycare and preschool operators to discuss the need in thecommunity for affordable daycare/preschool. Seek both quantitative andqualitative data from daycare and preschool centers to analyze costs(Cost per child, spending per child, overhead costs, etc.)
  3. Createa daycare/preschool task force of stakeholders to research federal andstate programs that could help reduce the cost of daycare and preschool.Seek assistance from programs that will meet the needs of the GrandCity community.
  4. Surveyeducation staff to determine special education needs, concerns, etc.Develop a team of special education and general education teachers todiscuss survey data regarding what is and is not working with thecurrent special education situation. Reed (2015) suggests that oftentimes school systems wanting to improve are quick to adopt ready-madeprograms prior to evaluating things that are and are not working withintheir system and because of this, these programs often fail.
  5. SpecialEducation Director and School Administration– high-quality specialeducation training provided to administration and staff who work withchildren receiving special education services (including but not limitedto general education teachers, paraprofessionals, and counselors)
  6. SpecialEducation Director and School Administration – observations (withuseful feedback) of special education settings and services beingprovided

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Bothquantitative and qualitative data will be utilized to inform decisionswith regard to my action steps. Data collection and analysis must beongoing throughout the process of implementing the action steps. Reed(2015) states that data should be used to make
alldecisions and strengthen the systems that are directly affecting earlychildhood education. Action steps and initiatives must match thestrategic focus and if we find that they do not then we must remove themfrom the plan (Reed, 2015). Usingquantitative data such as student test scores, student achievement onKindergarten entry exams, and student growth can all be used todetermine if the changes being implemented are producing the resultsdesired; while qualitative data such as stakeholder opinions andsuggestions will also be used to guide the action steps. Using thismixed method of data collection, we can ensure that we are integratingthe data to create the best possible outcomes for our community(Pekdogan & Akgul, 2017).

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Part 2

• A brief explanation of your specialization and the action plan you outlined in your Module 2 Discussion 1 post.
• The members of your hypothetical, cross-specialization team youwill need to collaborate with to help initiate the change process yououtlined in Module 2 Discussion 1. Explain why you selected thesespecific individuals and how their expertise will support needed changesin your specialization.

Reminder: The members ofyour hypothetical team may be represented by individuals already on theGrand City task force and/or from a different specialization area inyour own district or locale.

• Two evidence-based strategies for working collaboratively with yourteam members. Be sure to explain how the strategies will establishbuy-in from your team and support meaningful change for yourspecialization and the Grand City community.
• How you will use on-going data to inform collaborative decisionmaking and make continued positive changes within your specialization.Be sure to support your explanation with reference to the existing GrandCity data.
• Below is an example of how it should look
  Explanation of Specialization and Action PlanMyspecialization is high school science teacher. The action plan Ioutlined in my Module 2 Discussion 1 post included the following steps: formationof a team of stakeholders who have experiences in areas related to theissues I identified, collection of data to reflect the times eachstudent enrolled in Grand City High School missed class and why, reviewof student suspension data to determine why students were suspended, anddetermination of students enrolled in Grand City High School do nothave access to internet at home and what their grades are.Members of Hypothetical Cross-Specialization TeamMembersof my hypothetical, cross-specialization team I will need tocollaborate with to initiate the change process I outlined in Module 2include the following stakeholders: high school attendance secretary,dean of students, graduation coach, the district technology specialist,and a representative from the primary local internet service provider. Iselected each member of my hypothetical, cross-specialization teambecause each person can access data necessary to guide my action plan.The high school attendance secretary could provide data on the timeseach student missed class and why. Knowledge of why students are missingclass, and the frequency of occurrence will show me what primary issue Ishould seek to resolve to improve class attendance. Data explaining whystudents were referred to the office and suspended could be provided bythe dean of students. I can incorporate strategies for reducing officereferrals and suspensions into my action plan to help increaseattendance and the high school graduation rate after gaining knowledgeof why the referrals and suspensions happen. The graduation coach couldreport data in the form of reasons why students are not graduating. Iwill know for sure what factors are hindering students from graduatingafter receiving data from the graduation coach. The data I receive willallow me to know what areas I should target to help improve the highschool graduation rate. Data of why specific students do not have accessto the Internet at their homes could be provided by the district’stechnology specialist and the local internet service providerrepresentative. Knowledge of why certain students are not able to useInternet at home will allow me to work with the team to develop a planto increase at home internet accessibility.Skillsnecessary for collaboration do not appear organically (Morel, 2014). Myactions will provide members of my team with examples of skills neededfor effective collaboration. I will ensure my team members implementconsistent protocols to work collaboratively. Protocols will benefitcollaboration amongst the team because they provide a method foreveryone to be heard when voicing their thoughts, provide certainty, andprovide autonomy (Morel, 2014). The implementation of consistentprotocols will establish buy-in from all members of the team by creatingan environment of trust. Members of the team will feel comfortable andsafe knowing we have a system to ensure everyone will be heard and theirthoughts will be respected. I will create an environment for positivepressure to evolve by shifting the way I think from a “my” mentality toan “our” thought process and encourage other members of the team to dothe same when we collaborate as another method to establish buy-in.Positive pressure is motivational (Fullan, 2016). Fullan (2016) states,“In our successful cases, we see a deep shift from “my” to “our” (p.51). I will collaborate quarterly with my team to review new andpre-existing data. We will assess progress towards current goals andadjust our action plan according to data analysis. For example, if theattendance, referral, and suspension rates decrease and the graduationrate remains 60% (Laureate Education, 2016b), my team will know we needto adjust our action plan to examine other factors that could influencethe high school graduation rate.ReferencesFullan, M. (2016). The new meaning of educational change (5th ed.). New York, NY: Teachers College Press.Laureate Education (Producer). (2016b). Grand City education and demographic data files [PDF]. Baltimore, MD: AuthorMorel, N. (2014). Setting the stage for collaboration: An essential skill for professional growth. Delta Kappa Gamma Bulletin, 81(1), 36–39. doi:1080/00228958.2005.10532081