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Students identifying as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, or questioning/queer (LGBTQ) often face bullying and inequity in classrooms and schools across the United States. This article outlines a school-wide coaching framework to create safe spaces at elementary and secondary levels for students who identify as LGBTQ. Although well-intentioned, some teachers may not feel equipped to implement strategies specifically aimed at including youth who identify as LGBTQ. School-wide coaching has shown positive results for improved teacher practice and subsequent student outcomes. The authors propose using a scaled-up version of the Classroom Checkup (CCU), an evidence-based coaching model, to assist teachers in implementing strategies aimed at creating safe and inclusive learning environments for all students, thereby raising academic and mental health outcomes of LGBTQ youth.

Investigators interviewed 54 families of children with disabilities ages seven through nine to examine the expectations that families of young children hold for their child's teacher. Responses themes were examined to determine if a pattern existed between families of different groups of children. Results reveal many families expressed true gratitude for the support provided to both the family and the child by their teacher. Nonetheless, regardless of the child's gender, ethnicity or disabling conditions, families valued teachers who had open communication and who demonstrated respect, patience and caring for their child and the family. (Contains 3 tables and 2 figures.)

Educators are often at a loss in handling lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) issues in the classroom. tvOften this is attributable to a lack of training during the preservice program at the university level. This article suggests that special education teacher preparation programs are uniquely positioned to promote sexual diversity through inclusive school practices. Activities and resources for including sexual diversity in the preservice curriculum are included. (Contains 1 table.)

LGBTQ issues are often marginalized in teacher preparation programs. This marginalization perpetuates heternormative practices in schools. Utilizing the lens of narrative inquiry, this study examined the lives of 10 LGBTQ teachers residing in various geographical regions in the United States. Based on the theoretical framework of Queer Theory, this paper examines discursive powers that marginalize LGBTQ teachers and offers recommendations to eliminate repressive, heteronormative practices in teacher educator preparation programs.

Chappell, Stephens, Kinnison, and Pettigrew (2009) conducted a study investigating educational diagnosticians knowledge of early reading development. Our study replicated the work of Chappell et al. through a mixed methods design that investigated educational diagnosticians' perceptions and knowledge of early reading development. Additionally, our study sought to gain a better understanding of how educational diagnosticians selected assessment instruments. Our findings suggested that educational diagnosticians may lack understanding of the early developmental processes of reading and that there may be limited use of diagnostic assessment instruments when evaluating students who are struggling to read.

Effective transition planning requires school personnel to ascertain the preferences and interests of the student and to focus on services including instruction, related services, employment, and postschool living arrangements necessary to support postschool outcomes. While great strides have been made in meeting the needs of students with disabilities from diverse cultural and linguistic backgrounds, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and questioning (LGBTQ) students with disabilities are often marginalized and disregarded in this process. This article aims to provide tips for effective transition planning for LGBTQ youth with disabilities.

In the last two decades, there have been various calls for reform in teacher education programs to address the needs of students from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds and students with disabilities. Consequently, many teacher education preparation programs are reviewing and redesigning their programs to meet the needs of the teacher of the 21st century. This manuscript will describe the development and implementation of a new certification program that integrates preservice teacher preparation, Special Education and English as a second language into a 123 hour degree program. (Contains 2 figures.)

The purpose of this study was to explore the link between speech and reading to oneself among struggling readers in secondary schools. The researchers examined the extent to which adolescent struggling readers used various vocal and subvocal behaviors, such as lip movement, mumbling, whispering, and oral reading during individual reading activities. The target population was students in middle and high school identified as struggling with reading skills. The treatment was the individual administration of a norm-referenced measure of reading accompanied by direct observations. Results revealed that fewer than half of the students read silently without lip movement or vocalization. Half of the struggling readers primarily subvocalized, reading silently or moving their lips with no sound, while forty-two percent of the students changed their manifested behaviors as they read to themselves. Vocal and subvocal reading patterns were similar across genders. The findings suggest that many struggling adolescent readers have not fully developed the skill to read silently. (Contains 1 figure and 3 tables.)

Achieving positive postschool outcomes continues to be a challenge for many students. These challenges are compounded for students with disabilities, even years after the Individuals With Disabilities Education Act (1990; IDEA) required systematic transition planning. In this era of accountability through high-stakes testing, schools and families may feel that they are sidelined to stand by helplessly as students--particularly those with special needs--experience life-altering circumstances such as high dropout rates, underemployment and unemployment, failure to access continuing education, and dependent living situations. To find practical and relevant suggestions for promoting successful transitions and enhancing postschool outcomes for all students, the authors examine the emerging tiered-intervention paradigm known as "response to intervention." (Contains 3 tables.)

For all students, the academic demands of secondary school are numerous. Students must be able to read and write in a variety of content areas; determine the importance of what is being said by the instructor; take notes in a format that can be used later for review; and keep track of their materials, class requirements, and daily schedules. Most students have difficulty adjusting to the demands of secondary education, but students with learning challenges have greater difficulty, perhaps because they lack certain skills, such as the ability to think critically or problem solve, or have not been adequately prepared for the instructional changes that occur between elementary and secondary education. Often, secondary school teachers have not received training in a variety of instructional strategies that will enable them to meet the needs of a diverse student body. Principals must therefore have a toolbox of strategies at their disposal to help teachers meet the needs of all kinds of learners in the general education classroom. As the instructional leader of a school, the principal is the "master craftsman" who is responsible for providing the resources, the materials, and the blueprint required for building the academic performance of students. Frequently this process requires a "reconceptualization of teaching at the secondary level that encompasses both content and strategy instruction." This article presents four research-based strategies--word walls, guided notes, graphic organizers, and mnemonics--that the principal can share with classroom teachers to increase all students' academic success, especially students with learning challenges.

While many states have provided guidance in the implementation of RTI, the State of has provided little guidance to school districts. This study examines the challenges faced by rural elementary school principals in Texas in implementing the RTI model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]