SpedPro

Closing centers

By JohnL on Jul. 19, 2007.

The Maryland (MD, US) state department of education is moving to close special education facilities, requiring students to attend neighborhood schools instead, according to a story entitled “Special-ed backers scramble to save learning centers” by Marcus Moore. In his article, published in Gazette Net, Mr. Moore reported that Maryland Superintendent Jerry D. Weast has accelerated the time line for closing the special education centers.
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Special education professors political views

By admin on Jul. 16, 2007.

According to a poll, people in the USA are concerned about the political opinions of professors.

Zogby Poll: Most Think Political Bias Among College Professors a Serious Problem: Four in 10 said the problem is “very serious;” Tenure seen as harmful to teaching quality

As legislation is introduced in more than a dozen states across the country to counter political pressure and proselytizing on students in college classrooms, a majority of Americans believe the political bias of college professors is a serious problem, a new Zogby Interactive poll shows.

Nearly six in 10 - 58% - said they see it as a serious problem, with 39% saying it was a “very serious” problem.

The online survey of 9,464 adult respondents nationwide was conducted July 5-9, 2007, and carries a margin of error of +/- 1.0 percentage points.

Predictably, whether political bias is a problem depends greatly on the philosophy of the respondents. While 91% of very conservative adults said the bias is a “serious problem,” just 3% of liberals agreed. Conservatives have long held that college campuses are a haven for liberal professors.

Hmmmm…I wonder to what extent that’s true. Admitting that this will not be a scientifically conducted survey, let’s just run a little poll. We’ll have to trust that those who vote here are members of college or university faculties and that they vote honestly (i.e., only once).

Professors, please rate your political view (this is anonymous) on this scale:

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Link for the full story about the Zogby Poll.

Legal questions about RTI

By JohnL on Jun. 6, 2007.

If you’re interested in legal aspects of RTI, I’ve recently added the passouts from Perry Zirkel’s talk at CEC in April 2007 to the list of documents available from the day-long session on RTI that I hosted. Here’s a link.

Light commentary

By NMamlin on Jun. 4, 2007.

A friend of mine decided to enter a “public radio talent quest” by doing a piece on NCLB. It’s too late to enter the voting (and I found out too late as well), but you may get a kick out of his entry. This guy is not an educator, just a dad who works for the federal government in Montgomery County, MD. The audio clip is just two minutes long, so it won’t take long to listen to it, unless you’re like me and then start listening to other entries in the bunch.

So, go to: http://www.publicradioquest.com/node/1309

Popped myth

By JohnL on May. 9, 2007.

The US National Center on Educational Statistics, a part of the Institute for Education Sciences, issued a report about special education. In the report, billed as an “issue brief” and published in March of 2007, Emily W. Holt, Daniel J. McGrath, and William L. Herring describe the results of a study based on the cohort of children who started kindergarten in 1998 and followed in the Early Childhood Longitudinal Studies (ECLS-K). It’s worth reading, in part because it pops a common myth about special education.
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Gap

By JohnL on May. 4, 2007.

I thought this was pretty interesting combination of words and spaces. The image (click it for a larger version) shows part of an e-mail message that I received. It was pretty intriguing to compare the title of the article to the way that the title was displayed.

Teeheee.

WVU faculty search

By JohnL on Mar. 14, 2007.

WVU Open Faculty Search - Applicants Sought for SPED Position
The Department of Special Education at West Virginia University has a search still open for the following position:

Level: Assistant Professor

Specialization: Multicategorical Mild Disabilities
(emphasis on academic assessment and intervention)

Review Date: APRIL 25

We are accepting additional applications in our effort to find the right candidate to join our young and dynamic faculty and help us expand this NCATE accredited and CEC recognized program over the next several years. WVU is a Doctoral Research-Extensive institution with an enrollment of over 25,000 students and a 2010 strategic plan that emphasizes several exciting research initiatives. In addition to its strong doctoral program in special education that prepares teacher educators school administrators, the College of Human Resources is now adding a Ph.D. option which will focus on the preparation of educational researchers. It is truly an exciting time to be at WVU.

This nine-month, tenure-track position at the Assistant Professor level will involve teaching courses in the 5 year teacher education program, the graduate certification and degree program, and ultimately in the doctoral program, using both face-to-face and online instruction. The position also requires advising students, collaborating with other faculty on program development, conducting research and securing external funding, and service to public schools and community agencies as well as to the university and the profession. The ideal candidate is someone who has knowledge and skill in assisting students with mild disabilities in accessing the general education curriculum and teaching and assessing learning in reading, math or other academic content areas, and implementing inclusive schooling practices.

Individuals who will have an earned doctorate in special education by August 2007 and at least 2 years of experience working as a special educator with students with disabilities may apply for this position. They should send a electronic copy of an application letter and their vita to me at Barbara.Ludlow @ mail.wvu.edu [remove spaces from address] and fax three (3) letters of support to me at 304-293-6834 OR contact me via email or phone at 304-293-3835 to obtain more information.

Several of our faculty will be at the CEC meeting in Louisville if anyone would like to discuss this position or the WVU program with us prior to the application submission deadline.

Sprout sprouts again

By JohnLloyd on Jan. 12, 2007.

Sprout, which is a not-for-profit focused on promoting growth among individuals with developmental disabilities, has been around since the late ’70s. One of the fun events sponsored by Sprout is a filmfest and the plans are circulating now.
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Coastal Carolina University position

By admin on Jan. 11, 2007.

Assistant Professor of Education (Special Education)

The growing Special Education Learning Disabilities Program in the Spadoni College of Education at Coastal Carolina University announces a full-time tenure track position beginning August, 2007.
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Dominguez Hills Early Childhood

By Lynne Cook on Dec. 27, 2006.

Become one of the premier special education teacher educators at CSUDH working collaboratively to improve teaching and learning in urban public schools.

Special Education
Early Childhood Special Education or Moderate Severe Disabilities
Assistant Professor

The faculty of the College of Education at California State University, Dominguez Hills invites applications from individuals for this tenure track position. The successful applicant will teach classes and provide supervision in the early childhood special education and/or moderate-severe special education programs. The college offers a Master of Arts degree in Special Education and Education Specialist credentials in teaching mild-moderate, moderate-severe, and early childhood special education. The special education programs prepare teachers for inclusive, ethnically and culturally diverse urban schools. The College of Education is accredited by NCATE and the educational programs are accredited by the California Committee on Teacher Credentialing.
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