The School Administrator

September 2008 Number 8, Vol. 65Inclusion and InterventionSchool districts apply the latest special education thinking

Features

Response to Intervention: What & Why?
by Judy Elliott
One of the nation’s most experienced special education administrators details the practice of using data to match instruction and intervention to the particular learning needs of students.
Similar Reading: Evaluating RTI’s effectiveness and David Putnam: Guiding RTI's implementation and Long Beach’s pivotal turn around RTI and Additional resources
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Three Tiers of Intervention
by W. David Tilly, Shannon Harken, Wendy Robinson and Sharon Kurns
An intermediate education agency in central Iowa has been implementing RTI concepts for 18 years. The schools it works with are in various stages, following the multiphase process of building consensus, building infrastructure and then putting effective measures in place for students who need something more.
Similar Reading: Questions to guide RTI’s use
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Creating Inclusive Schools For All Students
by Julie Causton-Theoharis and George Theoharis
The authors, both professors at Syracuse University, describe a genuinely inclusive education for children with disabilities that, as one principal puts it, offers “nothing separate, no special spaces, no special teachers.”
Similar Reading: Carl Roberts: Inclusion only and Wendy Murawski: Co-teaching in inclusive classrooms and A measuring stick for inclusion
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Inclusion for Students on the Autism Spectrum
by Joanne Godek
The schools in South Burlington, Vt., commit to serving the unique needs of children with disabilities in their home communities. The author directs the district’s educational support systems.
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Legally Best Practices in Section 504 Plans
by Rachel Holler and Perry A. Zirkel
A sound understanding of what the law actually requires can save you from awarding too many “consolation prizes” to students who don’t qualify for an individual education plan.
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Profile

Bismarck's Model Public Servant by Jay P. Goldman

When it comes to dealing with hard issues, Paul Johnson tries to move with all deliberate speed, once he’s given everyone else a chance to weigh in.

Departments

Board-Savvy Superintendent

Public Comment Sessions: In Control and On Time by Nicholas D. Caruso Jr.

Nearly 100 people are packing the boardroom for a meeting. They all want to speak during your public comment period. You already have a long agenda. What are you going to do to get through this?

Focus

Making the Most of Exit Surveys by John A. Mazzei

An exit survey can be a valuable tool in obtaining feedback about employee satisfaction, managerial performance, salary and benefits in a school system. The author directs human resources in Pemberton Township, N.J.

Guest Columns

Courage To Let Bad Teachers Go by Reggie Engebritson

The courage to make tough decisions as a school administrator is never needed more than when it’s time to decide which teachers should receive tenure.

It's Year Five, and We're Still Not Making Adequate Progress by Edward D. Westervelt

A New Jersey superintendent’s lament: The designation imposed by NCLB is punitive and, by focusing on test scores at one moment in time, fails to recognize the value added that’s been a vital part of our efforts to raise student performance.

The Dividends of Investing in Athletic Trainers by Darrel G. Floyd

Too few high schools have an athletic trainer on hand to provide appropriate, timely medical care to their student athletes, according to a veteran Texas superintendent.

Tech Leadership

The Three R's Meet the Three C's by Jim Hirsch

The three R’s are the hallmarks of a successful education system, but today’s students have become keenly interested in the three C’s — communication, collaboration and creativity — that they must use effectively in their lives outside of school.

President's Corner

Tons of Talent by Randall H. Collins

Recommitting to the noble goals of a landmark 1975 public law that gave students with special needs the right to a quality education alongside their peers.

Executive Perspective

Crisis Skills of September's Past by Daniel A. Domenech

The first September back in the Washington, D.C., area for AASA’s executive director since his final year as a superintendent brings back some unpleasant memories of the job.

People

People

A listing of the latest comings and goings in the ranks of AASA members. The Sidelight highlights a superintendent’s fascination with all things Franklin Delano Roosevelt.

Federal Dateline

Binding the Wounds of a Lame Duck by Mary Kusler

The inevitable end of a president’s term means legacy building becomes the entire focus of the administration.

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