Collaboration and System Coordination for Students with Special Needs: From Early Childhood to the Postsecondary Years » (1st Edition)

This book provides a comprehensive presentation of the power and promise of collaboration and system coordination — connecting students, professionals, parents, schools and community agencies in new ways. Placing students with special needs and families in the center, collaboration and system coordination are viewed from a developmental framework from early childhood through post-high school. The book perspective helps individuals understand the complex interplay between the needs of students and collaborative skill needs of professionals along the developmental path.

Key topics: How school collaboration and system coordination work, current laws that promote it with emphasis on IDEA 2004 and NCLB 2001, research that links collaboration with student and family outcomes, skills for effective collaboration between general and special educators, the role of families in school collaboration, effects of cultural and linguistic diversity, and strategies for effective collaboration and coordination from early childhood through post-secondary education, including alternative educational settings. Case examples are threaded throughout as the book urges change in how professionals think about the way education and human services agencies should respond to students who are special learners.

Foundations for Collaboration and System Coordination     1
Introduction to Part 1     2
Why Are Collaboration and System Coordination Important?     4
What Is Collaboration?     6
Who Is Involved in School Collaboration?     9
Who Are Special Needs Learners?     10
Why Is There a Growing Interest in School Collaboration and System Coordination?     10
How Does Collaboration Lead to System Change?     18
How Does Collaboration Serve as an Instrument of Change?     21
What Are the Developmental Aspects of Collaboration?     23
Can Collaboration Be Evaluated?     24
How Does School Collaboration Work?     28
What Is Collaboration and Collaborative Culture?     31
What Factors Influence Collaboration?     36
How Are School Collaboration and System Coordination Linked?     39
How Are Reciprocal Functions Applied in Collaborative Practice?     40
What Are Foundation Theories and Applications in Practice?     45
What Are Ten Principles for Successful Collaboration and Coordination?     55
How Does System Coordination Work?     60
What Is System Coordination?     62
How Has System Coordination Evolved?     70
WhatDoes a Service Coordinator Do?     71
What Are the Functions of Service Coordination?     73
What Are the Various Models of System Coordination?     77
What Principles and Practices Contribute to Effective System Coordination?     79
What System Coordination Practices Improve the Education and Well-Being of Students and Families?     83
Can System Coordination Be Evaluated?     86
What Education Laws Promote School Collaboration and System Coordination?     90
Who Are Children With Disabilities?     92
What Philosophical Ideas Are Reflected in Our Education Laws?     95
Why Do Federal Policies Promote School Collaboration and System Coordination?     97
How Does IDEA Promote Collaboration and System Coordination? Early Childhood to Postsecondary     99
What Provisions of the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 Promote Collaboration and System Coordination?     110
How Do NCLB and IDEA Differ in Principles and Policies?     112
What Provisions of the Americans With Disabilities Act Promote Collaboration and System Coordination?     113
What Provisions of the Job Training Improvement Act of 2005/Rehabilitation Act Amendments of 1998 Promote Collaboration and System Coordination?     114
What Provisions of the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Improvement Act Promote Collaboration and System Coordination?     115
What Research Evidence Links Collaboration and System Coordination With Results for Students?     118
Why Conduct Research on Collaboration and System Coordination?     120
Collaboration and Community: Is There a Basis in Biology and Brain Research?     122
Does Collaboration Improve Results for Students From Early Childhood to Postsecondary?     127
Do Collaboration and System Coordination Promote Student and Family Self-Determination?     135
What Have We Learned From National Studies of System Coordination?     135
People Make the Difference in Collaboration and System Coordination     143
Introduction to Part 2     144
What Are the Essential Skills for Effective Communication, Collaboration, and Coordination?     146
What Is the Connection Between Adult Learning and Collaboration?     148
What Strategies Can Help Collaborative Teams Improve Communication?     151
What Are the Barriers to Collaboration and How Can They Be Overcome?     160
What Attitudes and Beliefs (Dispositions) About Collaboration and Coordination Help People Work Together More Effectively?     166
What Professional Development Content and Standards Promote Collaboration and Coordination Skills?     170
How Do General and Special Educators Collaborate to CoTeach Effectively?     174
Why Is Collaboration Between Special and General Education Teachers Important?     176
How Do Special and General Education Teachers Structure Their Work to Collaborate?     182
What Are the Barriers to Coteaching and How Can Teams Work Together More Efficiently?     190
What Professional Development Content and Standards Promote Collaboration Between Special and General Educators?     198
What Is the Role of the Family in School Collaboration and System Coordination?     202
Parents as Partners: What Is the Role of Families in School Collaboration and System Coordination?     204
What Lessons Have Been Learned From Research on Family Collaboration?     208
A Brief History of Parent Participation in Education     210
What Family Characteristics and Stressors Impact Participation in Children's Education? A Resilience Framework     211
What Are the Barriers to Effective Family Collaboration?     218
Applying the Four Functions of Collaboration to Family Partnerships     221
Principles for Family-Centered Service Coordination     225
How Does Cultural and Linguistic Diversity Affect School Collaboration and System Coordination?   Tracy Price     228
Why Do the Needs of Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Students Demand Special Attention?     230
Who Are Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Students and Families?     235
What Theories About Culture Are Important for Understanding Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Students?     239
How Does Cultural and Linguistic Diversity Affect Collaboration?     243
How Can Educators Improve Collaboration and Coordination of Services for CLD Students With Disabilities?     247
Collaboration and Coordination from Early Childhood Through Postsecondary Transition     255
Introduction to Part 3     256
How Can School Collaboration and System Coordination Promote Progress of Children in Early Childhood Programs?     260
What Are Developmental Services in Early Childhood Education?     262
What Professional Roles Support Children in Early Childhood Programs?     268
What Lessons Are Learned From Research on Collaboration and Coordination in Early Childhood Education?     270
What Services Are Mandated for Young Children With Disabilities and Their Families?     275
What Are the Barriers to Collaboration in Early Childhood Education?     281
What Collaboration and System Coordination Strategies Support Young Children in Early Childhood Programs?     282
How Can School Collaboration and System Coordination Promote Progress of Children in the Elementary Years?     290
How Do Collaboration and System Coordination Change as the Child Advances From Kindergarten to Elementary School?     292
What Are the Barriers to Collaboration in the Elementary School?     297
What Collaboration and System Coordination Strategies Support Students in the Elementary School?     299
What Professional Roles Support Students in the Elementary School?     303
What Collaboration and System Coordination Strategies Facilitate Transition to Middle School?     308
How Can School Collaboration and System Coordination Promote Progress of Middle School Children?     314
What Are the Special Needs of Middle School Students?     316
What Service Coordination Roles Support Middle School Students?     322
What Are the Barriers to Collaboration and Coordination Between School and Home?     326
What Collaboration and System Coordination Strategies Promote Success in Middle School?     330
What System Coordination Strategies Support Transition From Middle to High School?     338
How Can School Collaboration and System Coordination Promote Progress of High School Students?   Robert Baer     342
Who Decides About High School Curriculum for Students With and Without Disabilities? A Historical Perspective     344
What Are the Legal Requirements to Prepare High School Students for Transition?     347
What Coordination Roles and Competencies Promote Progress of Students in High School?     350
What Planning Strategies Are Effective for High School Students With Special Needs?     352
What Collaboration and System Coordination Strategies Promote Progress for Secondary Students?     358
What Is the School- or District-Level Interagency Transition Team?     361
How Can School Collaboration and System Coordination Promote Progress of Students in Alternative Education?   Renee Lacey     370
Why Is Alternative Education Becoming a National Concern?     373
Who Is the Student Likely to Enter Alternative Education?     378
What Are the Characteristics of Students With Disabilities in Alternative Education Programs?     380
What Laws and State Policies Affect Student Placement in Alternative Education?     381
What Models and Collaborative Practices Promote Student Progress in Alternative Education?     384
What Is the Role of the Student in Exercising Personal Decision Making in Life Planning?     390
What Worked for Tommy?     392
How Can School Collaboration and System Coordination Promote Transition of Students to Postsecondary Settings?     396
What Do We Know About the Participation of Graduates With Disabilities in Postsecondary Education?     398
What Changes as the Student Moves From the Secondary to the Postsecondary World?      400
What Laws Promote Collaboration for Participation in Postsecondary Education and Employment?     402
What Service Coordination Roles Support the Transition of Youth to Postsecondary Settings?     407
What System Coordination Strategies Support Graduates Preparing for Postsecondary Settings?     408
What Are the Barriers to Participation in Postsecondary Education?     410
What Do We Know About Youth Employment After High School?     413
What Are the Barriers to Employment for Youth With Disabilities?     414
What System Coordination Strategies Support High School Graduates in Their Transition to Employment?     414
References     421
Author Index     491
Subject Index     501