The theme for the 59th annual conference of the Association of Literacy Educators and Researchers was Making a Difference in Our Diverse Communities. The meeting took place in Costa Mesa, California in 2015. In the first section of the Yearbook, Dr. J. Helen Perkins's presidential address shared the story of her journey as an educator and how it…

Educating students with disabilities in an inclusive general education setting has been shown to increase academic achievement, increase peer acceptance, increase self esteem, create a richer friendship network, and have positive lifetime benefits (higher salaried jobs, independent living). In addition, inclusion can have benefits for students…

In a context of increasing numbers of refugees and asylum seekers globally, recognition of the importance of the school environment for promoting successful settlement outcomes and inclusion for refugee-background young people is growing. Yet schools may be poorly equipped to recognise and respond to the multiple challenges faced by children and…

Some researchers believe that collaboration between schools and community stakeholders--including families, educators, community organizations, and businesses--is the key to improving public education. However, broad and inclusive community-school partnerships are rare. Instead, we frequently hear about friction between communities and their…

Education of the visually impaired is associated with problems throughout the world. This problem is more pronounced in developing countries characterized by limited support, material, inadequate specialist teachers and negative attitudes towards people with visual impairment. The study sought to evaluate the implementation of inclusive education…

Catholic universities need to develop strong Catholic identities. Yet, equally pressing is the need to welcome and value non-Catholic scholars, including their contributions to the university's Catholic mission and their critical assessments of the Catholic tradition. Blessed John Henry Newman embodies both Catholic faithfulness and exemplary…

The primary focus of this study was to examine the attitudes of the secondary mathematics teachers toward the inclusion of students with learning disabilities in the general mathematics classroom. Specifically, this study was concerned with the influence of selected demographic variables and school variables on the attitudes of secondary…

The purpose of this study was to investigate if and how teacher's years of experience and perceptions toward co-teaching impacted the success or failure of the students with disabilities in the co-teaching environment. Another purpose was to determine if teacher experience had any significant impact on teacher perceptions about co-teaching and…

In this study, the effect of Preventive Classroom Management Training Program (PCMTP) on approval and disapproval behaviors of teachers working in inclusive classrooms was investigated. The study group consisted of 45 teachers who were working in public schools and had students with special needs in their classrooms. Data were gathered using…

Motivating adolescents to learn can be a challenge! Often distracted and easily bored, these kids are also critical thinkers capable of thriving in the classroom while learning 21st century skills. How do we hold their attention and develop their abilities? Research shows that all students--regardless of learning style, disability category, or…

"Cross-border Partnerships in Higher Education" looks beyond student and faculty exchanges to examine the myriad ways international colleges and universities work together as institutions. These partnerships have involved the creation of branch campuses, joint research and technology initiatives, collaboration in strengthening…

This accessible book presents research-based strategies for supporting K-8 students with high-incidence disabilities to become accomplished learners. The authors clearly describe the core components of effective inclusive instruction, showing how to recognize and respond to individual students' needs quickly and appropriately. Teachers are…

There is a sea change occurring in education across the country in the systematic way that everyone considers "what" students should be learning and "how" teachers should be evaluated. Amidst the sweeping changes in the enterprise of teaching and learning, English language learners, or ELLs, are one subgroup of students that…

This qualitative case study was conducted to examine the perceived challenges faced by students with visual impairments and the methods used by general education teachers at one middle school to create an academic and socially inclusive classroom environment. Public Law 94-142, which required students with disabilities to receive a free and public…

This study was based on the need for additional research to explore the nature of collaborative teaching experiences in the K-12 education setting. For that reason, this study was designed to examine the experiences and perceptions of special education and regular education teachers with respect to inclusion and the perceptions of these teachers…