Christine H. Lopez, Doctoral Candidate September 2011

1. It Takes a Community:Professional Development Strategies to Support Inclusion in a Catholic High School Presented to the Education Department and the Graduate School of the College of Saint Elizabeth in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Education Christine H. Lopez, Doctoral Candidate September 2011

2. As a societal institution, the American Catholic School system is interdependent with other major social institutions in this country. Catholic schools are affected by the social agenda of the government, federal and state economic policies; political ideologies; the legal system; social and cultural norms governing work, family, and community life; and the policies and practices of the public school system. (Hallinan, 2002, p. 5) Legal and Moral Imperatives

3. Catholic Identity Catholic Identity • Catholic Identity is a tradition where “reason and faith work together” (Loris, 2011, pp. 31-32). Its pedagogical mission is that of preparing students for lives of continuous learning, leadership, and service to others (Sacred Heart University, 2011). • Catholic identity models the example of Jesus, invited the children to join him in his house stating, “…do not hinder them from coming to Me; for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these” (Matthew 9:14). In God’s house, all children are welcome.

4. Catholic Social Teaching Catholic Social Teaching • A reflection of the Church’s social mission in response to the challenges of the day, Catholic Social Teaching (CST) calls all members of the Church to work to eliminate the occurrence and effect of poverty, to speak out against injustice, and to shape a more caring society and a more peaceful world. • CST asserts that all people have a right to participate in decisions that affect their lives and are necessary for human decency, such as food, shelter, health care, education and employment.  When people lack the basic necessities to live a life of dignity, their fundamental rights are being denied.

5. To prepare, motivate, and challenge young women intellectually and morally to take their place in society according to the Catholic tradition and in the founding spirit of the Sisters of Charity of St. Elizabeth. Mission at Marylawn

6. To determine the types of professional development that teachers need to allow them to successfully educate students with special education needs in general education classroom in a Catholic high school. Purpose of the Study

7. Inclusion: full-time placement of students with disabilities in general education classrooms with special education support services provided to students in general education classrooms. Henley, Ramsey, & Algozzine, 2002 Inclusion – Definition

8. Inclusion - History Special Education Initiatives – Civil Rights Movement 1954 Brown v. Board of Education “separate but equal” unconstitutional 1973 Section 504 – impairs major life function 1990 Americans with Disabilities Education Act (ADA) access law 1990 Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) entitlement 2001 No Child Left Behind (NCLB) – accountability 2004 Americans with Disabilities Education Improvement Act (IDEIA)

9. Inclusion – Catholic Schools Vatican II – 1962-65; [People] of every race, condition and age, since they enjoy the dignity of a human being have an inalienable right to an education. Catholic Identity – learning, leadership, and service “…do not hinder them from coming to Me; for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these” (Matthew 9:14). Catholic Social Teaching – social justice • Catholic schools affirm human dignity • serve the common good • preferential option for the marginalized - “students in poverty, students of color, English language learners, and students with special needs” (Scanlan, 2009, p.536).

10. Triangulation of Data

11. FindingsInclusion in a Catholic school is an expression of Catholic Identity, demonstrates social justice and aligns with Catholic Social Teaching, ensuring that students with special education needs are able to attend and receive an appropriate education in a Catholic school.

12. Research Question #1 What types of professional development should be provided to enable teachers to meet the needs of included students in a general education classroom? Findings: • The professional development and training of the teachers should concentrate on improving the ability of the teachers to differentiate their instruction in inclusive classrooms. • Training in the implementation of the students’ Individual Education Plans (IEPs) must be provided for teachers so that they can deliver the necessary modifications and accommodations in inclusive classrooms. • Most teachers at Marylawn need tools and strategies to support students with exceptional academic abilities in an inclusion classroom. • Most teachers at Marylawn need common planning time to collaborate on teaching practices and evaluate the needs of students with special education needs and exceptional academic abilities in order to fully integrate them into their classrooms and effectively differentiate their instruction.

13. Research Question #1- Support • Teacher Data – 69% NO special education course • Student Data – 57% HAVE a special education need • Classroom Observations – • 73% did not differentiate • 73% did not utilize modification/accommodations • 73% did not use a variety of instructional practices • 73% did not use a variety of teaching methods

14. Research Question #1- Support • Student Survey – 40% do NOT agree • Pacing too slow/repetitive for large group instruction • Possible embarrassment for special education students • Conflicts with interview responses • Parent Survey - 100% inclusion can work for all • Teachers have the ability – 77% • “Teachers should be taught how to teach both students with and without learning disabilities. That way nobody will feel singled out.” • Teacher Survey – Open to inclusion – 100% • ability - 61.5% • professional background, 84.6%, • Insufficient training, 46.2% • Insufficient time, 39.5% • “Workshops and updates regarding our [specific] students would be helpful.”

15. Research Question #1- Support • Parent Focus Group • Teachers need to differentiate their instruction • Teachers need to support the needs of gifted students • “Our focus is to include people and differentiate, not segregate because you lose opportunities…all students have to learn to work as a team” • Teacher Focus Group • difficulty meeting the needs of students who had great academic strengths and those with great special education needs when all students were educated in the same classroom • Teaching to the middle – bright students held back, special needs lost • Student Interviews • “Teachers should be taught how to teach both students with and without learning disabilities. That way nobody will feel singled out.”

16. Research Question #2 To what extent do the attitudes, beliefs and assumptions of teachers impact the inclusion of special needs students into the school community? Findings: • For students with special education needs to be fully included into the school community, general education teachers must embrace their role as lead educator for these students.

17. Research Question #2- Support • Teacher Survey • Open to changing teaching methods – 100% • Insufficient training, 46.2% • Insufficient time, 39.5% • Teacher Focus Group • Inadequate training and/or support services • “…better when there is a specialist who is equipped to handle that many different kinds of problems as opposed to trying to fix it all with professional development because there’s only so many different needs you can learn about and really master.” • Classroom Observations • 73% did not differentiate • 73% did not utilize modification/accommodations • 73% use a variety of instructional practices • 73% did not use a variety of teaching methods • 73% did not collaborate with the special education teacher

18. Research Question #3 To what extent do the attitudes, beliefs and assumptions of students impact the inclusion of special needs students into the school Community? Findings: • Students affirm that an inclusive school community illustrates the concepts of social justice and responsible citizenship. • Students attitudes about inclusion can be strongly influenced by the nature and extent of students’ special education needs. • Students with strong academic skills want to be challenged in inclusive classrooms.   • Students with special education needs require academic, emotional, and social support in inclusive classrooms.

19. Research Question #3- Support • Student Survey • 60% agree that all students should be included • 83.3% feel that inclusion encourages the academic growth of special education students • 83.3% disagree that general education teachers have the ability • Student Interviews • Strongly supported inclusion – 92% • “The freshman in this class now, we're all together. It makes it easier for us to be able to bond, and in classes, we can all have different perspectives. Whether you're with a disability or without a disability, it helps all of us.” • Classroom Observations • Special education students had equal participation – 91% • High level of interactions between all students – 82%

20. Research Question #4 To what extent do the attitudes, beliefs and assumptions of parents impact the inclusion of special needs students into the school community? Findings: • The key curriculum elements that should guide teacher’s training in differentiated instruction are content, process, and products.

21. Research Question #4- Support • Parent Survey –receptive to inclusion • Encourages academic growth of special needs students – 92.3% • Positive emotional/social results for special ed. Students – 92.3% • Increases understanding of individual differences – 92.3% • Learning opportunities increased for all – 92.3% • Parent Focus Group • “My daughter with special needs excelled being among her peers…I feel that if special education is included in the general population the students can achieve higher goals within their studies”. • “teachers should be taught how to teach both students with and without learning disabilities…success depends on the teacher's ability to teach the group”. • Classroom Observations • Special education students had equal participation – 91% • High level of interactions between all students – 82%

22. Research Question #5 What impact has the inclusion program had on the mission of the school? Findings: • Inclusion in a Catholic school is an expression of Catholic Identity. • Inclusion a Catholic schools demonstrates social justice and aligns with Catholic Social Teaching, ensuring that students with special education needs are able to attend and receive an appropriate education in a Catholic school.

23. Research Question #5- Support • Admissions’ Data – special needs percentage rate of between 50% and 70%. • Student Data – both classified students and those eligible for compensatory education, has risen from 9% to 48%, an increase of almost 40%. • Classroom Observations – • Special education students had equal participation – 91% • High level of interactions between all students – 82%

24. Research Question #5- Support • Parent Survey - 100% support inclusion • “All students have to learn to work as a team. Our focus is to include people”. • Teacher Survey – 100% support inclusion • “It takes patience and time to help students with special needs and teacher dedication and determination.” • Student Survey – 60% support inclusion • “I think it’s nice to have everybody together, so there for nobody is left.”

25. Research Question #5- Support • Parent Focus Group • Ability of the teachers need to differentiate their instruction to meet the needs of students with a wide range of academic abilities • “Least restrictive environment…94-142…means to include everybody.” • “Sometimes children seem to learn from each other a little easier.” • Teacher Focus Group • “The Sisters of Charity are all about helping people who aren’t normally helped, the whole educating women specifically in a time when women weren’t being well-educated, so I think we are most certainly doing that. We’re trying to help the students that perhaps have not succeeded elsewhere”. • Student Interviews • “It's almost like a family where everyone's joined together …[supporting the] overall theme of unity between sisters and creating early relations with other classmates”.

26. Limitations

27. Limitations • My role as building Principal • Qualitative data • Colleagues for interviews and focus groups • Assured no penalties/confidentiality • Overall small number of participants • High percentage of participation - 100%, 100% and 57%, of teachers, students, and parents • 13 teachers, 23 students, 13 parents. • Difficulty of verifying whether the participants were students or parents of students with or without special education needs.

28. Recommendations

29. Research Question #1- Recommendations • Provide training sessions and on-going support in the areas of differentiated instruction, special education needs, and gift education needs. • Provide training in the interpretation of IEPs and ISPs. Model the modifications and accommodations prescribed in those documents.  • Establish collaborative times with support personnel to evaluate teachers planning and instructional techniques and assess how they align with students’ needs. • Establish common planning time among teachers to establish and to discuss tools and strategies for meeting the needs of all students in an inclusive classroom

30. Research Question #2- Recommendations: teachers • Establish support mechanisms for teachers. • Professional development as defined in Q#1. • Increased personnel – special education, guidance, and nursing services. • Clarify building expectations for teachers. • Common planning time.

31. Research Question #3- Recommendations: students • Expand student support services to include additional guidance services, special educations services, peer mediation and campus ministry programs. • Provide informational programs for students on the needs of special education and gifted students.

32. Research Question #4 – Recommendations: parents • Provide training for teachers in the area of differentiated instruction. • Provide on-going feedback for parents in this area through the establishment of regular home-school communication and a parent support/advisory group.

33. Research Question #5 - Recommendations • Provide professional development training for teachers, students, and parents on Catholic Identity and Catholic Social Teaching.

34. Conclusions and Recommendations for Further Research

35. Changing Mental Models • “[People] of every race, condition and age, since they enjoy the dignity of a human being, have an inalienable right to an education” (Vatican II, par. 1). • General education teachers CAN meet the needs of students with a wide range of abilities in a general education classroom. • No longer “separate but equal” • Student-centered professional development • Increase community support – teachers, parents, students • “No child should be denied his or her right to an education in faith, which in turn nurtures the soul of a nation” (Pope Benedict XVI).

36. Final Thoughts “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed people can change the world, indeed, it is the only thing that ever has!“ Margaret Meade