EDLD 5344: School Law - Week 5: Reflection

Week 5: Reflection

Reflection

Throughout this course we have discussed a number of legal issues facing today’s public-school educators. For your final assignment, you will select three legal issues that you feel will be most relevant to you as a school administrator. One of these issues will focus on student management; a second on personnel management. The third can relate to any topic we’ve covered in the course. By giving your responses to the questions that follow, you will 1) record what you have learned in this course, 2) reflect on its significance in your professional life, and 3) develop a plan to further increase your knowledge and skills.

Follow These Steps

1.  Reflect upon what you have learned about law and public education.

2.  Use the guiding questions in each section to stimulate your thinking as you write three
150-word essays. The questions are meant to guide you, but you may not necessarily provide specific answers to all of them.

3.  Write reflectively instead of in “question and answer” style, and feel free to add any
related thoughts that go beyond the scope of the writing guidelines.

4.  Use formal writing style and cite Essential Readings and court decisions that support
your ideas.

5.  Submit your three completed essays by the end of Week 5.

Rubric

Use this rubric to guide your work.

Week 5: Reflection	Accomplished	Proficient	Needs Improvement	Unacceptable
Reflection	Completes all 3 essays of the reflection assignment using the minimum 150-words requirement (8 points)	Completes 2 essays of the reflection assignment (5 points)	Completes 1 essay of the reflection assignment (3 points)	Did not submit reflection assignment (0 points)
Mechanics	No mechanical writing errors (2 points)	One to four mechanical writing errors (1 point)		More than five mechanical writing errors (0 points)

Essay 1: Student Management

Respond to the questions in the red box. Your essay should:

·   Use citations from the research when applicable.

·   Use professional writing protocols.

·   Use professional language.

·  Which of the student-management issues discussed in this course is most relevant to you as a school administrator? ·  How have your views changed about the proper policies and procedures to employ regarding student management? ·  How will the knowledge gained on this topic help you become an effective school leader? ·  How will it help your staff and your students?

Type your essay in the space below.

Through the readings and lectures in this course, I learned that two of the hottest topics that face mid-level management are special education and student discipline.  This course has been instructed mental and beneficial to my learning growth in education.  In addition, I learned than an IEP may consist of a team of individuals who determines what a child needs should be, and the type of services the child may require.  Additionally, an IEP program must provide a written program curriculum designed specifically for the child’s developmental and learning growth.  The language of the plan must state what accommodations and modifications the child will need in preparation for the school year.  Now that I have briefly disclosed what I understand about the functions of an IEP; I would like to further expand my knowledge and give a brief overview of what I have recently learned about the IDEA.  

The Individualized with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) clearly defines the rights of students with disabilities to receive an education in the least restrictive manner.  In retrospect, the IDEA has paved the foundation and put a plan in action so that children with disabilities would not feel disconnected but feel that they are an integral part of the general education classroom settings as with other general education students. In support of the IDEA, I believe school administrators are pushing for the best possible education the school could offer each student in the learning environment.  For the most part, the IDEA allows for special accommodations and modifications for each student.  The special education should not be treated any differently than the general education students. 

In the case holding of Board of Education v. Rowley (1982), I believe that school administrators should become aware of the different components in the IEP plan and consequences for not following a student’s IEP.  After looking at the ARD’s video, the video demonstrated how it’s possible for a teacher failing to comply with a student IEP and the results of non-compliance.  The next area of concentration that I would like to hone in on, is student discipline on school campus.  In looking at the case holding of Goss v. Lopez (1975), a student must be afforded the right to due process in a case of suspension; which could be in the form of oral or written notice of the said charges.  As an educator knowing and understanding school and district law practices; and Federal and State law mandates, will afford administrators with the knowledge needed to make the right decisions when dealing with students and their rights.

 Essay 2: Personnel Management

Respond to the questions in the red box. Your essay should:

·   Use citations from the research when applicable.

·   Use professional writing protocols.

·   Use professional language.

·   What have you learned about teacher evaluation and remediation that you did not know before taking this class? ·   How will the information presented in this course help you become a better manager of your school employees? ·   What aspect of school personnel management do you feel you need to learn more about? ·   How do you plan to gain this knowledge?

Type your essay in the space below.

I really appreciate learning about the IEP, IDEA, and the various case laws associated with school law.  School law administrators must follow and adhere to Federal and State policies.  Additionally, I also learned that school administrators plays an integral part into eh overall environment of the school.  The administrators must focus on student discipline, supervision, and ensure that district polices are carried-out daily; in addition to State and Federal laws.  Administrators also need to become a support system, mentor, and coach to teachers on campus.  I also enjoyed learning the different facet of school law.  This course has made me more aware of the laws surrounding teacher’s contracts.  There are three types of contracts associated in the hiring of teachers.  One, a probationary contract is a one year contract that allows the school board to decline or renew for any discretion, or non-discriminatory reason.  In contrast, probationary teachers are not entitled to due process.  The Fourth Amendment guarantees teachers due process rights.  Second, in the scope of a term contract; a district must show just because for the reason of a teachers’ contract should not become renewed.  The third contract is the continuing contract.  The continuing contract simply states that the contract will become reinstated after the probationary period of the teacher is successfully complete three years of service.  Knowing these areas of discipline is important for all educators. 
 

Essay 3: Improving Professional Practice

Respond to the questions in the red box. Your essay should:

·   Use citations from the research when applicable.

·   Use professional writing protocols.

·   Use professional language.

·  Select another legal topic covered in this course that you feel affects you as a school leader. ·  What have you learned about this topic, and how will this new knowledge affect your decision-making as an administrator? ·  What professional development opportunities can you spearhead in your school to inform teachers about this issue?

Type your essay in the space below.

One particular topic that has always bothered me was the banning of prayer in public schools.  In the early 60’s everything changed when the Supreme Court handed down the ruling of Engel v. Vitale (1962), and in 1963 Abington v. Schempp.  These cases struck down the practice of prayer and Biblical readings in public schools.  As a youth in the 70’s, I can remember when we could no longer participate in group prayer when entering or exiting the school bus.  I was raised as a Christian, and exercising the right to pray in public is how I start and end my day.  School administrators should posse’s substantial discretion concerning the use of prayer being permitted.  The law implies that students may engage in prayer when not engaged in school activities.  This rule is enforced to prevent disruption of classroom learning activities.  Needless to say, I now feel more confident in understanding the concepts of school law.  Additionally, I found the course very informative and meaningful.  Educating teachers and administrators about school law will afford them the legal know how to apply these laws, and how to handle situations when arise on and off campus. 

The McKinney-Vento Act

EDLD 5344 School Law


Reflection: The McKinney-Vento Act

For starters, listening to the web-conference recording gave me an in-depth overview of what is known as the McKinney-Vento Act. Personally, I never heard of the act nor did I know that children who are labeled as homeless had such a great law enacted to help them in their education success. After listening to the web conference, and reading other resource material, I learned that the McKinney-Vento legislation requires all state and local educational agencies to design, develop, review, and revise their policies to remove barriers to the enrollment and retention in school of children and youth who are faced with homelessness. Certainly, this would include children and youth experiencing homelessness due to natural or other disasters cause. The development of such policy is critical for all schools to be in regulations and in compliant of the Act, resulting in the enrollment and attendance of homeless students in their schools’.

As with a business corporate disaster policy; implementation of a disasters school district policy are even more important. They provide schools with something that is tangible to uphold during confusion settings of an initial disaster response. If school and district personnel are familiar with McKinney-Vento policies and practices, the immediate school district response to a disaster will be more purposeful and appropriate. The McKinney-Vento Act defines homeless students, as students who lack a fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime residence are considered homeless under the law and are eligible for rendering services. Under the definition of the McKinney-Vento act, schools must know who and where students experiencing homelessness are in order to serve them. This requires knowledge of understanding how to apply the McKinney-Vento Act’s definition of homeless; and increasing awareness of homelessness and the McKinney-Vento Act in schools and the broader community, including disaster relief agencies.

EDLD 5326 / PEDG 5388 School Community Relations: Week 5 Assignment

Reflection # 1: Teacher’s Perspective

As an online instructor for adult learners’; I would like to encourage my students to become actively engage in the online classroom through our weekly Web-conferences and weekly discussion posting, by providing thought provoking analytical skills and strategies to some of our most challenging assignments set forth in the program. My goal as an instructor is to continue to provide and introduce course materials that are align with the curriculum, and to continue to provide the needed support and guidance to my students in a positive learning environment. Positive teacher-student relationships — evidenced by teachers’ reports of low conflict, a high degree of closeness and support, and little dependency — have been shown to support students’ adjustment to school, contribute to their social skills, promote academic performance, and foster students’ resiliency in academic performance (Battistich, Schaps, & Wilson, 2004; Birch & Ladd, 1997; Hamre & Pianta , 2001). In addition to sharing a positive learning environment for my students, I for one would also like to provide students with the understanding and how significant and important of learning effective time management skills. Good effective time management skills are crucial in the online learning community. Online learners need to understand that is the learner’s objective to learn and study all course curriculum material in an effort to become a successful student. Systematically, in the online classroom environment, I will continue to provide training and orientation to help facilitate my students learning growth and development to increase their knowledge of the material presented throughout the course.

Reflection # 2: Parent’s Perspectives
For this particular case scenario, I believe that all the students in the online learning classroom vary in age from young adult and more of a matured older crowd of learners. Majority of the students that I have spoken with on a one-on-one basis; I’ve learned that the higher education program that they are now enrolled in is their first higher education class since high school. A large percentage of the students are now in school due to job loss or stuck in a dead end job. These students are looking for a new set of skills in effort to arm themselves for future growth in advancement at their current place of employment or seeking a career change. Some of the barriers that I would like to see my students to overcome are to take an active role in completing their assignments in a timely manner. Ideally, classroom environments need to be nurturing while at the same time holding students to high academic standards. Classrooms that focus on nurturance without offering opportunities for academic learning do not produce increases in students’ achievement (Lee & Smith, 1999).Some students tend to fall behind in their studies because the class is online and they access their course material anytime. What they fail to realize are some the roadblocks that they can be faced with that often time prevents them from completing their classroom activities on time. And those roadblocks can come in the form of loss of Internet connection, overtime at work, or any unforeseen mayhem that are not preventable.

Reflection # 3: School Leader’s Perspective
As an educator, I find that most higher education schools are more concerned with the student’s overall grade point average more than they are concerned with the student’s academic understanding of the program curriculum. When the college finds that there are a percentage of students failing courses, the academic instructor/professor are often times investigated whether or not the course curriculum, assignments, and test material met the requirement of the school protocol of standards when administering the deliverables of the course material. More than often, online instructors, including myself, are faced with the struggle of teaching students with varying levels of ability of having the right equipment or software to complete online classes. The biggest challenge is helping those students of lower ability to master the content knowledge that is necessary to continue with the basic skills of knowing how to maneuver through the online classroom. Student engagement represents the time and effort students devote to activities that are empirically linked to desired outcomes of college and what institutions do to induce students to participate in these activities. On a lighter note, I would like to see colleges and university that offers online program become aware of the technological resources that students should possess before offering online classes, maybe, the collegial platform should offer an online orientation class before the students can actually enroll in an online program.

References:
Battistich, V., Schaps, E., & Wilson, N. (2004). Effects of an elementary school intervention on students' "connectedness" to school and social adjustment during middle school. The Journal of Primary Prevention, 24(3), 243-262.

Birch, S. H., & Ladd, G. W. (1997). The teacher-child relationship and early school adjustment. Journal of School Psychology, 55(1), 61-79.

Hamre, B. K., & Pianta, R. C. (2001). Early teacher-child relationships and the trajectory of children's school outcomes through eighth grade. Child Development, 72, 625-638.

Kazmi A. Sleepwalking through Undergrad: Using Student Engagement as an Institutional Alarm Clock. College Quarterly [serial online]. December 1, 2010;12(1) Available from: ERIC, Ipswich, MA. Accessed September 25, 2011

Lee, V., & Smith, J. B. (1999). Social support and achievement for young adolescents in Chicago: The role of school academic press. American Educational Research Journal, 36(4), 907-945.

Draft Action Research Project Progress Report - EDLD 5397 Internship in Supervision

The purpose of my action research project is to implement an interactive classroom learning environment for homebound students. One of my main concerns surrounding the project is ensuring that homebound students have access to a computer and the Internet in order to participate in the program. Homebound programs fall under the same umbrella of special education programs. Special educations programs are defined as children with debilitate condition. The program will teach students basic keyboarding and technical skills for maneuvering around the interactive classroom portal.



a. Implementing an interactive-classroom for homebound students is a great concept for improving student achievement to special education programs. Texas Education Code – Section 42.151 special education provide detail requirements for homebound students under this decree.


b. An effective homebound program can focus on multiple classroom activities, spotlighting student’s readiness to learn and collaborate. Homebound program can be used on many levels, such as ensuring homebound teachers are meeting the needs of the student as well as, providing instructional assignments, collaboration, and counseling with the student(s) parents or legal representative.


c. My vision for the homebound program will provide teachers with informational materials of knowing what to teach, how to teach, and how to measure the students learning process.


d. Assembly of an interactive action research project was a great need for the North Forest ISD before the announcement of the district closure due to underperformance academic scores. The opportunity to bring an interactive classroom learning environment to student with disabilities was enough motivation for me.


e. An interactive classroom for homebound students is a personal vision of mines. I’ve seen a number of students with restrictive disabilities that limits their mobility from playing, communicating, and collaborating with other students in the class. I envision this project as being a learning vehicle that offers’s special education students with the unique ability to collaborate and learn with their classmates, and teachers.


f. Omit – I am omitting this particular section because I am not a teacher.


g. (1) I plan to resent my action plan to Chartered schools; (2) arrange a meeting with chartered school principal; (3) point out the key components of the action plan that will allow homebound student to participate in the classroom; (4) and, provide instructional support to teachers.


h. In theory, my action plan will bridge together homebound students, with their teachers and classmates by utilizes Web 2.0 tools such as, Skype, Facebook, and multimedia tools, such as, Smartphone’s for texting, and audio equipment for communication.

Creating a Lesson Plan

In creating a lesson plan designed for Kindergarten students in mine. I was thinking about capturing my short-term goal of the lesson plan designed as a corporate trainer. First, I had to take off my business hat and put on my teachers thinking hat to come up with a concept and context knowledge to develop a curriculum designed for studying and researching. As most of you teachers know and understand, that the expected outcome of a lesson plan is to develop a curriculum objective in the form of a lesson plan.

The process in developing the plan became complex. I gained insight about how students think and learn about a chosen topic. Like any project, the design of a lesson plan starts with a goal. I had to ask myself the following questions:

1. What type of subject I would like to focus on?


2. What are some of the students learning difficulties?


3. What are some things I wish to teach the students in the design of the lesson plan?


After analyzing my questions and the content of the course project, I decided to curtail my lesson plan to social studies. Whereby, I could only focus on one study group. During the design of the lesson plan,I was fascinated with the UDL builder and all the resources that are available for teachers to teach a curriculums that are align with the students’ learning goals.

EDLD 5364 Teaching with Technology

Universal Design for Learners

Reflection

Education and technology are the two key areas that would go a long way in our schools in preparing students to become ready for vastly changes of society. As teachers, we can use various techniques to promote learning. But, it also depends on the teacher, teaching methods can include intensive individualized instruction, problem-solving assignments, and small group activities. The design principle to understand the general curriculum or to take a test, teachers must ensure that the information communicated to the students are supportive by the material presented. Teachers design and teach appropriate curriculums; assign work geared toward each student’s needs and learning abilities. Most teachers go beyond the normal daily activities of being a teacher, they provide students with career counseling or help them learn life skills, such as speaking appropriately, job interviewing, and career writing.

As schools become more inclusive, teachers and students will increasingly work together in the classroom to gain creative knowledge in technology. As technology continues to become present in the way we do business, educators must adopt a method for curriculum activities and teaching techniques to meet the growing trend of student’s readiness to learn how to use technology before graduation. A large part of a teacher’s job in the classroom involves communicating and coordinating with other teachers, principals, parents, and the community.

In watching the video from the Cast UDL lesson builder website; I’ve learned that teacher ‘s as well as special education teachers should design and teach appropriate curriculums geared toward each student's needs and learning abilities. Teachers should also be involved in the student’s behavioral, social, and academic development by helping them to develop emotionally and interact effectively in their environment. Moreover, as schools become more inclusive, special education teachers and general education teachers shall increasingly work together in providing general education in classrooms. Special education teachers help general educators adopt curriculum materials and teaching techniques to meet the needs of students with disabilities.

EDLD 5364 Teaching with Technology

Using Web 2.0 in the Classroom


Learners of today are becoming technological driven each day. Teachers need to understand how to implement this growing trend of collaboration and communication to their students. Technology media outcomes such as Web 2.0 are align with the common applications of blogs, video sharing, podcasting, and social networking which is a more socially connective media source where students can contribute as much as they can consume.

In this week’s reading, I’ve learned that Web 2.0 has a huge globally impact on people. People are becoming immersive captivated with using the Web to collaborate with their friends and family on a daily basis. Thereby, education institutions have taken advantage of the use of using Web 2.0 technology service to innovate their online classroom, library, and other data sources.

One of the biggest growth areas in multimedia sharing are videos, podcasting, and photograph sharing. This development has been made possible through the widespread of digital technology such as hand held cameras, wireless devices such as cell phones that are equipped with video cam, and the Internet for real-time data usage.

Now that the horse and wagon days are gone, the Internet has become a dominant force in the way world collaborate and communicate. Teaching with Web 2.0 is the best platform for collaboration in sharing ideas as a way to interact with student – to –student, student –to-teacher, and colleague-to-colleague. The social aspects of the Webs connectedness are becoming increasingly important to the way we communicate and learn.