Interventions on behalf of students with learning disabilities are frequently applied and practiced apart from a student's classroom environment. A specialist in reading disabilities and challenges may see the student during a “pullout” period in their day, away from the student's classroom and primary teacher, to teach strategies for coping with the disability. A lack of coordination between the specialist and the classroom teacher in encouraging the student to apply the strategies within the classroom can result in less-than-optimal benefits for any interventions.
How do we create a replicable model to successfully transition youth with disabilities from juvenile justice facilities to the community?
Youth with disabilities are over-represented in the juvenile justice system. Research shows that as many as 60 percent of incarcerated youth have disabilities and require special education services, compared to only 10 to 12 percent of youth in public schools.
Arizona State University’s Center for Science and the Imagination exists to “ignite the collective imagination for a better future.” Principal Investigator Ruth Wylie, assistant director of CSI and an associate research professor at Mary Lou Fulton Teachers College, notes that there is a deep connection between education and thinking critically and deeply about possible futures.
Studies show that in K–12 schools throughout the U.S., students of color and students with disabilities face disciplinary suspension at disproportionate rates, primarily due to inequitable and punitive zero-tolerance policies and practices. Discipline data for the Phoenix Union High School District in Phoenix, Arizona, like most districts throughout the state, indicate disproportionality that mirrors national trends. The PUHSD governing board sought to address the issue by exploring and implementing concepts of restorative justice in their discipline policies.
How can Mary Lou Fulton Teachers College increase the number of highly qualified middle and high school teachers in math and science to meet a growing need in the state of Arizona?
There is a need to increase the number of highly qualified STEM teachers. To become highly qualified under the federal No Child Left Behind Act, teachers must have a bachelor’s degree, a valid Arizona teaching license and pass the National Evaluation Series tests administered by Pearson for the curriculum they plan to teach.