Running head: SPED 854: MODULE 1 DISCUSSION

SPED 854: Module 1 Discussion

Jennifer Gamble
University of Kansas

SPED 854: MODULE 1 DISCUSSION

SPED 854: Module 1 Discussion

In this weeks readings, two big ideas that stood out to me were the disproportionate
number of minorities in special education and the importance of having a clear definition of
collaboration.
The brief published by the National Center for culturally Responsive Education Systems
(NCCREST) (Coutinho & Oswald, 2006) highlighted not only the cultural diversity in our
schools today, but also the benefits and flaws for measurement methods to determine the level of
disproportionality. As I read the brief, it became apparent to me that no matter what method is
used to measure disproportionality in special education, it is important to look carefully at the
type of education that ALL students are receiving, ensuring that it is instruction of quality that is
effective (Coutinho & Oswald, 2006). The fact that there is a strong history of disproportionality
in special education means that this problem cannot be ignored.
Where I live in Maine, we do not have a population that is culturally diverse. The
population at my school is largely white, with only 5 out of 220 students being of ethnic or
African-American heritage. The population is diverse in its socioeconomic status, however.
Students of lower socioeconomic status are disproportionately represented in my own caseload,
with 10/11 of my students qualifying for the free lunch program. With this in mind, I believe
that we need to look carefully at pre-school programs and try to provide families with services to
meet the needs of their children before they reach school age, as well. There is not a pre-school
program in our town and the early special education services are stretched to their limit. In
addition, pre-school children are on long waiting lists, often not receiving needed services until
they enter the public school system. In many states, this happens at the age of 3, but does not
take place in Maine until they enter Kindergarten. As I read our textbook and they cited the

SPED 854: MODULE 1 DISCUSSION

success of collaboration and effectiveness of pre-school programs, this stood out to me as being a
step in the right direction in our community (Friend & Cook, 2013).
The other big idea that stood out to me was the need for a definition of collaboration and
the fact that collaboration is a style. The definition of collaboration given in the article by L.
Cook and M. Friend (2010) was the one that I found to be clearest and the most specific for my
understanding. It shares that collaboration is a style that professionals choose to use. These
professionals must have mutual goals, practice shared decision-making, all stakeholders are
accountable for progress, they share resources and stakeholders must develop a sense of trust,
respect and community (Cook & Friend, 2010). With this in mind, it is easy to see that
collaboration is not a style that can be used without a lot of thoughtfulness, planning and time.
However, it has been shown to lead to great results for students (Friend & Cook, 2013). As I
read, I developed a clearer sense of the components of collaboration and the reason each of these
components is vital to the success of collaborative efforts. Knowing these components and being
aware of their importance, I believe that I can become a better collaborator and teacher,
improving my instruction and support of students.

SPED 854: MODULE 1 DISCUSSION

4
References

Cook, L., & Friend, M. (2010). The state of the art of collaboration on behalf of students with
disabilities. Journal of Educational and Psychological Consultation, 20, 1-8.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/1047441093535398
Coutinho, M. J., & Oswald, D. P. (2006). Disproportionate representation of culturally and
linguistically diverse students in special education: Measuring the problem. Retrieved
from National Center for Culturally Responsive Education Systems:
Friend, M., & Cook, L. (2013). Interactions: Collaboration skills for school professionals (7th
ed.). Boston, MA: Pearson.