Special Education Leader Analysis

Effective Educational Leader

Leadership in Special Education has been the objective for a long time. A few years in the education field, through collaboration with peers, shared visions, and most importantly, several years of experience in the area of special education, becoming a special education director is now becoming more of a reality. Even though lifestyle changes prolonged this dream, until recently things started to fall into place, and now the opportunity is presenting itself again.

Overview

There have been many changes in education over the last twenty seven years, especially in the area of special education. There has been constant revisions of the laws both at the government level and state levels. With each revision comes

The paperwork behind special education is a full time job in itself, including meeting timelines, keeping up with the sequential format of the paper process, and finally writing effective individual education plans. Green (2013) states in chapter three that individuals working within an organization will strengthen student involvement especially when sharing the responsibilities. As a leader of this group, it is important to make sure each member of the team is aware of what they are responsible for, especially during team meetings. Using the descriptive theory approach, as stated in Green’s book seems appropriate, because as a leader, there is the need for a common balance among the team members (2013). Through this balance, the members are able to collaborate and come up with new instructional strategies that may work for the child at hand, as well as others. In order for this to happen, one must understand themselves and how to best influence others, which is the first dimension of leadership (Green, 2013). An example of this is if a teacher or staff member has a child with disabilities, who also struggles with inappropriate behavior, and is integrated or mainstreamed in the general education classroom, without direct supports. Having somebody who specializes in the area of challenging

When leading team based groups in devising goals and strategies, the process of change is collaborative. During this process, it is necessary, as a leader, to continue to assess in all areas that are covered under the special education law, as well as, ensuring all the educational needs of the students are being met. Handling conflict among teachers takes effort, as well as, planning for professional development opportunities, so teachers remain informed of the current changes, especially in the area of special education. In addition, when terminology is being tossed around such as least restrictive environment, accommodations, and modifications, there is already a support system in place that will aid in follow-through. Green states, “ Although the involvement of parents is an important factor is likely to yield great results in terms of improving instruction in schools, they are not directly delivering instruction to children” (2013, p. 260). As true as this is, parents who have children with disabilities, are can valuable information to team meetings that will benefit both child and child’s teachers. Remembering what Green (2013) also stated when talking about change. It is a process that takes time, planned or otherwise, not an event that happens overnight. Special Education is a process where, changes are made daily, if