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In an attempt to minimize the need for subsequent special education and related services, the federal government provides financial assistance to states to develop and implement quality ECI services to infants and toddlers with disabilities or developmental delays (IDEIA, 2004). Under Part C of IDEIA (2004), states, which receive federal assistance, are mandated to create a statewide, comprehensive, coordinated interagency council (also known as the state interagency coordinating council or SICC) that ensures qualified infants and toddlers, and their families are identified and provided with early intervention services. The SICC is composed of parents, ECI service providers, and other agencies that work with children with disabilities (e.g., Head Start, preschool, and child care providers; Blasco, 2001).

Recent changes in legislation have generated discussions among educators throughout the United States. The NCLB Act and IDEIA added new requirements for schools, and raised some questions regarding the intersection of the two laws as they impact special education. Following are discussions of these laws and what they mean to rural school systems.

Critical theory integrates the value of social justice into the practice of research and focuses on the manner in which injustice and subjugation shape peoples’ experience and understanding of the world (Endres, 1997). A critical theory perspective is specifically concerned with issues of power and justice and the ways that the economy, race, class, gender, ideologies, discourses, education, religion, disability, and other social institutions interact to construct a social system (Kellner, 2003). Thus, critical inquiry must be connected to attempts to confront injustices of society. Clearly, an effective history of special education law can better illuminate some of the injustices commonly experienced by students with disabilities. However, the majority of school administrators and directors of student services and special education have viewed special education regulations through a positivist lens. Skrtic (1995) contended that although positivism has been discredited, it is still the theory of knowledge used in modern professionalism (including education, special education, and other social sciences). Professional knowledge in this positivist framework is received and perceived by students as objective truth because the scientific process remains the mechanism for discovering and applying new knowledge. Society affords professionals autonomy on the assumption that professionals, by virtue of their access to specialized knowledge, know what is best for their clients. In a type of moebius loop construction, only the professionals can judge what is best for their clients because they are the only ones with access to the specialized knowledge. This knowledge, frequently based on “traditional” histories, becomes the pervasive, professional knowledge employed in practice. Thus, it is essential to understand the assumptions inherent in this knowledge base.

Students with learning disabilities are a large part of the population of students with disabilities as well as the total student body. In fact, for many students the general education classroom is where most of these students acquire their content knowledge. This, however, is not the only school placement in which students can receive services. This chapter will describe the historical perspectives regarding placement of students with learning disabilities. Next, it will compare the different instructional settings and interventions that have been effective for these individuals. The impact of the individualized education program will be discussed as well as controversial issues regarding the placement of these students. After reading this chapter readers will have a better understanding of placement issues surrounding students with learning disabilities.

The standards movement, while new in the current NCLB iteration, has been a part of education for almost the last half century (Popham, 2001; Sirotnik, 2004). According to several researchers (e.g., DiPaola & Walther-Thomas, 2003; Fullan, 2001; Lashley & Boscardin, 2003; Marsh, 2000; Villa & Thousand, 2000), there have been significant changes in the roles that school leaders must fulfill to implement a standards-based educational accountability system. The requirements of NCLB will not be a “passing fad” and so will affect the manner in which special education administrators conduct their work (Hochschild, 2003). As it stands, districts and schools are viewed as an amalgam of complex relationships (Harry, Sturges, & Klinger, 2005) that come together as learning communities to meet accountability targets for all students. The requirements for building a learning community involve the skills of collaboration and empowerment of others. Apparently, developing productive partnerships will exceed the previously defined narrow interpretation of collaboration with families and other professionals (Crockett, 2002). Standards-based accountability practices which disaggregate data based on specific subgroups, one of which is students with disabilities, are a result of the concern that exclusion of students from testing distorts the efficacy of educational reform efforts (Heubert & Hauser, 1999; McDonnell, McLaughlin, & Morison, 1997; Schulte & Villwock, 2004). However, concerns have also been raised regarding the validity of conclusions drawn from large-scale accountability data (Schulte & Villwock, 2004; Ysseldyke & Bielinski, 2002). Hargreaves (2003) concluded that “the rightful pursuit of higher standards has generated into a counter productive obsession with soulless standardization” (p. 82).

Although AT consideration has been mandated since 1997 (Individuals with Disabilities Education Act Amendments of 1997) and subsequently echoed in IDEIA 2004, there is no consensus in the field regarding how education professionals approach the task of making decisions about AT devices that can support the instructional process. Numerous models and frameworks have been proposed to provide guidance in the consideration of AT (e.g., Blackhurst, 2005; Bowser & Reed, 1995; Center for Technology in Education, Johns Hopkins University; and Technology & Media Division [TAM] of the Council for Exceptional Children, 2005; Chambers, 1997; Edyburn, 2000, 2005; Melichar & Blackhurst, 1993; Parette & VanBiervliet, 1990, 1991; Zabala, 1993). More recent clarifications of this process have been presented (Parette et al., 2007). However, at Illinois State University, we have developed an approach used in our undergraduate preparation program that has been effective in helping future teachers understand this process and more effectively make decisions about appropriate AT solutions for students with disabilities. The following sections present an overview of this process, preceded by an introduction to the role of tools in our society.

Assessment and identification of children with emotional and behavioral disorders (EBD) is complex and involves multiple techniques, levels, and participants. While federal law sets the general parameters for identification in school settings, these criteria are vague and may lead to inconsistencies in selection and interpretation of assessment measures. Assessment practice across school settings is greatly influenced by clinical guidelines such as the DSM-IV, which more specifically defines emotional and behavioral disorders and highlights the issue of co-morbidity. Before a student is assessed for special education eligibility under the IDEIA category of emotional disturbance, screening techniques and pre-referral interventions are needed. Positive Behavioral Supports and Response to Intervention models provide empirically supported frameworks for establishing the need for formal psychological assessment. Collaboration among members of the multidisciplinary team, including parents, helps to ensure that identification and intervention efforts have ecological validity. Tests and techniques vary considerably, but developmental histories, interviews, observations across settings, and behavioral checklists and rating scales are recommended, along with cognitive and achievement testing. While problems exist in the reliability and validity of projective techniques, they continue to be used in school-based assessment for EBD. Multitrait, multisetting, and multimethod approaches are essential for culturally fair assessment and reduction of bias in identification and placement.

In this chapter, we begin by exploring the lessons learned from studies of teachers’ expectations for student behavior, being with early inquiry conducted following the Education for All Handicapped Children Act (P.L. 94-142) of 1975. Next, we explore the expanding knowledge base following reauthorization of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA, 1997), the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act (IDEIA, 2004), and No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB, 2001) as the field increasingly emphasized inclusive programming and supporting access to the general education curriculum, called for academic excellence for all students, and focused on systems-level perspectives for teaching behavioral expectations. We summarize lessons learned from these bodies of knowledge, focusing attention on key findings and existing limitations of the studies conducted to date. We conclude with implications for educational research and practice, with attention to how lessons learned regarding teacher expectations for student performance can (a) facilitate inclusive programming for students with disabilities, (b) support school transitions, (c) inform primary prevention efforts and targeted supports, and (d) inform teacher preparation programs.

What does special education mean for general education teachers of students with disabilities? In this chapter, we share our approach to advancing values in the classroom placement of special education students in the general education setting. We will take the reader on a journey through time with “Jessie,” a special education student, as we examine the historical exclusion of students with disabilities to their inclusion in general education schools, environments and finally, general education classrooms. In doing so, we will examine the evolution of the general education teacher's role and how the historical perspective impacts current practices. Then, we will elucidate the benefits of inclusion, not only for the special education student but for the nondisabled peers as well. We will recommend values that should be maintained and practices that should be examined. This chapter will conclude with a connection between the values and recommendations of best practices for inclusive instruction.

The purpose of this paper is to know the implications that COVID-19 has presented in the workplace to develop research strategies related to issues of human and organizational behavior on the business perspective.

Quantitative, exploratory based on primary and secondary sources, an online questionnaire was designed and applied with 33 items that was applied in the Mexican work environment, during the period from March 7 to 16, that is, in the same week as WHO made the pandemic declaration for COVID-19, obtaining a total of 332 responses.

With the descriptive analyzes carried out, it was possible to know the perception that people have of various aspects related to COVID-19, and subsequently the corresponding reliability tests were carried out, obtaining Cronbach’s alpha indexes greater than 0.8. At the beginning of the declaration of pandemic by COVID-19, a relationship was shown between stress and the aspects related to the arrival of COVID-19, showing evidence of its impact on the workforce.

This work has contributed ideas for academics, managers and areas of human resources that can promote the growth and development of people with the aim of achieving comprehensive well-being in the workplace, generating better working conditions owing to the proposal to make remote work a successful strategy in the function of human resources in the workplace and in the improvement of society in general.

This research, in addition to being carried out with information obtained in the first weeks of March 2020, presents a model with ideas and themes to design future research projects and to analyze the post-COVID-19 effects in the workplace, with a business perspective, human behavior and organization.

Conocer las implicaciones que tiene el COVID-19 en el entorno laboral para desarrollar estrategias de investigación relacionadas con temas de comportamiento humano y organizacional en la perspectiva empresarial.

De tipo cuantitativa, exploratoria basada en fuentes primarias y secundarias, se diseñó y aplicó un cuestionario en línea con 33 ítems que fue aplicado en el entorno laboral mexicano, durante el período del 7 al 16 de marzo, es decir, en la misma semana que la OMS hizo la declaración de pandemia por el COVID-19, obteniendo un total de 332 respuestas.

Con los análisis descriptivos realizados se pudo conocer la percepción que tienen las personas sobre diversos aspectos relacionados con el COVID-19, posteriormente se realizaron las pruebas de confiabilidad correspondientes, obteniendo índices alfa cronbach mayores de 0.8. Al inicio de la declaración de la pandemia de COVID-19, se demostró una relación entre el estrés y varios aspectos relacionados con la llegada del COVID-19, evidenciando su impacto en los trabajadores.

El desarrollo de esta investigación aporta ideas para los académicos, responsables de las empresas y en particular de las áreas de recursos humanos para que puedan fomentar el crecimiento y el desarrollo de las personas con la finalidad de lograr bienestar integral en su lugar de trabajo, generando mejores condiciones laborales debido a la propuesta de lograr que el trabajo a distancia sea una estrategia exitosa en la función de recursos humanos, en el ámbito laboral y en el mejoramiento de la sociedad en general.

Esta investigación además de que se realiza con información obtenida en las primeras semanas del mes de marzo de 2020, presenta un modelo con ideas y temas para diseñar futuros proyectos de investigación y poder analizar los efectos post COVID en el entorno laboral, con una perspectiva empresarial, de comportamiento humano y organizacional.

Conhecer as implicações do COVID-19 no local de trabalho para desenvolver estratégias de pesquisa relacionadas a questões do comportamento humano e organizacional desde uma perspectiva de negócios.

Quantitativo, exploratório, e baseado em fontes primárias e secundárias. Um questionário online com 33 itens foi elaborado e aplicado no ambiente de trabalho mexicano, durante o período de 7 a 16 de março, ou seja, na mesma semana em que a OMS fez a declaração da pandemia de COVID-19, obtendo um total de 332 respostas.

Com as análises descritivas realizadas, foi possível conhecer a percepção que as pessoas têm sobre diversos aspectos relacionados ao COVID-19. Posteriormente foram realizados os correspondentes testes de confiabilidade, obtendo-se índices alfa de Cronbach superiores a 0,8. No início da declaração da pandemia do COVID-19, havia uma relação entre o estresse e vários aspectos relacionados à chegada do COVID-19, evidenciando seu impacto nos trabalhadores.

O desenvolvimento desta pesquisa fornece ideias para acadêmicos, gestores e áreas de recursos humanos promovendo o crescimento e desenvolvimento de pessoas. O objetivo é alcançar o bem-estar integral no local de trabalho, gerando melhores condições de trabalho através do trabalho remoto como estratégia de sucesso na função de recursos humanos, no local de trabalho e na melhoria da sociedade em geral.

Esta pesquisa, além de ser realizada com informações obtidas nas primeiras semanas de março de 2020, apresenta um modelo com ideias e tópicos para desenhar futuros projetos de pesquisa e poder analisar os efeitos pós-COVID no ambiente de trabalho com uma perspectiva empresarial, humana e organizacional.