"The term "special education" should imply hope and support for students and yet it is perceived as a burden to the educational system. As an educator, you must believe that you can teach all students with proper training and support."
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What Works for Special Education and At-Risk Learners by Genevra Walters and Laura Fisher Trafford Publishing
book review by J. A. Garcia
Designed for educators at all levels, this book provides a dynamic framework for promoting significant changes within the current educational system that will help to ensure all students are given a sound educational foundation, as well as provide them with the preparation needed to lead a successful life. This framework provides practical evaluations, applications, and rubrics for administrators, instructional leaders, and teachers. In this way, all aspects of the educational system are addressed so that change is not isolated to the classroom or district administrative office, but far-reaching and systematic.
The goal of this framework is to develop an educational system that breaks away from the outmoded special education and general education paradigm. Instead, the goal is to develop a system that is concerned, at all levels, with providing each and every student with the tools and instruction they need to be successful—a goal that does not differentiate the averagee learner from the below average or above average learner. Change of this magnitude, as the authors are aware, will likely be met with resistance. It is this foresight and intuition that makes this book such a valuable tool for educators. Each chapter is aimed at a different institutional level, and at each level specific tools are tailored to aid decision makers and innovators as they assess the current state of educational awareness, implement goal-oriented strategies, and reflect on ways to develop continued improvement. Teachers and administrators looking to initiate change that will support all students, regardless of ability, will find this intuitive framework an invaluable resource.
RECOMMENDED by the US Review