A Practical Approach to Special Education Administration

Praise Pages Dedication Foreword Preface About the Authors Introduction Part I: Foundational Elements Chapter 1. Legal Foundation for Providing a Free and Appropriate Education to Students With Disabilities Chapter 2. Defining Your Beliefs Chapter 3. Your Role as Administrator of Special Education Chapter 4. Confidentiality Chapter 5. Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 Part II: Program and Service Delivery Considerations Chapter 6. Procedural Manual Chapter 7. Process, Procedures, Practices: Referral, Evaluation, and Determination of Eligibility for Specialized Instruction Chapter 8. Inclusion Chapter 9. Programs and Services: Options and Choices Chapter 10. Professional Development Chapter 11. Discipline and Students With Special Needs Chapter 12. Age of Majority and Transition to Adult Services Chapter 13. Documentation Part III: Working With and Managing Related Stakeholders Chapter 14. Parents Chapter 15. Central Office Administrators Chapter 16. Building Administrators Chapter 17. Role of Various Special Education Personnel Chapter 18. Supervision and Evaluation of Department Staff Chapter 19. Budget Development Part IV: Extraordinary Concerns Chapter 20 Dealing With Difficult Cases Chapter 21. Advocates Chapter 22. Due Process, Appeal Hearings, and Mediation Part V: Additional Thought Conclusion Appendices Acknowledgments References

James B. Earley, EdD, is an independent special education consultant, contracted for the LABBB Collaborative, the SEEM Collaborative, the Northshore Education Consortium, and Seaside Educational Consultants. He has 52 years of public education experience as a teacher, teaching assistant principal, and Massachusetts Department of Education supervisor and acting regional special education director; nearly 30 years as administrator of special education and interim superintendent of schools for the Watertown Public Schools; and 12 years as managing director of Walker Partnerships prior to assuming his current consulting activities. Dr. Earley has been a senior lecturer at Lesley University and Wheelock College, an adjunct professor at the University of Massachusetts Boston, and a student teacher supervisor for Salem State University. Dr. Earley has consulted for numerous educational organizations, has participated in a variety of special education task forces and committees, and was a member of the Executive Board of the Massachusetts Administrators for Special Education for 24 years. He has conducted over 125 independent program reviews and evaluations for public schools, private special education schools, and charter schools. He has conducted numerous professional development trainings for school districts within Massachusetts and several other states. He has been recognized for his contributions to the field of special education and received several awards, culminating with being named the 2003 Outstanding Administrator of Special Education by the Council of Administrators of Special Education. He received his bachelor's in education and his master's in education, social rehabilitation administration, from Northeastern University in Boston; his Certificate of Advanced Graduate Study (CAGS) in organizational and administrative theory at Boston University; and his doctorate in education, with an emphasis on educational leadership, from the University of Massachusetts Amherst. Robert J. McArdle, MEd, is an independent special education consultant with over 47 years in public education as a mediator and educational specialist for the Office of Elementary and Secondary Education, administrator of special education for Woburn Public Schools, pupil personnel administrator for the Greater Lawrence Technical School and Stoneham Public Schools, executive director of the Greater Lawrence Educational Collaborative and the Gifford School, and Northeast associate manager of Walker Partnerships. Mr. McArdle has been a visiting faculty member at Salem State University, Fitchburg State University, the University of Massachusetts Boston, and Endicott College. He has served in several interim positions and has mentored both public and private school administrators. Mr. McArdle has conducted over 70 public school special education program evaluations and has served on numerous advisory boards, task forces, and special committees. He has presented at numerous conferences and conducted professional training sessions for school personnel for over 40 years. Mr. McArdle has served in several executive board positions, including president of the Massachusetts Administrators for Special Education. He is also a past recipient of the Massachusetts Special Education Administrator of the Year Award.