Transforming Special Education Practices

Dr. Bittel is co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of Futures Education, a company providing special education and clinical services and management to districts across the country. Dr. Bittel is a Speech and Language Pathologist and has more than 35 years of executive leadership experience in the areas of special education, rehabilitation and developmental disabilities. He has taught on the primary, secondary, college, and graduate school levels. He serves as a Trustee at American International College in Springfield, Massachusetts.Dr. Nicholas D. Young has worked in diverse roles in education for more than twenty years, serving as a director of student services, principal, graduate professor, higher education administrator, and superintendent of schools. He holds numerous degrees from Austin Peay State University, Westfield State University, Western New England University, Union Institute & University and American International College, including a Ph.D. in Educational Administration and an Ed.D. in Psychology. Dr. Young previously served as the President of the Massachusetts Association of School Superintendents, completed a distinguished Fulbright Program focused on Japanese educational systems, and was recognized as the Massachusetts Superintendent of the Year in 2010. He has served for more than twenty-seven years to date in the U.S. Army and U.S. Army Reserves; and he is currently the Commanding Officer for the 405th Combat Support Hospital, USAR, located in West Hartford, CT. Dr. Young is a frequent presenter at state, national and international conferences and has published widely on a number of topics in education, leadership and psychology.

This book offers school administrators and policy-makers with a practical, research-based reference for understanding and working with students in special education. It offers pragmatic insights into such important subjects as effective leadership practices, legal regulations, and solutions for budgetary challenges that are confronted each and every day in our nation’s schools.

• IntroductionAcknowledgementsThe Superintendent’s Role in Special Education Leadership David Larson Ph.D., Herbert Levine, Ph.D., Dominick Vita Ph.D. & Nicholas Young Ph.D., Ed.D.Organizational, Personnel and Fiscal Considerations in the Oversight of Special Education Services Brian Edwards, M.Ed. & Dominick C. Vita, Ph.D.Forming a Necessary Partnership: Engaging the Families of Special NeedsStudentsPeter Davies, MA & Christine N. Michael, Ph.D.Rethinking the Assignment of Paraprofessionals: Ensuring Students are Well Served Within Budget Constraints Peter J. Bittel, Ed.D., Nicholas D. Young, Ph.D., Ed.D. & Michael Neiman, Ph.D., CCC-SLPMethods to Meet the Budget Challenges in Special EducationPeter Bittel, Ed.D. & Herb Levine, Ph.D.NCLB and IDEA: Related Services and the LawPeter Bittel, Ed.D., CCC-SLP, Erin Edwards, M.A., CCC- SLP, Herbert Levine, Ph.D., Michael Neiman, Ph.D., CCC-SLP, & Wendy C. Reed, Esq.Superintendent’s Use of Special Education Data and Performance Measures in an Environment of AccountabilityGeorge David Jack, M.Ed., MBASpecial Education Transportation: Why is it Expensive and What Can Be Done to Reduce the Cost Richard Labrie, M.Ed.BiographiesReferences