Eight Paths to Leadership COLLINS.indb 4/4/18 10:49 AM COLLINS.indb 4/4/18 10:49 AM Eight Paths to Leadership A Guide for Special Educators by Belva C Collins, Ed.D The University of North Carolina at Charlotte Baltimore • London • Sydney COLLINS.indb 4/4/18 10:49 AM Paul H Brookes Publishing Co Post Office Box 10624 Baltimore, Maryland 21285-0624 USA www.brookespublishing.com Copyright © 2018 by Paul H Brookes Publishing Co., Inc All rights reserved “Paul H Brookes Publishing Co.” is a registered trademark of Paul H Brookes Publishing Co., Inc Typeset by BMWW, Windsor Mill, Maryland Manufactured in the United States of America by Sheridan Books, Inc., Chelsea, Michigan Unless otherwise stated, examples in this book are composites Any similarity to actual individuals or circumstances is coincidental, and no implications should be inferred Throughout the book, the Voice of a Leader features include excerpts from interviews with special educators and advocates Interview material has been lightly edited for length and clarity Interviewees’ responses, real names, and identifying details are used by permission Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Names: Collins, Belva C., author Title: Eight paths to leadership : a guide for special educators / by Belva C Collins, Ed.D Description: Baltimore, Maryland : Paul H Brookes Publishing Co., 2018 | Includes bibliographical references and index. Identifiers: LCCN 2017049688 (print) | LCCN 2018005225 (ebook) | ISBN 9781681252742 (epub) | ISBN 9781681252759 (pdf) | ISBN 9781681251714 (paperback) Subjects: LCSH: Special education teachers—Professional relationships | Educational leadership | Special education—Administration | Children with disabilities—Education | BISAC: EDUCATION / Leadership | EDUCATION / Special Education / General Classification: LCC LC3969.45 (ebook) | LCC LC3969.45 C65 2018 (print) | DDC 371.9—dc23 LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2017049688 British Library Cataloguing in Publication data are available from the British Library 2022 2021 2020 2019 2018 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 COLLINS.indb 4/4/18 10:49 AM Contents About the Author vii About the Downloadable Materials viii Introduction ix About This Book xi 1. Make Data-Based Decisions 2. Effect Schoolwide Change 23 3. Mentor Others 39 4. Conduct Professional Development and Consultations 57 5. Work Effectively With Families 73 6. Support Students During Transitions 91 7. Advocate for Students 113 8. Connect With Disability-Related Organizations 125 Afterword 147 References 149 Glossary 163 Index 169 v COLLINS.indb 4/4/18 10:49 AM COLLINS.indb 4/4/18 10:49 AM About the Author Belva C Collins, Ed.D., Professor and Chair, Department of Special Education and Child Development, The University of North Carolina at Charlotte Dr Collins is currently Professor and Chair of the Department of Special Education and Child Development at The University of North Carolina at Charlotte and is former Professor and Chair of the Department of Early Childhood, Special Education, and Rehabilitation Counseling at the University of Kentucky She began her career as a rural special education teacher in 1974 and became a professor in higher education in 1990 Dr Collins was the 2017 recipient of the Eagle Award for outstanding service and leadership in special education from the American Council on Rural Special Education (ACRES) She also is a former Chair of ACRES and currently serves as an Associate Editor of its journal, Rural Special Education Quarterly Dr Collins’s research interests include systematic instruction for students with moderate and severe disabilities, special education personnel preparation and teacher leadership, and inclusion of people with disabilities in their faith communities vii COLLINS.indb 4/4/18 10:49 AM About the Downloadable Materials Purchasers of this book may download, print, and/or photocopy the full transcripts of the Voice of a Leader interviews for educational use These materials are also available at www.brookespublishing.com/collins/materials viii COLLINS.indb 4/4/18 10:49 AM Introduction When people think of educational leadership, they often think of administrators— principals, special education directors, superintendents—but becoming an administrator is not the only way for an educator to lead Teachers can be leaders without leaving the classroom This idea is not new, but its specifics remain unclear My aim in writing this book is to provide special educators with paths to leadership they can follow as teachers The impetus for this book began when I was a professor at the University of Kentucky in the Department of Early Childhood, Special Education, and Rehabilitation Counseling The Kentucky Professional Standards Board mandated that all master’s degree programs in education in the state be shut down by December of 2010, redesigned, and resubmitted for approval by the board as Teacher Leader programs This caused a great deal of discussion across the state as faculty groped to define the role of a teacher leader and determine what graduate coursework in a Teacher Leader program would entail My colleagues and I spent months discussing this and redesigning our program In the end, we were the only institution of higher education in the state to design an individual program for a master’s degree in Special Education Teacher Leadership instead of designing a general graduate leadership program across all areas of teacher licensure We did so because we believed special education teachers have opportunities to serve in leadership roles that may not be available to all teachers Special education has a unique mission Teachers work with students with disabilities from birth through the transition to adulthood, a role that requires them to interact extensively with families and provide them with a good deal of support We reasoned, moreover, that special education teachers often enter a leadership role by default Other colleagues in the school turn to special education teachers when they need specific expertise Often special education teachers are known to be experts in managing behavior, designing and adapting curricula, providing evidence-based strategies specific to various types of disability, using accommodations, providing specialized intervention in communication, providing physical management, working with special health care needs, and making data-based decisions using formative data Special education teachers often must take on the role of consultant as well as collaborator when students with disabilities are included in general education classrooms, and they must take the lead in designing individualized education programs and transition plans ix COLLINS.indb 4/4/18 10:49 AM .. .Eight Paths to Leadership COLLINS.indb 4/4/18 10:49 AM COLLINS.indb 4/4/18 10:49 AM Eight Paths to Leadership A Guide for Special Educators by Belva C Collins, Ed.D... educational leadership, they often think of administrators— principals, special education directors, superintendents—but becoming an administrator is not the only way for an educator to lead Teachers... About This Book The eight chapters of this book explore eight different paths to leadership that special education teachers can follow (Each chapter title focuses on the specific leadership activity