ERIC ED413709: Publications of the School-Linked Services Integration Research Project.

270 Pages·1997·4.7 MB·English

by  ERIC

DOCUMENT RESUME
EC 305 983
ED 413 709
Publications of the School-Linked Services Integration
TITLE
Research Project.
Kansas Univ., Lawrence.
INSTITUTION
Special Education Programs (ED/OSERS), Washington, DC.
SPONS AGENCY
1997-00-00
PUB DATE
292p.
NOTE
H023D40020
CONTRACT
Collected Works - General (020) -- Information Analyses
PUB TYPE
(070) -- Reports - Descriptive (141)
MF01/PC12 Plus Postage.
EDRS PRICE
*Agency Cooperation; Behavior Modification; Change
DESCRIPTORS
Strategies; Cooperative Programs; Demonstration Programs;
*Disabilities; Educational Change; Educational Innovation;
Elementary Secondary Education; *Family Involvement; Family
Needs; Family School Relationship; *Inclusive Schools;
*Integrated Services; Lawyers; Mainstreaming; Parent
Empowerment; *School Community Programs
ABSTRACT
This compilation of publications from the School-Linked
Service Integration Research Project focuses on integrated services and
"New Community Schools: Issues for
includes the following papers:
(1)
Families in Three Streams of Reform" (Wayne Sailor), describes issues in
special education reform, general education reform, and school/health
"Services Integration: Parent Empowerment through
services reform;
(2)
School/Community Partnerships (Wayne Sailor), reviews barriers to services
"American Education in the Postmodern Era"
integration and solutions;
(3)
(Wayne Sailor), discusses the transformation from modern to postmodern
"Family Participation in New Community
rationality in our schools;
(4)
Schools" (Wayne Sailor and others), addresses the importance of family
"New Structures and
support within educational policy developments;
(5)
Systems Change for Comprehensive Positive Behavioral Support" (Wayne Sailor),
describes positive behavioral support for students with severe behavior
"Voice Collaboration and Inclusion:
disorders in inclusive settings;
(6)
Democratic Themes in Educational and Social Reform Initiatives" (Thomas M.
Skrtic and others), argues that, far more than a new special education
service delivery model, inclusion is the emerging cultural logic of the 21st
(7) "School-Linked Services Integration: Crisis and Opportunity in
century;
the Transition to Postmodern Society" (Thomas M. Skrtic and Wayne Sailor),
considers the implications of the school-linked services integration reform
and
movement for professional practice and discourse in the fields of special
remedial education, as well as for the broader political goal of democratic
"Para Las Familias: An Example of An
transformation in America;
(8)
Independent Policy Reform Model" (Martin H. Gerry and Henry M. Levin),
in
describes a model demonstration program for children and their families
low-income neighborhoods; and (9) "Service Integration and Beyond:
Implications for Lawyers and Their Training" (Martin H. Gerry). (Each chapter
includes references.)
(CR)
The University of Kansas
UNIVERSITY AFFILIATED PROGRAM
Publications of the
School-Linked
Services Integration
Research Project
#H023 D40020
U.S. DEPARTMENT OR EDUCATION
Office of Educational Research and Improvement
EDUCATI NAL RESOURCES INFORMATION
CENTER (ERIC)
his document has been reproduced as
received from the person or organization
originating it
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reproduction Quality.
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iH
Lawrence Campus
Schiefelbusch Institute for Life Span Studies
1052 Dole Human Development Center
2
Lawrence, KS 66045
[phone] FAX [phone]
Publications of the School-Linked
Services Integration Research Project
University Affiliated Program for Developmental Disabilities
University of Kansas
Lawrence, Kansas 66045
Table of Contents
Sailor, W. (1994, Summer). New community schools: Issues for families in three
streams of reform. Coalition Ouarterly, 11(3), 4-7.
Sailor, W. (1994, Summer). Services integration: Parent empowerment through
school/community partnerships. Coalition Quarterly, 11(3), 11-13.
Sailor, W., & Skrtic, T. (1995). American education in the postmodern era. In J. L.
Paul, H. Rosselli, & D. Evans (Eds.), Integrating school restructuring and
special education reform (pp. 418-432). Ft. Worth, TX: Harcourt Brace
.
Sailor, W., Kleinhammer-Tramill, J., Skrtic, T., & Oas, B. K. (1996). Family
participation in New Community Schools. In G. H. S. Singer, L. E. Powers,
& A. L. Olson (Eds.), Redefining family support: Innovations in public-
private partnerships (pp. 313-332). Baltimore: Paul H. Brookes.
Sailor, W. (1996). New structures and systems change for comprehensive positive
behavioral support. In L. K. Koegel, R. L. Koegel, & G. Dunlap (Eds.),
Positive behavioral support: Including people with difficult behavior in
the community (pp. 163-206). Baltimore: Paul H. Brookes.
Skrtic, T. M., Sailor, W., & Gee, K. (1996). Voice, collaboration, and inclusion:
Democratic themes in educational and social reform initiatives. Remedial
and Special Education, 17(3), 142-157.
Skrtic, T. M., & Sailor, W. (in press, 1996). School-linked services integration:
Crisis and opportunity in the transition to postmodern society. To appear
in Remedial and Special Education, 17(5).
Gerry, M. H., & Levin, H. M. (in press). Para Las Familias: An example of an
independent policy reform model. Submitted to Remedial and Special
Education.
Gerry, M. H. (in prepration). Service integration and beyond: Implications for
lawyers and their training. Lawrence, KS: University of Kansas,
Community Policy Research Center, April 1996.
oalitionA
r
uarterly1
Volume 11
Summer
Number 3
1994
A PUBLICATION OF THE TAPP (TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE FOR PARENT PROGRAMS) PROJECT
This issue was produced in collaboration with the Beach Center on Families and Disability, University of Kansas, Lawrence
4
COALITION QUARTERLY
NEW COMMUNITY SCHOOLS
ISSUES FOR FAMILIES IN THREE STREAMS OF REFORM
By Wayne Sailor
Director of the University Affiliated Program
Lawrence
Research Associate, Beach Center on Families and Disability
University of Kansas, Lawrence
Let's imagine for the moment that you are a single parent of three children. One of your children,
Sarah, is an eight-year-old with severe intellectual disabilities.
She also has other physical
disabilities and has been referred to at times as "medically fragile." You have moved to a new
community and things are difficult. You have a part-time housekeeping job on the other side of
town and your income is below the community poverty standard. The bus route from home to job
has been targeted for elimination for cost-saving reasons, further jeopardizing your circumstances.
Is your situation unique? In fact it is played out in various scenarios all over America and in
dramatically increasing numbers.
Continuing to imagine, suppose today is the first day of contact with your local school; you
prepare to enroll Sarah. Your previous experience, in another community with special education,
was not satisfactory. You are prepared for the worst. To your surprise, the principal is welcoming.
She asks about Sarah's previous history, her educational experiences, and seems to probe for
information on Sarah's strengths, rather than her limitations. At the conclusion, she introduces
you to Sarah's teacher, who is a regular third grade teacher, and also a member of the school
counseling team whose job is described as "Services Coordinator." The teacher explains that Sarah
will be supported as a fully included child through special education and other supports in the
regular class curriculum. The Services Coordinator explains that her role will be to look after all
of Sarah's and her parent's requirements for special supports, not only at school, but in the
community as well. She explains that Sarah and her family qualify for a family support plan that
will include an Individualized Educational Plan for Sarah. Sarah's parent will need only to contact
the Service Coordinator to arrange for all educational, social welfare, and health-care assistance
supports for which Sarah and her family are eligible by virtue of their combined circumstances.
Is such imagining a total fantasy? In fact, such
the millennium time landmark (AD 2000) is having
schools exist in a number of communities across
the effect of dramatically accelerating these reform
several states, and their numbers are on the
processes.
increase. These circumstances represent the product
For example, many aspects of all three reform
of a fusion of three parallel human services policy
processes are embedded in President Clinton's
reform efforts at single school sites.
The policy
"Goals 2000" legislation. Only in the last few years
streams are special education reform, called
have these three parallel streams of reform come
"inclusive education"; regular education reform
together in a single, coherent school/coramunity
called "school restructuring"; and health/social
partnership program, and it is the outcome of such a
services reform, called "integrated services." Each
fusion that makes the scenario depicted for Sarah an
of these streams of policy reform has been under
increasing likelihood for many families.
way in some form for two decades. The occasion of
Special Education Reform
To many concerned exclusively with special
professionals and family members associated with
education, inclusive education seems a radical
children whose disabilities are relatively mild (i.e.,
departure from the norm and is quite controversial.
learning disabilities) because of an historical reliance
Its hallmark is the de-emphasis or complete
on pull-out, resource room programs sometimes
elimination of special education classrooms and a
supported by partial mainstreaming.
For these
reconfiguration of resources to support students in
students, research on the issue consistently favors
neither approach over the other in terms of
regular classroom placements.
educational outcomes. When social outcomes are
In general, resistance to inclusion comes from
4
COALITION QUARTERLY
examined, research favors inclusion.
comparison to special class placements.
When viewed from the standpoint of other
The community of families and professionals
associated with students with deafness/hard-of-
professions, not exclusively identified with special
hearing disabilities is also divided on the issue of
education, inclusive education seems to be just one
aspect of a much broader-based set of reforms
inclusion, but their concern is with a relative lack of
social opportunities for these children to
occurring across educational community special
assistance programs. Some resistance to inclusion
communicate with one another in sign language in
has surfaced in recent months from the regular
inclusive schools.
education teacher unions, but these objections seem
The strongest champions of inclusive education
primarily driven by issues associated with the
tend to be associated with students who have
collective bargaining process in general, rather than
developmental disabilities. Research indicates that
actual objections to including children with
these students benefit significantly both socially and
disabilities in regular classrooms.
educationally from inclusive placements in
KEY ELEMENTS OF INCLUSIVE EDUCATION
All students attend local school
Placement in regular, age-appropriate classroom
Students fully included in all school activities
No labels (Le., "LD") are used at school site
No special classes exist at school
Special education supports are fully integrated into regular program
Students' supports are identified and provided through site team processes
General Education Reform
The current term for the rapid changes taking
More importantly, perhaps, for families of students
with special needs, restructured schools are chang-
place in schools generally is "school restructuring."
In general,
Restructured schools differ from traditional schools
ing their organization and governance.
in two important ways. First, the processes of edu-
restructured schools have more ability to experiment
curriculum, instructional methods and
cation
with new methods, are governed by teams of teachers
pupil progress evaluation
are significantly
and others at the school site (often including par-
changing. Elements of the curriculum (i.e., math,
ents), and most significantly, are fully integrating all
special resource programs into a unified educational
geography) are becoming more integrated with one
another so that children learn in a more holistic
program. Separate support programs for special
Instruction occurs increasingly in small
needs populations, such as special education, Chapter
context.
groups such as cooperative learning groups, with
One, bilingual education, gifted, and soon, are fully
integrated into the general education program and
students more actively involved in the instruction of
Evaluation is becoming more
other students.
coordinated in such a manner that all of the students
at the school benefit from all of the available support
outcomes-based, that is, looking at how students use
what they learn, rather than how they fare on
programs at the school. Viewed from the standpoint
of school restructuring, inclusive education is simply
standardized tests.
part of the total school reorganization process.
KEY ELEMENTS OF SCHOOL RESTRUCTURING
Systemic Elements
Process Elements
Relative school autonomy
Integrated curriculum
Site-based management and team decision-
Small grouping arrangements for
making
instruction
Pooled and fully integrated school program
Outcomes-based pupil progress evaluation
resources
5
COALITION QUARTERLY
Social/Health Services Reform
Generally called "school-linked, integrated
are created); what's left of the money is spent directly
services," this set of reform processes serves to round
on the problem. Each new program operates in
out the full picture for families of students with
isolation relative to other programs, even though the
special needs. Under traditional systems, consumers
others may be quite similar and even have common
of agency programs must seek out each separate
root causes. Consumers have no say in how programs
agency, a process that may regularly involve many
are operated, and often have little choice among
In most cases there is no coordination
contacts.
programs.
across programs, often including programs within
By contrast, the key elements of integrated services
the school.
Consumer families are unaware of
models are:
numerous social, health and educational programs
a) the formation of community service integration
for which they qualify for assistance.
councils that represent all human services provider
School-linked, integrated services offer what
agencies in the area including the schools, business
would seem to be a simple solution to these difficult
and industry representatives, and consumers of ser-
This solution makes government
circumstances.
vices (i.e., parents of children who have special
assistance programs "user friendly" by creating a
assistance needs);
single point of contact that offers a variety of choices
b) services coordination (i.e., "case management")
in assistance programs and makes all contact arrange-
so that parents have a single point of contact for
ments. The information provided to a parent on
arrangement of all supports needed by the child in
simply what is "out there" is often half the effort by
school and by the child and family in the community;
itself.
and
So why isn't such a simple, elegant idea in
c) the coordination of all service within and across
operation now? The answer lies in the traditional
agencies so that barriers such as eligibility for spe-
manner in which our country addresses social
cific programs (but not others), confidentiality
problems. To put it simply, a problem is identified
requirements specific to individual agencies, agency-
and described in a legislative context (federal or state
specific budget limitations and restrictions, etc., can
government); funds are appropriated to address the
be set aside.
problem (i.e., teen pregnancy; drug abuse); a special
The result is a coherent "family services plan" that
support program is created within an existing
"wraps around" the consumer.
bureaucracy (sometimes whole new bureaucracies
KEY ELEMENTS OF SCHOOL-LINKED, INTEGRATED SERVICES
Community councils with membership of consumers and the full spectrum of service
agencies
Services coordination with a single point of contact for families
Services coordination within school and between school and community
Comprehensive family services planning
Pooled and shared resources across agencies and programs
Flexible funding mechanisms to address problems not specifically covered by an agency
New Community Schools
To return briefly to our "fantasy" of Sarah and her
single point-of-entry into service provision. She also
mother, such a refreshing encounter with a school
may be eager to develop various skills (if she does
principal is becoming increasingly more likely. The
not have them already), such as leadership skills, by
role for family members in these reform processes
participating on her school's inclusion team or
represents nothing less than
seeking to be appointed to the full-school site
at several
empowerment
Empowerment begins with motivation,
levels.
management team. Within the community itself,
Sarah's mother can seek membership on a
depends on skills and resources, and flourishes in a
community-services integration council or
responsive context. Here, Sarah's mother may be
motivated to work more closely with her daughter's
participate on committees that facilitate council
educators and other professionals because she has a
operations. Finally, she finds a responsive context
7
6
COALITION QUARTERLY
for her and Sarah's needs
a policy and provider
For further reading:
system that is fully responsive to what she and Sarah
Beach Center on Families and Disability (1993).
Application
want and what they choose.
for federal funding.
Lawrence, KS:The University of Kansas
Sarah's school, by combining funds from a wide
Integration of students
Halvorsen, A.T., & Sallor,W. (1990).
spectrum of programs through education, health
with severe and profound disabilities: A review of research.
and social services systems, is now open five days a
In R. GaylordRoss (Ed.),
Issues and Research In Special
week from 6 a.m. until 10 p.m. It offers three hot
Education.
New York: Teachers College Press.
meals a day to students who need them and offers
preschool as well as latch-key" programs. The
Sailor, W., Gee, K., & Karasoff, P. (1993).
Full Inclusion and
facility is open at night for community meetings, and
school restructuring.
In M.E. Snell (Ed.),
Instruction of
child care is provided to encourage family
Students with Severe Disabilities,
4th ed.
New York:
participation. For families of children with special
Macmillan Publishing.
needs, new community schools are certainly the
wave of the immediate future.
BEST
COPY
AVAILABLE
SERVICES INTEGRATION
PARENT EMPOWERMENT THROUGH SCHOOL/COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIPS
By Wayne Sailor
Director of University Affiliated Program
Research Associate, Beach Center for Families and Disability
University of Kansas, Lawrence
Miguel
Sylvia Sanchez (not her real name) is a single
Freedom School bustles with teamwork. The
parent and the mother of a child with severe disabili-
school is governed by an interactive process that
ties in the community of Watsonville in Santa Cruz,
includes the principal and a site management team
California. Her son Miguel (not his real name) used
consistingof teachers, support personnel and parents.
to be in a special school operated by the County
The team allocates and distributes school resources
Office of Education, called a 'Development Center
on the basis of pupil needs rather than, as formerly,
for the Handicapped." Mrs. Sanchez had relatively
on the basis of categorical label (i.e., Special Education,
little contact with the Center because she is Spanish-
Chapter One, Gifted, etc.). Services Coordinators on
speaking and the only interpreting provided at the
the Site Team are fully familiar with the pattern of
school was during IEP meetings. Her feeling about
specialized in-school supports to individual students,
the Development Center program is that it mainly
and serve to coordinate those supports with other
developed dependency on adults for support on the
support systems available to the child and his family
one hand and some behavioral problems on the
outsideof the school. Asa result of this process, Mrs.
otherno age - appropriate skills and no friendships.
Sanchez has a Comprehensive Family Services Plan
that effectively provides a "wrap-around" of all
Miguel now attends Freedom School, a regular
special assistance programs for which she and Miguel
elementary school in Watsonville, as a fourth grader
are eligible.
in one of the regular classrooms. He has rapidly
developed both skills and friendships. Mrs. Sanchez
More importantly, as an active participant in her
is a member of the Family Support Center team.
family assistance planning process, she has chosen
Freedom School is part of a community services
from a number of options those services that meet
integration partnership that coordinates all social,
her needs. Most of Miguel's health care needs are
health and specialized educational supports to
looked after in the Freedom School Clinic, which has
children and families associated with the school.
a staff nurse and visiting physician assistants. In
Mrs. Sanchez and Miguel attend meetings in the
talking to Mrs. Sanchez abouther feelingsconcerning
Family Services Center at the school on Wednesday
Freedom School, it quickly becomes clear that she is
evenings from 8 to 10 p.m. Child care is provided, so
emotionally invested in a positive way. Her son's
Miguel and his friends are looked after.
school is a major community resource to the family.
Maria
In another school in the same community a
traditional community, Maria might well havebeen
different child, "Maria," is presenting a number of
referred to the school psychologist for diagnostic
problems in her classroom. The teacher is concerned
testing. The process might have led to a categorical
label being assigned to her, such as "learning
because Maria, until recently, had made steady
progress in her curriculum and presented no
disabled" or "emotionally disturbed," and an IEP
In a traditional school in a
particular difficulties.
written for special education.
9
11
COALITION QUARTERLY
In this case,however, a different process occurred.
Victoria, the coordinator was able to develop a short-
The teacher asked for assistance from the student
term Family Assistance Plan that helped Jose find
study team at the school. The team felt that Maria's
work and helped the family to not only get back on
problems may be linked to family difficulties, and
its feet, but also get much-needed assistance in a
variety of support areas that the family members
her situation became known to a Services Coordinator
at the school, who elected to make a home visit. He
were unaware even existed. Maria's problems abated
with no long-term special support program needing
found a situational crisis: Maria's father had just lost
With cooperation from Maria's mother,
his job.
to be invoked.
From Agency Centered to Family Centered
The unique circumstances that make these
point of contact. Families may select from a wide
illustrations commonplace in Watsonville and
array of service options to meet their needs in a
increasingly in other communities is a piece of
coordinated and periodically evaluated fashion.
significant special assistance policy reform called
Instead of being interviewed by a host of strangers
school-linked, integrated services. At the heart of
representing a variety of agencies; instead of filling
this reform is the idea that services to people who
out volumes of forms, one set for each program or
need special assistance in order to enjoy a reasonable
agency encountered; instead of appearing in person
quality of life need to be transformed from agency
at a variety of agency offices located all over town
centered to family centered. A second principle is
and, in some cases, outside of town
instead of all
involved: service support systems need to be geared
these traditional headaches, family members can be
to prevention rather than adult interventions. In other
interviewed by a single person, with a single set of
words, invest in children rather than waiting to cope
forms who meets with them in a single and familiar
with major, expensive adult problems that emerge
place, often the school attended by one of the family
later on.
members. The person interviewing the family is the
same person at the school who looks after the various
Instead of consumer family members having to
special support programs that the school provides to
seek out a variety of provider agencies in order to
the child with special assistance needs.
have their needs met, these agencies are represented
through a knowledgeable and "user friendly" single
Barriers
Various programs do not co-
of access, etc.
This process of transformation in school-linked,
integrated services is not a new idea.
ordinate, cooperate and in some cases are not
It has been
actively discussed and attempted in different forms
even aware of each other.
by government agencies at the federal and state
Eligibility.
Bureaucracies that administer
levels since the early 1970s. It has only very recently
various programs (for example, the Agriculture
begun to gather steam as a major program of reform
Department, for food stamps) set standards for
in American public policy. The reason is that the
eligibility for assistance use. Often, programs
process of transformation is difficult. There are very
that theoretically fit nicely together to provide a
significant barriers to services integration that have
"safety net" of assistance for families in need, in
to be addressed in each community and in each state
reality cancel each other out. If you make use of
where these efforts are under way, before
Program A, you lose entitlement option for
demonstrations like the one in Watsonville become
Program B, even though the two together might
possible.
help a family to become self-sustaining much
more rapidly than can either program alone.
Some of the more formidable barriers are as
follows:
Confidentiality. Each agency that administers
programs for client assistance maintains its own
Discrete services programs. Congress addresses
database on its consumers and rarely shares
social problems by creating an "authorization"
(creating a program) and "appropriation"
information with other agencies. The result is a
near impossibility for coordinated services use
(funding the program) that is specifically aimed
Each agency has "case
across agencies.
at solving a single problem (and no other
managers" who will treat you as a "case" but
problem). Take AIDS, for example.
Special
who rarely correspond with or contact each
assistance programs to address the ravages of
other. Worst of all, none of the case managers
AIDS are now available in communities through
will inform you concerning programs for which
a variety of discrete agency programs. Each has
you may be eligible in other agencies.
its separate eligibility requirements, forms, places
BEST COPY AVAILABLE
12