Volume 4 - Issue 1 - DBU Journal of K-12 Educational Research - Page 56

54 Self-efficacy The researcher sought to explore the perceptions of educators in charter schools regarding their own ability to teach students with various levels of disability. Thirty- five percent of the participants revealed they had the most confidence in teaching students with only mild disabilities. Perhaps this is related to the minimal training and professional development received as revealed by the responses to support provided. Support Participants were asked to rate the level of support they feel they receive from their charter campus in working with special education students. Thirty-nine percent of the participants felt they received a moderate amount of support, while 34% felt they received only a little support. The type of support received by most of the participants was support from special education aides or paraprofessionals. Conferencing with special education staff, training and professional development, and inclusion teacher support were also reported within the top four supports provided. When asked what types of support they would like to receive, most participants chose training and professional development. Resources and materials, lesson planning guidance, and behavior support were among the top four supports desired. Sixteen participants provided comments to “other” which revealed the top three supports desired was additional special education staff, resource classes, and training for teachers. General Perceptions The final question sought to elicit any further thoughts or perceptions from participants regarding their campus and students in special education. The four themes identified within the responses were personnel, support, climate and culture, and challenges. Personnel . Participants perceived a need for an increase in special education staff; an increase in training, especially for teachers of mildly to severely disabled students; and an increase in leadership involvement. Support . Participants perceived a lack of quality in the support provided for severely disabled students but adequate for mildly disabled students. More student support in the areas of behavioral, emotional, and academics was desired. Teacher supports desired included more resources, such as time and personnel, and a reduction of caseloads for special education teachers. Climate and culture . Most respondents felt their campus held strong values and beliefs about students with disabilities, saying they love and value their students, have students’ best interests at heart, work without complaint, and have the mindset of meeting student needs. They also shared their campus is a place where students feel safe and included, and they are proud of the support and work done for special education students. Some participants, however, felt no one listens to them and special education feels like a different part of the school. Challenges . Five main challenges were revealed in the responses of the participants: identification, process, complex and diverse student needs, class sizes, and resources. Comparative Summary and Implications Comparing the quantitative and qualitive data from the perception questionnaire in Table 1, one gains a better understanding of the generalizability of the results across all four categories of questions asked. The results of the questionnaire revealed multiple areas of alignment with the history of research. Most significant to the current study were the perceptions of charter school educators regarding lack of resources, both fiscal and human, and the negative impact this deficit has on students with disabilities as well as the teachers educating them (Miron, 2014; Rhim, 2008; Rhim & McLaughlin, 2001; Winters, 2015). The findings revealed the following: the process of identification is too long or much too long and is somewhat difficult; charter schools serve high numbers of students with mild disabilities and low numbers of students with more severe disabilities; charter school educators have the most confidence in their ability to teach only students with mild disabilities and feel they Deborah Garton, EdD