Browsing by Author "Mooney, Laura Rae"

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    Fostering an Inclusive Leadership Team: A Critical Ethnography of a Learning Support Team for Students with Severe Intellectual Disabilities
    (2021-09) Mooney, Laura Rae; Kowch, Eugene; Lashewicz, Bonnie; Lock, Jennifer; Scott, Shelleyann; Specht, Jacqueline
    High school principals grapple with how to effectively reform the bureaucratic and social culture of their schools to be more inclusive of students with severe intellectual disabilities while also maintaining high standards of academic excellence for all students. There is a paucity of scholarship examining leadership from within an inclusive learning support team (LST) for high school students with severe intellectual disabilities. The purpose of this study was to describe how a learning support team informs inclusive leadership practice. The researcher studied learning support team members from one Alberta school and district, including a director of learning, a learning support specialist, a high school principal, a learning support teacher, two secondary teachers and two education assistants. The inquiry was guided by this research question: How does a learning support team for high school students with severe intellectual disabilities inform inclusive leadership practice? A critical ethnography approach was taken and involved both observations and interviews, with a systems analysis of the findings informing concepts like teamwork and the distribution of power among the learning support team. The resulting model for fostering an inclusive leadership team provides guidance for school leader teams in similar contexts when including students with severe intellectual disabilities. Specifically, the model emphasizes the need for a coherent relationship between the classroom, school leadership and district leadership teams so together they can: (1) make curriculum connections for students; (2) provide reflective practice opportunities for staff; (3) integrate teamwork into professional development activities; (4) innovate high school instruction to be more inclusive of this population of students; and (5) develop more inclusive policy directions. Conclusions point to a need for modified curriculum development at the high school level and collaborative professional development among principals, teachers, and education assistants.
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    Inclusive education for students with severe disabilities: illuminating the issues
    (2011) Mooney, Laura Rae; Marlett, Nancy J.; Lashewicz, Bonnie M.
    This study is an exploration of the issues surrounding students with severe disabilities in inclusive education. An instrumental case study focuses on the educational experiences of one student as viewed by his parents, teachers and administrators. The purpose of this project is to contribute in-depth knowledge about the complexities involved in moving forward the goals of inclusion for all students amid inconsistent understandings and practices of inclusive education. Issues of challenging or protecting children, teacher comfort levels with disability, attitudes towards inclusion, conditional inclusion, bureaucracy of business, and the role of education assistants (EAs) are identified and exemplified. Freire's (1970) Critical Pedagogy assists in interpreting and discussing these issues in relation to their impact on the student and on education reform. Study findings suggest a need to address teacher discomfort with disability, negative attitudes towards inclusion, and the role of EAs when supporting students with severe disabilities in inclusive classrooms.