Date of Award

2019

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Department

Education

Abstract

Cultural, Educational, and legal changes have significantly altered the mix of students in regular Education classrooms. A typical classroom today might include students who are not reading on grade level; students whose first language is not English; students with behavioral, motivational, and attentional problems; students from varied cultural backgrounds; students classified as gifted; and students with learning disabilities, emotional disabilities, speech and language disabilities, and mild mental disabilities. Students with emotional, learning, and mild cognitive disabilities often experience decreased academic and social outcomes when compared to peers without disabilities. Understanding students with various disabilities, how they think, and what motivates them can help teachers reach these students. With a better understanding of these factors, teachers can improve the effectiveness of their teaching styles, thus improving the outcomes for these students in the classroom as well as on standardized tests and on graduation rates. The primary purpose of this study was to compare the graduation success rate of students with a disability based on the various special Education teaching models used, including students taught in a co-taught setting, mainstreamed classrooms, and tiered classrooms. The primary research question that motivated this study was, Is there a difference in graduation rates among students with a disability based on the special Education model in which the student received instruction?”

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