Leadership Role As The Director Of Special Education

Change is a guarantee in education. Change is never easy, and no one particularly likes change. As a special educator, I have endeavored many changes, most recently I was reassigned to John Dalton Intermediate school to be the Special Education Department Chair. I was ecstatic when the Director of Special Education moved me into this new leadership role. The Department Chair role was my first leadership role and my first year had many challenges. Even though leadership in special education is increasingly difficult and challenging job, it is something that I have always aspired to do.

The special education chair position leads me to oversee the special education department in a middle school within the division. Previously, I was a special

Within a three year period, there had been six new special education teachers, four different special education department chairs, and three new principles The department chair that I replaced put great emphasis on co-teaching and inclusion, and after only one year she left for another leadership role in a different division. There was no real vision in the special education department, and the students with disabilities were suffering the most. For the first time at JDIS, special education state indicators in Reading and Math had not been met. After meeting with the Special Education director, he informed me of all of the special education issues had JDIS. There were IEP compliance issues there was a low expectation for students with disabilities. I thought these issues would be easy to fix, and I was wrong. Not only did I have a new leadership position at a new school with a new principal, but I had also just recently started the Aspiring Special Education Leaders Academy. I missed the first faculty meeting due to my first meeting for the Leaders Academy. My participation in the leaders Academy would have me absent a total of twenty-one school days. When problems at school arose, my only form of

She was also the formal special education department chair. I was replacing of the most liked teacher in the school. Mr. Sable, the director of special education, informed me that there were many “wasted” services at JDIS. Special education paraprofessionals and teachers were providing services in elective classes and non-sol content classes. Mr. Sable put great emphasis on special education staff schedules should match the students IEP services. Also, since RCPS did not meet Indicator 3C, Math and Reading special education indicators, the special education department should look at ways to improve math and reading services for our students with disabilities. After meeting with Mr. King, JDIS principal, we decided that special education teachers should be co-teaching in reading and math and that no special education teacher or paraprofessional should be in elective classes. Special education teachers will not be co-teaching non-sol content class, but paraprofessionals would be in those classes to assist the students with disabilities. I thought this would be a simple fix, one that could be explained in an email. I was in Richmond at our first ASELA meeting, when I sent the email to staff stating that special education teachers will only be providing services in English and Math. I explained