Dissertation writing help - A Study of Curriculum Development and Reform in Residential Schools

Custom Dissertation Writing Service in a Study of Curriculum Development and Reform in Residential Schools for the Blind in the United States: Three Case Studies

In the United States, just about 6.5 million kids and youths get special education and related services to meet their individual needs (US Department of Education,2007). The federal law mandates that students get adequate education privileges and opportunities relative to their respective disabilities (Hess &Petrilli, 2006; Welner& Chi, 2008; Hunt &Lasley, 2010). Thus, there is great disparity among states and local school districts on what is deemed an appropriate education for this population of students (Sears & Moody, 2001; Wallace, 2010). In addition, learning outcomes do not simply convey an achievement of learning goals on the part of the students, purposely learning the skills and abilities to integrate themselves into society and become well-adjusted individuals (Rice, 2009).

Given the broad range of disabilities and the variance within disability categories, it is extremely difficult to check and articulate an all-inclusive definition or statement on what is appropriate for these students to be taught and to learn. This issue of identifying what students in special education could be taught and what they should learn reveals an even more urgent concern and one that has led to the focus of research on purposely one disability group, the blind and visually impaired. Concerning students who are blind and visually impaired, the questions now relates to how residential schools for this group prepare their curriculum to meet the unique needs of students who are blind or visually impaired. I will use artifacts and interviews to study three residential schools for the blind in the US to recognize the development of curriculum and reform after NCLB.