Eleanor Gil-Kashiwabara (Research Coordinator) <gilkashi@ohsu.edu>
Sarah Geenen (Principal Investigator)<geenens@ohsu.edu> stated the
following:
Given that we are in the early stages of our research, we would be
interested in hearing about any questions or hypotheses panel discussion
group participants have that we might be able to answer through the study.
As currently conceptualized, the questions we will be investigating through
the Transition Plan Evaluation Study include:
1. Do Transition plans vary by the gender of the members of the team
planning them ( do mostly female teams tend to produce different types of
plans than mostly male team - if any of the latter actually exist)?
2. Look at transition plans that include college. Do these follow the trend
for non-disabled students i.e males are a declining minority of college
students.
3. Are resources equally available for both genders in schools and
community? For example, in MN schools, males ( disabled and abled ) are
continually denied equal access to school and non-school programs based
solely on gender. This exists because the MN CFL (dept of ed) refuses to
take gender discrimination against males seriously, I believe. Is the same
true in other states ?
4. If SATs are part of the IPE transition programs, do the results mirror
those for disabled students, i.e. males are over-represented at the lower
end of the curve, as well as the higher end.
5. How long have the students been labeled as sp ed before transition plans
were written? Does this vary by gender? Usually boys are labeled LD about
3rd grade by mostly female teachers who may not be meeting the gender needs
of males in their reading instruction.
6. Do the plans differ by the gender composition of the state dept of
education who make many of the rules dealing with transition plans ?
In the Minnesota matriarchal CFL (dept of ed ) there are about 50 positions
listed in the Division of Special Ed, no more than 10 of these are filled
by
men, as near as I can tell. If the gender situation were reversed would
this
have an effect on the rules and implementation plans ?
Sounds like a most interesting study, I wish you well.
Steven A. Kaatz
Associate Professor of Education
Bethel College
St. Paul, Minnesota
<kaaste@bethel.edu>
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