"This Might Come Back Down on Me": Online Special Education Teachers and Administrators Position Each Other in Their Work

• In Event: Roundtable Session 53
  In Roundtable Session: Situating Teachers: The Impact of Diverse and Changing Teaching Contexts on Teacher Practice

Abstract

When K12 students with disabilities are enrolled in online courses where they complete work away from the constant direct presence of teachers, additional technological requirements, layers of placement, and accountability expectations demand increased vigilance from online educators, yet this vigilance is ill defined. Findings emerged from a descriptive study of teachers working with students with disabilities and their special education administrators, shedding light on the question, “How do K12 teachers and administrators an online school position each other in their work?” Findings hold implications for improving collaboration between both groups in learning environments that are highly technological and aim to support students with disabilities or other difficulties that require sustained teacher/administrator collaboration.

Authors

• Mary F. Rice, The University of Kansas

• Richard Allen Carter, The University of Kansas