dc.contributor.author	LeDuff, Dallas Joseph
dc.coverage.spatial	Georgia	en_US
dc.coverage.temporal	c.2019-2021	en_US
dc.date.accessioned	2021-07-26T18:26:34Z
dc.date.available	2021-07-26T18:26:34Z
dc.date.issued	2021-05
dc.identifier.other	08B8C5D7-D518-299E-4865-BD4AC5BE050A	en_US
dc.identifier.uri	https://hdl.handle.net/10428/4934
dc.description.abstract	IDEA students graduating at a rate far lower than their peers in the United States (Digest of Education Statistics, 2019). Students with disabilities are currently facing are entering post-secondary life with little or no understanding of their disability or how that disability may impact them in the future. The purpose of this study was to examine a public high school in Northeast Georgia with a lower graduation rate for special education students compared to non-disabled classmates to determine the factors impacting special education student graduation rates. In-depth interviews were used to examine the perceived relationship of the strategies and practices of special education teachers and SDT through the lens of high school graduation. Six veteran special education teachers who taught IDEA students in the general education setting were interviewed to gain an understanding of what policies, practices, and strategies they perceived to impact high school graduation. After interviews were recorded, transcribed, and coded, five major themes emerged which were the IEP, Relationships, Positive Practices, and Challenges. These five themes contained the major findings of the study which were the IEP, student success, choice, relationships, consistency, evaluation, and human resources were all contributing factions to the graduation rate of IDEA students. This study may contribute to the body of research which could help educators along with policy makers better understand how to help students overcome the barriers that are believed to hinder IDEA students from graduating. Keywords: Special Education, Graduation	en_US
dc.description.tableofcontents	Chapter I: Introduction 1 -- Researcher Personal and Professional Background 1 -- Overview 2 -- Statement of the Problem 3 -- Purpose Statement 4 -- Research Questions 5 -- Significance of the Study 6 -- Conceptual Framework 7 -- Methodology 10 -- Limitations 13 -- Definitions of Terms 14 -- Chapter Summary 14 -- Chapter II: Literature Review 17 -- Statement of the Problem 17 -- Purpose 18 -- Research Questions 18 -- Introduction 19 -- Conceptual Framework 20 -- Public Education 20 -- Special Education 23 -- Legal Precedents 25 -- IDEA 29 -- Individualized Education Plans 30 -- Perceptions of the Individualized Education Plan 33 -- Impact of Teacher Practice on Student Achievement 38 -- Self Determination Theory 39 -- Framework for Student Led IEPs 45 -- Factors That Lead to High School Graduation 49 -- Chapter Summary 51 -- Chapter III: Methodology 52 -- Introduction 52 -- Researcher Design and Rationale 53 -- Setting 55 -- Role of the Researcher 56 -- Methodology 57 -- Participant Selection 57 -- Data Collection 58 -- Data Analysis 60 -- Validity 63 -- Ethical Procedures 64 -- Chapter Summary 65 -- Chapter IV: Participant Profiles 67 -- Summary of Participant Narrative Profiles 67 -- Corey 68 -- Kate 72 -- Elliot 75 -- John 79 -- Ralph 83 -- Kurt 87 -- Chapter Summary 92 -- Chapter V: Discussion of Themes 94 -- The IEP 98 -- Relationships 102 -- Motivation 107 -- Positive Practices 113 -- Challenges 118 -- Chapter Summary 123 -- Chapter VI: Discussion and Conclusions 124 -- Research Questions: Summary Discussion 126 -- Limitations 139 -- Implications 142 -- Recommendations for Future Research 147 -- Conclusions 149 -- Researcher’s Final Memo 152 -- References 155 -- APPENDIX A: Field Note Summary Form 167 -- APPENDIX B: Interview Protocol 169 -- APPENDIX C: Institution Review Board Approval/Exemption 171 -- APPENDIX D: Citi Certificate 173	en_US
dc.format.extent	1 electronic document, 184 pages.	en_US
dc.format.mimetype	application/pdf	en_US
dc.language.iso	en_US	en_US
dc.rights	This dissertation is protected by the Copyright Laws of the United States (Public Law 94-553, revised in 1976). Consistent with fair use as defined in the Copyright Laws, brief quotations from this material are allowed with proper acknowledgement. Use of the materials for financial gain with the author's expressed written permissions is not allowed.	en_US
dc.subject	Dissertations, Academic--United States	en_US
dc.subject	Special education	en_US
dc.subject	High school graduates	en_US
dc.title	Special Education Student Experience: A Case Study of a Georgia High School	en_US
dc.type	Dissertation	en_US
dc.contributor.department	Department of Leadership, Technology, & Workforce Development of the Dewar College of Education and Human Services	en_US
dc.description.advisor	Truby, William F.
dc.description.committee	Lairsey, John D.
dc.description.committee	Bochenko, Michael J.
dc.description.degree	Ed.D.	en_US
dc.description.major	Education in Leadership	en_US