A Preliminary Analysis of an Ethnographic Study of the Impact of School Restructuring on Students with Disabilities

Abstract

ABSTRACT In 1991, the Virginia Board of Education embarked on an initiative to encourage the transformation of education at the school building level. The initiative was designed to support school restructuring based on research and documented best educational practices. As local school sites were identified, the need to investigate the impact of school restructuring on students with disabilities became apparent. The purpose of this preliminary study was to develop and verify questions to be used with focus groups as a means of investigating the impact of restructuring on students with disabilities. A second purpose was to determine the appropriateness of case study methodology as a model for studying the impact of restructuring on special education. By examining a variety of documents and conducting interviews with administrators, teachers, and parents, major issues and study questions were identified and validated, and the value of the case study was confirmed as a useful methodology for gauging the imp...