Teachers College Record Call for Manuscripts

CALL FOR MANUSCRIPTS—TEACHERS COLLEGE RECORD

The editors invite submissions for a special issue of Teachers College Record devoted to the intersection of high-stakes testing accountability practices and special education services.

The theme of this special issue focuses on the ways in which high-stakes testing accountability systems interact with special education instructional and referral practices. We already know that minority students and English Language Learners are disproportionately identified for special education services—identification practices that can have deleterious effects on academic outcomes. However, we do not know the extent to which consequential standardized testing systems influence how these students are identified or treated, and what types of educational opportunities are offered/withheld.  Therefore, a primary goal of this special issue is to look at how high-stakes testing pressures influence special education labeling, expectations, and instructional practices and to examine their impact on students’ psychological and motivational processes and associated phenomena such as the stereotype threat, learned helplessness, and self-fulfilling prophecies.

We welcome theoretical/empirical submissions in the following areas: (a) Analyses on the ways in which high-stakes testing accountability systems inform/influence special education referral, identification, and instructional practices; and (b) The social, psychological, motivational, and academic effects of special education identification/determination in high-stakes testing contexts.

We are especially interested in these topics as they relate to students of culturally and linguistically diverse background and English Language Learners.

We welcome a full range of theoretical and methodological approaches. Review of proposals will begin immediately; for consideration please submit a 500-word abstract to Sharon Nichols (Sharon.nichols@utsa.edu) by November 30, 2014. Authors will be notified of acceptance by December 15, 2014. Authors of accepted proposals will be invited to submit a full manuscript for this special issue by March 15, 2015. All manuscripts will be subject to a peer-review. Questions should be directed to Guest Editors Sharon Nichols (Sharon.nichols@utsa.edu) or Felicia Castro-Villarreal (Felicia.CastroVillarreal@utsa.edu)