Todd V Fletcher

Interests

Teaching

Diversity of language, culture and learning. Assessment and instruction of students from diverse backgrounds

Research

Inclusive education

Courses

Scholarly Contributions

Chapters

• Fletcher, T. V. (2014). How I came to be: The long journey home.. In White Voices in Multicultural Psychology, Education and Leadership: Inside the Walls of America’s Higher Education(pp 51-62). Hauppauge, NY: Nova Science Publishers.
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  The chapter provides a career long examination of my research, teaching and service in the area of diversity in the area of special education showing the contributions to a more diverse and equitable society.
• Fletcher, T. V. (2014). Special Education Today in Mexico. In Special Education International Perspectives: Practices Across the Globe(pp 61-89). Emerald Publishing Group Limited.
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  This chapter provides a current description of special education programs, services and policies.

Journals/Publications

• Fletcher, T. V. (2014). Special Education in the United States: Benefits and Challenges of Inclusion. Revista Latinoamerica de Educación Inclusiva,, 7(2), 63-76.
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  This article was published in Spanish and provides a perspective on the current status of special education in regards to the implementation of inclusive education in the US public schools.
• Forlin, C., Cedillo, I. G., Romero-Contreras, S., Fletcher, T., & Javier, H. (2010). Inclusion in Mexico: Ensuring supportive attitudes by newly graduated teachers. International Journal of Inclusive Education, 14(7), 723-739.
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  Abstract: The inclusion of students with special education needs in regular schools in Mexico is slowly gaining momentum. Likewise, teacher training for inclusion is increasingly becoming an important aspect of preservice training. This research investigates the perceptions of 286 preservice teachers who are about to complete their general teacher training regarding their dispositions towards inclusion and their self-efficacy in being prepared to engage as inclusive practitioners. While greater training, experience and engagement with people with disabilities are all associated with more positive dispositions and higher levels of self-efficacy, many preservice teachers are about to complete their courses with nil or very limited experiences in these areas. The discussion focuses on the need for localised teacher education reform to address the different needs of preservice teachers within the highly rigid centralised curriculum that Escuelas Normales are required to implement. Without the flexibility to modify this national curriculum, it will remain extremely challenging to provide appropriate preservice teacher training for inclusion in Mexico. © 2010 Taylor & Francis.
• Lane, K. L., Fletcher, T., Carter, E. W., Dejud, C., & DeLorenzo, J. (2007). Paraprofessional-led phonological awareness training with youngsters at risk for reading and behavioral concerns. Remedial and Special Education, 28(5), 266-276.
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  Abstract: This study examined the efficacy of a paraprofessionalled supplemental early intervention for first-grade students with poor early literacy skills and behavioral concerns. The goal was to determine if (a) the relatively brief intervention was effective in improving phonological skills, and (b) improvements in academic skills would be accompanied by behavioral and social improvements. The results indicated that the students in the treatment condition experienced significant, lasting increases in phonological awareness and moderate improvement in word attack skills. However, significant collateral effects on social and behavioral performance were not observed. Limitations and directions for future investigation are offered.
• Combs, M. C., Evans, C., Fletcher, T., Parra, E., & Jiménez, A. (2005). Bilingualism for the children: Implementing a dual-language program in an English-only state. Educational Policy, 19(5), 701-728.
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  Abstract: In November 2000, Arizona voters passed Proposition 203, a law that replaced bilingual education with a 1-year program known as Structured English Immersion (SEI). Although SEI has little support in the educational or applied linguistics research literature, all English-language learners (ELLs) in Arizona are automatically placed in SEI classrooms. This article examines the effects of SEI on the teachers, administrators, and students at an urban school serving a large number of ELLs. The study found that SEI teachers are largely unaware of the model and unprepared to teach it effectively, that training in SEI strategies has been haphazard, that interpretation of the law's waiver system by State education officials has seriously reduced the number of students eligible for the school's dual-language program, and that forcing English learners into SEI is traumatizing some of them and distressing their parents. The study raises questions about the civil rights implications of the law. © 2005 Corwin Press.
• Ramos, E. G., & Fletcher, T. V. (1998). Special education and education reform in Mexico: Providing quality education to a diverse student population. European Journal of Special Needs Education, 13(1), 29-42.
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  Abstract: This paper discusses the reform of basic education in Mexico and the restructuring of special education services that is occurring within the context of that reform. Recent developments in the transformation of educational services for diverse populations are identified and discussed. The activities of the General Directorate of Special Education of the Public Education Secretariat in the Federal District of Mexico City, and the new service delivery models for individuals with special educational needs currently being implemented, are featured.
• Fletcher, T. V., & Kaufman, C. (1995). A Mexican perspective on learning disabilities.. Journal of learning disabilities, 28(9), 530-534, 544.
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  PMID: 8530894;Abstract: Given the worldwide trend toward the integration of children with special needs into the general school system, and the Program for Educational Modernization (1989-1994) in Mexico, Mexican educators have had to reassess the politics of special education, focusing on different service delivery models. One model, Integrated Groups, which has been functioning since the 1970s and is primarily for children with learning and language disabilities, is described. New legislation recently enacted recognizes and encourages the collaboration of general education and special education to meet the needs of all children. During the school year 1994-1995, the Secretariat of Public Education (SEP; the Mexican centralized public school system) is piloting, in Mexico City, a proposal for the integration of children into the general classroom. This new model of service delivery is designed to provide greater site-based approaches to the education of individuals with learning disabilities.