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The supply-side approach to providing services without taking into account employer practices has not been effective in achieving meaningful, competitive, and integrated employment outcomes for people with disabilities. This focus neglects the fact that disability and employment is a two-way process with businesses being accountable for such demand-side factors as establishing better hiring, retention, and advancement practices. To initiate the identification of effective employer practices, this article shares the results of two executive focus groups that were conducted in a large health care organization, across four individual hospitals, with a documented success rate of hiring and retaining people with disabilities (PWDs). The purpose of the focus groups was to explore executive perceptions of their organization's success at integrating PWDs throughout their work force. Results are explored through five identified themes: (a) organizational mission guided decision-making concerning the employment of PWDs, (b) executives living the mission through their daily inclusive behaviors led to employing PWDs, (c) organizational values were important to employing PWDs, (d) the organization benefited from employment of PWDs, and (e) employing PWDs benefited organization staff and the surrounding community. The results of these executive focus groups provide an initial glimpse into the culture and practices of a highly effective organization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this investigation is to deepen understanding of the clandestine professional lives of men who care for young children, exploring the pressure to hide parts of themselves experienced by many. The author utilizes an autoethnographic approach to examine social and psychological experiences he has navigated during his work as a classroom teacher, counselor, and researcher in urban Head Start centers. He finds that there are structural, attitudinal, social, and conceptual barriers to men being engaged in young children's lives as educators and caregivers. In response, the author considers how dominant theories of caregiving in the field of early childhood education are informed by and inadvertently perpetuate traditional hegemonic notions of masculinity. He concludes by articulating the importance of critical praxis and disrupting hegemony, re-imagining opportunities for transformation and resilience. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Acceptance of gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, and queer (GLBTQ) adolescents in high schools is growing. Yet, the experience of this family suggests that creating and maintaining a safe environment for GLBTQ students requires constant vigilance, even in the best of environments. As school administrators face competing pressures from stakeholders, GLBTQ advocacy is often left to the students, unlike other types of diversity advocacy based on race, culture, or gender. This case describes how one family chose a “safe” school and struggles to keep it so. The case challenges education administration students to experience school through the eyes of a young man who is gay, and his family, and to determine what is adequate student support. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This case explores the impact of being closeted on a gay, male preschool educator and the ways in which homophobic culture is fostered in one early learning center. Although sometimes protective, being challenged to hide one’s sexual orientation most always has negative consequences for the individual and society. Internalized homophobia silences and devalues individuals, and maintains a dominant homophobic culture. The complicated relationships between sexual orientation, race, class, and gender are also illuminated. This case encourages education administration students to consider the impact of homophobia on individual staff members and to imagine possibilities for advocacy and adequate staff support. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Mirroring many of the same social and geographic inequities present in the K-12 educational system, the promise of early childhood education has been unfulfilled for many young children and their families. Social norms and funding structures, including the lack of universal, publicly funded high-quality preschool offerings, have served to perpetuate gender, class, economic, and racial inequity. The outcomes of these inequities are clearly manifested in the politics of universal preschool access and quality. In this policy analysis, the author discusses disparities in preschool access and quality, critiques social and political barriers to equitable distribution of preschool resources, and suggests several strategies for countering the current politics of class, race, gender, and geography in early childhood education. Findings from this analysis suggest that in order to provide high-quality early childhood education for all children, policy makers and advocates must address structural and attitudinal inequities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research has shown for decades that early childhood education contributes to long term increases in student achievement for all children, but what is motivating the current movement toward universal Pre-k? This study used a content analysis of five major print media sources to explore how the media is framing the public pre-K movement.We looked for the issues or constituencies that are pushing the movement and how the movement is being framed in the media and sold to the public. We framed our findings within Edelman’s theory of political spectacle, which attributes policy formation to the active and deliberate creation of dramatic spectacle by a power elite in order to sell policy to the public (Edelman, 1988). We found that a substantial number of examples of the use of rhetorical patterns and symbolic representations consistent with political spectacle in both political statements quoted in the media and media language. We conclude with a discussion of the disconnect between the political spectacle and current policy in universal pre-K. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Much of the literature to date on disability employment has focused on preparing and supporting individuals with disabilities seeking and retaining jobs (i.e., supply side). A growing body of demand-side research has revealed the importance of employer’s experiences, attitudes, and perspectives in promoting successful employment outcomes. Much remains to be learned about employers’ decision-making process around the hiring and initial onboarding of employees with disabilities. The current study consisted of interviews with 35 supervisors from businesses who had recently hired and were currently employing a person with a disability in a range of industries. Key themes across the hiring and onboarding phases highlighted the importance of employment specialists and the value of relationships and rapport to impact decisions made during these phases. Our findings resulted in several recommendations for future research, policy, and practice, the implications of which are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]