ERIC Number: EJ1417100
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2024
Pages: 11
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0741-9325
EISSN: EISSN-1538-4756
A Case for Systems Change in Special Education
Juli Taylor; Wayne Sailor
Remedial and Special Education, v45 n2 p125-135 2024
With this position paper, we advance the case for reformation of U.S. special education law and praxis. These have undergone mostly incremental changes over the five decades since their inception despite a substantial body of evidence amassed over this period, which points to a major gap between extant policy and praxis, and contemporary cultural ethos and mindset of stakeholders engaged in the mission of special education. We review evidence supporting the need for change, with a particular focus on the continuing practice of segregating students with complex educational support needs. We examine this practice's contributions to ongoing racial segregation within special education, including intersectionality. We consider the inclusion movement and reasons for its failure to rectify problems with implementing the least restrictive environment mandate in current law. Furthermore, we discuss the importance of mindset and nomenclature as they pertain to students with support needs in considering reformation. Finally, we review relevant theories of systems change and their potential contributions to the process of reformation. We conclude with a suggestion that alternatives to the next reauthorization of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) be considered in the public policy arena, including a possible conversion of policy and funding to a Title program as one option.
Descriptors: Special Education, Educational Change, Praxis, Educational Policy, Federal Legislation, Policy Formation, Mainstreaming, Regular and Special Education Relationship, Educational Legislation, Equal Education, Students with Disabilities, Attitudes toward Disabilities, Individualized Education Programs
SAGE Publications and Hammill Institute on Disabilities. 2455 Teller Road, Thousand Oaks, CA 91320. Tel: 800-818-7243; Tel: 805-499-9774; Fax: 800-583-2665; e-mail: journals@sagepub.com; Web site: https://bibliotheek.ehb.be:2993
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Descriptive
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Laws, Policies, & Programs: Individuals with Disabilities Education Act
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A