Does Compliance Matter in Special Education? IDEA and the Hidden Inequities of Practice
By Catherine Kramarczuk Voulgarides
(TC Press)
This book asks a question that many educators may think, but won’t say outloud: Does compliance with IDEA legislation matter? The author acknowledges that, while compliance with IDEA (Individuals with Disabilities Education Act) is important, it can also be an administrative burden that detracts from practitioners’ capacity to adequately serve students with disabilities. The author uses data collected from three suburban school districts to understand how compliance with IDEA intersects with decades of evidence of racial inequities in student outcomes. In this timely and thought-provoking book, the author unpacks the civil rights history of IDEA, examines the impact of its procedural focus on educational practice, and questions why racial inequities in special education persist despite good intentions by policymakers, educators, and school personnel.
By Catherine Kramarczuk Voulgarides
(TC Press)
This book asks a question that many educators may think, but won’t say outloud: Does compliance with IDEA legislation matter? The author acknowledges that, while compliance with IDEA (Individuals with Disabilities Education Act) is important, it can also be an administrative burden that detracts from practitioners’ capacity to adequately serve students with disabilities. The author uses data collected from three suburban school districts to understand how compliance with IDEA intersects with decades of evidence of racial inequities in student outcomes. In this timely and thought-provoking book, the author unpacks the civil rights history of IDEA, examines the impact of its procedural focus on educational practice, and questions why racial inequities in special education persist despite good intentions by policymakers, educators, and school personnel.