Is Educational Policy Alleviating or Perpetuating the Racialization of Disabilities? An Examination of 'Big-P' and 'Little-p' Policies

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  • Additional Information
    • Availability:
      Teachers College, Columbia University. P.O. Box 103, 525 West 120th Street, New York, NY 10027. Tel: 212-678-3774; Fax: 212-678-6619; e-mail: [email protected]; Web site: http://www.tcrecord.org
    • Peer Reviewed:
      Y
    • Intended Audience:
      Policymakers
    • Education Level:
      Elementary Secondary Education
    • Subject Terms:
      Educational Legislation; Federal Legislation; Disabilities; Equal Education; Educational Policy; Minority Group Students; Ethnography; School Districts; Disproportionate Representation; Student Attitudes; Exit Examinations; Racial Discrimination; Disability Discrimination; Elementary Secondary Education
    • Subject Terms:
      California
    • Subject Terms:
      Individuals with Disabilities Education Act; No Child Left Behind Act 2001
    • ISSN:
      0161-4681
    • Abstract:
      To understand the challenges associated with the enactment of educational policies that aim to improve equity and opportunity for students of color with disabilities, this chapter focuses on two separately conducted ethnographic studies. The first investigates district administrators' approaches to addressing racial disproportionality after the 2004 reauthorization of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), and the second focuses on the emic perspectives of students of color with disabilities given the California High School Exit Exam (CAHSEE) under the auspices of No Child Left Behind (NCLB). Using a critical policy studies perspective, the authors examine how policy enactment within varying local contexts is influenced by harsh material realities and a dense policy environment, which exacerbate existing inequalities for students of color with disabilities. Collectively, these factors provide ripe terrain for understanding how policies, at the macro and micro levels, struggle to produce equitable outcomes and instead contribute to the educational inequities experienced by students of color with disabilities. The chapter ends with recommendations for policymakers on how to address existing procedural practices and compliance measures that are inadequately addressing and contributing to the persistence of racialized outcomes for students of color with disabilities.
    • Abstract:
      As Provided
    • Publication Date:
      2016
    • Accession Number:
      EJ1110758