Adolescents and children classified as having an “emotional disability,” "emotionally disturbed," or "emotional disturbance (ED)" notably are under-identified and underserved in special education (Forness, Freeman, Paparella, Kauffman & Walker, 2007). Being a voice for the voiceless for the ED population is about solidifying the relationship of ideas to one another; this paradigm is about creating a capacity for awareness, caring, collaboration, equity, and social justice.
Novel ideas in special education have unlocked the gate for developing a more heterogeneous and comprehensive approach of thinking about agendas in special education. While a number of topics have captured the attention of educators and advocates, perhaps one of the most anticipated areas of discussion continues to be the ED population. The overrepresentation of United States minority students identified ED in special education programs plagues schools and challenges researchers and practitioners. While Individuals with Disabilities Act of 2004 (IDEA) does specify guidelines, the process of identifying learners as ED and thus qualifying them for services can nevertheless be a subjective process. Research emboldens this subjective process and the issues surrounding the robust inequities among the ED population (Oswald & Coutino, 1999). Additionally, the next step is to openly critique, discuss and debated the issues and foster policy change. Moreover, this paper discusses the ED population and the critical issues regarding eligibility/labeling, FAPE, access to the general curriculum and continuum of placement.
Eligibility & Labeling
IDEA defines an emotional disturbance (ED) as:
"A condition characterized by one or more of the following ...
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...st support this population.
Many conclusions resurrected upon my reflection regarding the critical issues facing the ED population. The fundamental conclusion I see is the need for advocacy in the ED population. I believe being a voice for the voiceless for the ED population is about solidifying the relationship of ideas to one another; this paradigm is about creating a capacity for awareness, caring, collaboration, equity, and social justice. Through the process of my own discovery, bolstered by the context of this assignment my learning needs have blossomed requiring further inquiry regarding the ED population and policy. I am now left to ponder; do these polices regarding the ED population need to be understood as ideologically and politically constructed entities, rather than policies that have emerged out of educational research on best practices?
Goldstein argues a problem with education policy is, “American policy makers require every public school to use the same strategy…” (261) When facing the problem of inequality in education a teacher needs to be fluid with his or her curriculum. In fact, one of the best ways to allow for fluidity is through peer-to-peer help. Goldstein states, “(teaching hospital model) allows best practices tailored to a specific school to be passed from professional to professional.” (255) Peer-to-peer help not only does this allow for constructive feedback, but also it allows teachers to learn from one another. While policy makers might not know a schools demographics and unique situation teachers in the school will. Thus, teachers can help one another on their unique problem through a collaborative process. Peer to peer help allows for the design of, “creative curriculum materials and to lead school turnaround efforts.” (232) The problems associated with inequality can be thought out and explored through teachers working
Providing appropriate public education to qualified students has been federally mandated since 1975, but is still a challenging and often controversial matter in which the public has voiced concern. One reason for which the public’s concern has been provoked is that it is reported in low-incidence categories such as deafness or blindness, which is usually diagnosed by medical professionals, there is no indications of disproportion (Donovan and Cross, 1). Instances in which there are higher proportions of minority students occurs more so in the high-incidence categories of mental retardation (MMR), emotional disturbance (ED), and...
Population continues to grow and is expected to reach an all time high in future years. There are tons of different reasons for why population is rising so quickly. In document d, it says, "Every second 5 people are born and 2 people die, a net gain of 3 people. This fact from document d shows one reason why population growth is at all time high. Document d, also states "At this rate, the world population will double every 40 years and would be 12 billion in 40 years, 24 billion in 80 years, and more than 48 billion in 120 years." This will create tons of difficulties, like the amount of food and supplies needed for the world, which will make it nearly impossible for supplies to keep pace with the population growth. Document a shows
From my experience, advocacy is the best way to provide the best educational experiences for all. The suggestions Ende makes in the article are more than appropriate and would affect the current education system in the United States in the most positive ways possible. The three solutions included in Ende’s article include: “Make sessions on policy practical, Encourage collaboration, [and] Allow policy and practice to meet” (2017). By instilling these practices into the field, reform will begin and learners will no longer be suffering from the archaic and nonsensical policies that are in currently being utilized. When transformed, the educational system should allow for teachers and other professionals to develop strategies that support and advocate for students and families. To do so, individuals
... problem of disproportionate minority representation in special education. The Journal of Special Education, 32(48), 48-51.
Graziano’s article over the handling of his son’s disability in the classroom also involves issues that relate to teachers detecting signs of mental illness in the classrooms, how teachers identify a behavioral troubled child, and training school counselors on the Section 504 policy that are all happening in the world today. Realizing these issues can help parents with giving their child the best out of their education and can also help teachers understand the importance of their relationship with students. Everyone should have the opportunity for a brighter future and having a learning disability should not be the end of the road for any student.
The education system is arguably the most beneficial system in the world; however, it also contains many controversial practices. Proper funding, discrimination, and curriculum are just some of the problems in today’s education system. Everyone has a different opinion about what is best for our children and it is impossible to please everyone. As long as the educational system is in tact, then there will be confusion and debate within the system and its’ administrators. The only thing that can be done is attempting to make it so that everyone will benefit equally, but this is much more difficult than one would assume. I will focus on the aspect of discrimination on minorities within special education and more specifically the following questions: Does the special education system discriminate against minorities? If so, how? What can be done, if anything, to correct or improve this system?
As my research would show, there are many ways we can reduce stigma and I have learned new ideas and techniques from my research. The special education program is an effective program when it is properly used. However, the special education program is not always properly used. The IEP process is a long and hard journey to embark on. For some people, the process is not worth the accommodations and help the process provides to the student. There are many horrors...
...ded to occur in this realm of education. Before EHA and IDEA, how many students were neglected by the public school system; sent off to institutions to waste away. Families were facing the financial burden of paying for the facility that housed the child they were told would never amount to anything. As a result of these life changing laws, you will see a physically handicapped professor in front of a class, a paraplegic physician making her rounds in a hospital. Everyone has a dream. This author’s daughter who has Fetal Alcohol Syndrome wants to be a teacher. She is classified as mentally retarded yet has goals and dreams. Will she achieve this particular dream? Most likely not, but this author knows that the public education system will provide Hannah with an IEP and FAPE that will provide her with the proper tools to live a happy and content life.
Disproportionate identification of minority students in special education is a major concern in schools today. This paper describes the issues in the assessment process with minority students and how we have arrived at a situation where minorities are being misdiagnosed into special education programs. Additionally, several legal cases are mentioned which show numerous actions and rulings that have tried to correct the disproportionate identification in special education. Some of the legal cases discussed include Larry P. v Riles, Diana v. State Board of Education, and Guadalupe v. Tempe Elementary School, which all significantly impacted special education today. Additionally, the Individual with Disabilities Education Act has enforced that minority groups must receive an equal education in the least restrictive environment possible. It is our duty as teachers and citizens to abide by these laws and find different ways to assess and correct the disproportionality of minority groups that exists today.
Department of Education (2002, August). IDEA’97: Individuals with disabilities educational act amendments of 1997. Retrieved March 23, 2003 from the World Wide Web: http://www.ed.gov/offices/OSERS/IDEA
With Australia’s population rapidly nearing 23.5 million people, the issue of sustainability and the number of people Australia can allow to live comfortably without significant damage to the surrounding environment is extremely important. The misconception that Australia is underpopulated with plenty of room to accommodate the worlds rising population is widespread. With the majority of Australian land being arid and inhospitable, finding available land and resources to accommodate a rising population is placing a huge amount of pressure on the Australian environment. Australia’s population growth consists of two main components; births minus deaths and net migration. While Australia’s birth rate sits at 1.9, lower than the 2.1 needed to replace our aging population, our expanding population comes from overseas migration accounting for around 60 per cent of our growth (Department of Immigration and Border Protection). Currently the total migration rate is set at 210,000 people per year making Australia’s population quickly on the rise. This poses an important discussion regarding the impacts of such a rise and if there is a specific number that constitutes a sustainable Australia regarding population. The issues that may come to pass as a result of overpopulation are great and varied. These include and are not limited to; resource shortages, social conflict, overcrowding, pollution, habitat and biodiversity loss and a lowering in national health standards. The Australian Conservation Foundation (ACF) has put forward arguments opposing a rising population due to the predicted environmental damage we would face as an outcome. A few of the main problems associated with an unconstrained population are outlined in this essay.
The idea that the successful health and health care organizations of the future will be those that can simultaneously deliver excellent quality of care, at lower total costs, while improving the health of their population is taking hold. The main reason is because of health disparities. Addressing health disparities has been a challenge for decades. This paper will look at a few examples of how health disparities can affect individually, thus the overall health of a population.
Inclusion of all students in classrooms has been an ongoing issue for the past twenty-five years (Noll, 2013). The controversy is should special education students be placed in an inclusion setting or should they be placed in a special education classroom? If the answer is yes to all special education students being placed in inclusion, then how should the inclusion model look? Every students is to receive a free an appropriate education. According to the Individual Education Act (IDEA), all students should be placed in the Least Restrictive Learning Environment (Noll, 2013).
Seven and a half billion. Enough steps to walk around the globe a hundred and sixty times. Our planet is trying to provide and sustain for a colossal number of people which is expanding every single second. Now the concern that has been put forth by scholars come from the idea that the consumption and effects to our planet by our current society is an international security risk that greatly compromises the future generations. Confucius even mentions this at the earliest start of civilization by saying: