ERIC Number: EJ1073723
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2015
Pages: 18
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1750-8487
EISSN: N/A
Available Date: N/A
The Impact of Standards-Based Reform on Special Education and the Creation of the 'Dividual
Bacon, Jessica
Critical Studies in Education, v56 n3 p366-383 2015
An urban Pre-K through 5th grade school referred to as Westvale Elementary School was the focal point for this research study. Westvale was located within an urban district in New York State that was host to approximately 20,000 students. Both the school and the district were labeled as failing under the No Child Left Behind Act. Foucauldian conception of biopolitics and Deleuzian notion of the 'dividual are the theoretical frameworks used to make meaning of qualitative data collected for this study. Interview, observation, and document data revealed how the structures of a biopolitical society hierarchized, segregated, and geographically shifted certain demographic groups of students throughout the school district based on their potential to succeed on high stakes examinations. Teachers and administrators were also linked to the demographics of the students they taught and mandates of standards-based reform (SBR) often required the turnover of school personnel, causing frustration and stigma for educators and students alike. Mandated teacher and leader evaluations were also found to increase fear of teaching students with disabilities because they were viewed as 'dividuals within the biopolitical system that SBR exacerbated.
Descriptors: Standards, Special Education, Disabilities, Interviews, Observation, Urban Schools, Elementary Schools, Qualitative Research, School Districts, Educational Change, Teacher Evaluation, Teacher Attitudes, Attitudes toward Disabilities, Academic Failure, Institutional Characteristics, High Stakes Tests, Educational Legislation, Federal Legislation, Politics of Education, Educational Policy, Inclusion, Accountability, Disadvantaged Schools, Administrator Evaluation, Evaluation Methods
Routledge. Available from: Taylor & Francis, Ltd. 325 Chestnut Street Suite 800, Philadelphia, PA 19106. Tel: 800-354-1420; Fax: 215-625-2940; Web site: http://www.tandf.co.uk/journals
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Elementary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: New York
Identifiers - Laws, Policies, & Programs: No Child Left Behind Act 2001
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: N/A