ERIC Number: ED456619
Record Type: Non-Journal
Publication Date: 2001-Apr
Pages: 28
Abstractor: N/A
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: N/A
The Widening Gap of Intolerance: An Analysis of Standards-Based Reforms and Special Education in Secondary Schools.
Cooney, Bernard F.
This report discusses current secondary school restructuring efforts of nine school districts that are implementing the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) and New York State initiatives to provide students with disabilities access to general education curriculum and settings. It demonstrates how Skrtic's (1995) mutually reinforcing assumptions play out in schools today as they move to comply with both the educational reforms and mandates in the reauthorization of IDEA and the standards-based intensification movement regarding student performance and teacher accountability. Findings from the study indicate: (1) standardization creates inequities that result from a widening gap between what is expected of students in terms of the context and how they perform; (2) neither the general education nor special education systems as they are currently structured can adapt to effectively accommodate the needs of all students; and (3) special education teachers took the initiative for implementing change. The report concludes that in order to achieve the democratic goals of education, schools must restructure under a new paradigm, one that addresses the cultural, structural, and organizational changes to successfully meet the wide range of needs for learners of diverse abilities. (Contains 26 references.) (CR)
Descriptors: Academic Accommodations (Disabilities), Academic Standards, Access to Education, Change Strategies, Disabilities, Diversity (Student), Educational Change, Educational Innovation, Educational Legislation, Elementary Secondary Education, Federal Legislation, Inclusive Schools, Regular and Special Education Relationship, Secondary Education, Student Placement
Publication Type: Reports - Evaluative; Speeches/Meeting Papers
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 Amendments 1997
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A