Special Education Policy

“There is much happening in schools, nations, and regions around the world, with respect to special education…however, the extent and scope of this change varies a great deal” (Doecke, 2016, p. 1). In education, where public policy is determined in large part by social needs, values, and political concerns, appropriate supports remain inconsistent throughout the world. As stated in the Special Education in Ontario: Policy and Resource Guide, teachers are required to “carry out the duties as outlined in the Education Act, regulations, and policy documents, including policy/program memoranda” (Ministry of Education, 2017, p. A12). Standards for all students, including those with special needs are developed to ensure student success. The goal of providing policies in special education is to support full, equitable participation of all students. To be effective, I think that there needs to be clearly defined roles within the organization to ensure that teachers understand their responsibilities. For example, “principals should ensure that teachers receive the information they need to work with students with special needs who are assigned to them, and that the school be organized to provide some first-line resource support on-site” (BC Ministry of Education, 2016, p.7)

Resources:

BC Ministry of Education. (2016). Special Education Policy Manual - British Columbia. Retrieved from https://www2.gov.bc.ca/assets/gov/education/administration/kindergarten-to-grade-12/inclusive/special_ed_policy_manual.pdf

Doecke, P. (2016). Contemporary Special Education. In: Barkatsas T., Bertram A. (eds) Global Learning in the 21st Century. Global Education in the 21st Century Series. Sense Publishers, Rotterdam. 

Gersten, R. M., Schiller, E. P., & Vaughn, S. (2000). Contemporary special education research: syntheses of the knowledge base on critical instructional issues. Mahwah, NJ: L. Erlbaum Associates.