Moral Issues in Special Education

Product Description

The book identifies and analyzes important yet insufficiently explored moral issues in k-12 special education. It aims to achieve a successful combination of experience and theory. The experience comes from the many years the author was an Illinois special education due process hearing officer (1987-2007). The theory comes from the even more years he taught and did scholarly work in the areas of moral, political, legal, and educational philosophy as a philosophy professor (1969-2012).Each of the moral issues considered in the book figured importantly in one or more of the most significant disputes the author was called upon to adjudicate. Throughout the book he draws upon important concepts in moral, political, legal, and educational philosophy as conceptual resources. He considers these concepts invaluable for analyzing moral issues, especially when a person experiences discomfort caused by a sense that an issue is morally problematic but finds it hard to articulate the crux of the issue.Throughout the book, however the author has tried hard to write in language that readers unfamiliar with the terminology and discourse style of philosophy can understand, and always to make it apparent why and how particular philosophical points bear upon important moral issues in k-12 special education.

Review

The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) has been the cornerstone of education for children with disabilities since its initial passage in 1975. Since that time, it has had both supporters and critics. Drawing on his extensive experience as a special education hearing officer and a professor of philosophy, Ladenson considers key moral questions at the heart of IDEA. From “free and appropriate public education” and “least restrictive environment” to “zero reject” and public-school suspensions and expulsions, Ladenson deepens readers’ understanding of the moral issues surrounding these tenets while analyzing each through the lens of four philosophical theories. Through critical analysis and logical discourse, he examines how each theory views and supports the tenets. The central concept of each theory and the focus of his analysis is the idea of social justice. Ladenson’s examination challenges readers to examine their own beliefs about the key moral questions. He completes this text with a thoughtful summary of the roles and responsibilities of elected legislators, judges, special education teachers, and parents for the education of students with disabilities. Essential. ―
Choice

Moral Issues in Special Education: An Inquiry into the Basic Rights, Responsibilities, and Ideals provides a very clear and helpful overview of the legal framework in which special education issues are situated in the United States. ―
Theory And Research In Education

In this book, Bob Ladenson articulates well the justification, morally and logically, for universal quality free public education, and for students with disabilities in particular. His years of experience as a special education hearing officer, and an academic philosopher and ethicist provide a unique vantage point for this analysis. He blends philosophy with individual examples from his work, giving the reader the benefit of understanding both the theory and the real world application. I intend on using this in my classes. — Julie Underwood, Susan Engeleiter Professor of Education Law, Policy, and Practice; and Dean Emerita, School of Education, University of Wisconsin

Dr. Ladenson challenges us to contemplate the fundamental aims of public education and its purpose in serving those who are most in need. His work is groundbreaking as it relates to the moral obligation we hold to our students classified with disabilities. He provides hope for those who need it most. — Matthew C. Williams Ph.D., principal of Henninger High School, Syracuse, New York, and former director of special education, Syracuse City school district

Robert Ladenson has written