Placing Students with (Dis)abilities: An Ethnographic Investigation of How Institutional Arrangements and Parental Involvement Influence Placement Processes and Educational Opportunities for Students with Higher Needs

• In Event: Promising Scholarship in Education Research: Dissertation Fellows and Their Research

Abstract

Placing Students with (Dis)abilities: An Ethnographic Investigation of How Institutional Arrangements and Parental Involvement Influence Placement Processes and Educational Opportunities for Students with Higher Needs

Given the unequal foundations of American schools, prime educational opportunities are not available to all students. Schooling, in early childhood, elementary, middle, and high school varies by district, building and academic program, and only select students have access to the resources and coursework that support advanced educational opportunities (Oakes, 1985; Oakes, Gamoran, & Page, 1992; Weis et. al., 2015). To date, significant research has examined the structural forces that allocate opportunities to students in general education, but the structural mechanisms through which opportunities are distributed to students with (dis)abilities remain underexplored. Invoking the work of Alan Kerckhoff (1993, 1995), this dissertation study examines how and to what extent institutional arrangements and parental involvement influence placement processes and educational opportunities for students with (dis)abilities. This study is an ethnographic investigation that combines semi-structured, in-depth interviews, participant observation, focus-group interviews, and document analysis to answer the research questions. The study probes the experiences, practices, perceptions, and beliefs of parents and site personnel at three public elementary schools with distinct typologies (urban open, suburban mixed, and suburban advantaged) as they relate to the process of establishing and implementing Individual Education Programs (IEPs). Specifically, this study has built purposeful cells of parents, special and general education teachers, special education coordinators, school Psychologists, and building administrators, as well as related district and regional service professionals. Preliminary findings indicate the execution and outcomes of the IEP process are influenced by site-based factors (i.e. resources, staffing, size, etc.) related to the typology of each school site.

Author

• Kathleen Reeb-Reascos, University at Buffalo - SUNY