This book is about how special education policy and practice is being negotiated within the context of educational reform in two countries. The political climate of recent years in both Britain and the USA led to many changes along similar lines, with a move towards placing greater power and choice in the hands of those individuals with special educational needs. Each chapter provides an overview and comparative analysis of the origins and evolution of specific educational reforms in the USA and the UK. The themes explored include: *providing parents with greater choice *decentralising decision making *making the whole curriculum available to all *accountability *funding the necessary changes.

An informative look at the factors that influence special education policies and practices! Education in the United States is driven by excellence and equity for all students. There is a tenuous balance, however, between society′s desire to provide special education services and its ability to pay for them. Authors Jim Ysseldyke and Bob Algozzine examine the current educational landscape, focusing on the delivery of cost-effective, quality services to exceptional students. Public Policy, School Reform, and Special Education demonstrates how and why special education services are driven more by social, political, and economic factors than by actual changes in education, and the ways in which society′s values and beliefs affect the distribution of limited resources. Special features include: Key vocabulary terms Case studies illustrating how social, political and economic factors work together to affect special education practices A pretest and posttest to help readers assess their understanding of school reform and restructuring Helpful books, articles, and organizations for further research and support

Amidst all of the bureaucracy and policy concerning special educational needs (SEN), it is easy to lose sight of the role of standards in the education of pupils with SEN. This book places the role of standards at the centre of the stage, showing:- what is meant by standards- how they are measured- how they can be improved- what pitfalls need to be avoidedTopics include: legisaltion; identification of SEN; target settting; benchmarking; "value added"; inclusive education; and resources. The book focuses on UK education systmes but includes frequent and sustained comparison with USA. There are also references to Canada, New Zealand and South Africa.

The United States' failure to educate its students leaves them unprepared to compete and threatens the country's ability to thrive in a global economy and maintain its leadership role. This report notes that while the United States invests more in K-12 public education than many other developed countries, its students are ill prepared to compete with their global peers. According to the results of the 2009 Program for International Student Assessment (PISA), an international assessment that measures the performance of 15-year-olds in reading, mathematics, and science every three years, U.S. students rank fourteenth in reading, twenty-fifth in math, and seventeenth in science compared to students in other industrialized countries. The lack of preparedness poses threats on five national security fronts: economic growth and competitiveness, physical safety, intellectual property, U.S. global awareness, and U.S. unity and cohesion, says the report. Too many young people are not employable in an increasingly high-skilled and global economy, and too many are not qualified to join the military because they are physically unfit, have criminal records, or have an inadequate level of education. The report proposes three overarching policy recommendations: implement educational expectations and assessments in subjects vital to protecting national security; make structural changes to provide students with good choices; and, launch a "national security readiness audit" to hold schools and policymakers accountable for results and to raise public awareness.

With contributions by recognised experts in the field of education law, this book is a comparative study of the resolution of special education disputes, including via mediation. It analyses the varying approaches in England, Scotland, the US and the Netherlands and addresses major questions of dispute resolution, redress, judicial and non-judicial approaches and the protection of citizens' rights. The first review of mediation in citizen v. state disputes outside the context of the courts, this topical book also incorporates findings from a recent ESRC study into dispute resolution in special educational needs cases. It will not only be of interest to those concerned with education issues but also those interested in administrative justice, especially the role of mediation generally