Beyond compliance : reclaiming agency in special education / Catherine Kramarczuk Voulgarides.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Voulgarides, Catherine Kramarczuk, author.

Contributor:

May, Tania, writer of foreword.

Boveda, Mildred, writer of afterword.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Special education.

Physical Description:

xiv, 290 pages ; 21 cm

Place of Publication:

Cambridge, Massachusetts : Harvard Education Press, [2026]

Summary:

"In 'Beyond Compliance', Catherine Kramarczuk Voulgarides underscores the urgent need for change in how US schools implement the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). Voulgarides finds that, although the landmark legislation has benefited millions of eligible public school students with disabilities, it has also indirectly amplified educational inequities, such as the enduring problem of racial disproportionality in special education across classifications, placements, and disciplinary outcomes. Through analysis of the latest research and stories of special education in action, Voulgarides shows that IDEA's success depends greatly on how it is interpreted and applied by educators and school administrators. The book guides practitioners in a critical examination of special education policies and procedures in their institutions. It provides critical tools, concepts, and question prompts to analyze IDEA compliance and its equity impacts on individuals and systems. It gives an actionable framework to help educators recognize the paradox of compliance--where adherence to the letter of the law does not always produce favorable outcomes for students--and its contributing factors, and to identify pathways for transformation that move toward racial and ability equity at the local level. Ultimately, Voulgarides makes a compelling case for schools to practice a more adaptive compliance to IDEA legislation to provide meaningful educational access and opportunity." -- Harvard Education Press

Contents:

Part 1, The paradox of compliance. Technical and adaptive realities of the IDEA

Organizational enactment of the IDEA

Part 2, The logic of compliance. Current contexts

The status quo

Good intentions

Part 3, A framework for transformation. Praxis and transformation

Developing just systems

Afterword / by Dr. Mildred Boveda

Appendix, Applying the critical cycle process.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages 209-277) and index.

ISBN:

9798895570609

OCLC:

1534689140