Welcome to the Destruction of Special Education in the Name of Ideology

ABSTRACT

Special education stands at a pivotal juncture, confronting both existential challenges and transformational opportunities. The U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) is not upholding its mandate of promoting the Individualized Education Program (IEP). I underscore the centrality of the IEP in the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) and argue that the continuum of alternative placements (CAP) is essential for delivering individualized, intensive instruction that may not always be feasible in general education settings. The emergence of Disability Critical Race Theory (DisCrit) has added to the vulnerability of special education as a discipline. Special education is built on a long tradition of scientific research, and the unbridled assault by some DisCrit devotees on special education practices supported by research, such as positive behavioral interventions and supports (PBIS) risks denying students the benefit of effective treatments. Ultimately, advocates for students with disabilities must support IDEA and its core components.

Acknowledgments

I thank the editors of this special issue (Mack Burke, Jim Kauffman, and Andrew Wiley), for asking me to provide closing remarks and Paige Pullen, Editor-in-Chief of Exceptionality, for honoring the request. I acknowledge Jim Kauffman for my conceiving the title for the article, which was sparked by an email from Jim wherein he exclaimed in exasperation, “Welcome to the destruction of science in the name of ideology.” I thank Doug Fuchs for his comments on an earlier draft of this article. His feedback should not be taken as support for anything I’ve written.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.