Unprecedented and unmasked
An analysis of how district policy documents frame special education during the Covid crisis
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 21640101 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Sarah L Woulfin (0000-0003-2883-3859, The University of Texas at Austin), Britney L Jones (0000-0002-1669-7936, University of Connecticut), Britney Jones |
| Year | 2022 |
| Volume | 30 |
| Publication date | 2022-06-21 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Education Policy Analysis Archives (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1068-2341 • E-ISSN: 1068-2341 |
| Publisher | Mary Lou Fulton College for Teaching and Learning Innovation (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.14507/epaa.30.7219 |
| OpenAlex | W4283216448 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 3 |
| References cited | 18 |
COVID-19 school closures disrupted special education. In Fall 2020, districts sought to reopen schools, recover from the shocks of the pandemic, and implement special education to serve students with disabilities. Using policy document data from the United States’ 25 largest school districts, we surface patterns in how districts communicated problems and solutions related to special education for the 2020-21 school year. Drawing on concepts from framing theory, we analyzed messaging on special education embedded in 71 district policy documents. Specifically, we assessed the nature and foci of 520 special education policy frames. The 520 frames contained ideas on problems and solutions regarding special education. Results indicate that this set of districts foregrounded how to implement the compliance and intervention models of special education in their formal communication but devoted less attention to the equity model of special education. Districts rarely defined underlying problems in special education implementation amid pandemic schooling. We discuss potential consequences of these patterns in messaging on special education. Finally, we present evidence- and theory-based recommendations for policy, practice, and scholarship on the implementation of special education with attention to recuperating from pandemic-related impacts
Education policy · Geography · Higher education · Pandemic · Pedagogy · Policy analysis · Political science · Public relations · Scholarship · Sociology · Special education · Special section · Education Discipline and Inequality · Evaluation and Performance Assessment · Law · Medicine · Public Administration · Social Work Education and Practice
Disability Critical Race Theory
Research design
From Bricks and Mortar to Remote Teaching
Rethinking schools, rethinking learning
Document Analysis as a Qualitative Research Method
Special development
Going Off Script
What’s Policy Got to Do with It? How the Structure-Agency Debate Can Illuminate Policy Implementation
The communication of policy meanings
Projecting the Potential Impact of Covid-19 School Closures on Academic Achievement
An Ecology Metaphor for Educational Policy Analysis
Who Feels Included in School? Examining Feelings of Inclusion Among Students With Disabilities
Framing the Problem of Reading Instruction
Qualitative Data Analysis
Leading Inclusive Reform for Students With Disabilities
The Place of Inter-Rater Reliability in Qualitative Research
Framing Processes and Social Movements
The Outcomes of Homeless Mobilization
| Unique citing works | 3 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 1 |
| Citation span | 2023 - 2025 (3) |
| Citation velocity | recent |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 1 |