A Framework for Ethical Deliberation in Special Education

Howe, Kenneth R.; Miramontes, Ofelia B.

doi:10.1177/002246699102500102

Cited by 17 publications

(15 citation statements)

References 3 publications

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“…Recent interest in the moral dimensions of teaching (Strike & Soltis, 1988;Goodlad et al, 1990;Sergiovanni, 1990;Howe, 1993;and, Wheeler, 2004, for example) has led to a spate of writing on ethical issues in other areas of education. Special educators also have taken up the topic of ethics, but few references have appeared in the professional special education literature since the 1983 special issue of Exceptional Children about professional standards (See, for example, Howe & Miramontes, 1991;Howe & Miramontes, 1992;Dillon, 1993). Yet, the education/special education discussions up to this point in time tend to be directed toward the mix of law and ethics ignoring, we believe, the more important conversation of determining what is just, what is right, what ought to be done as issues of importance that Kohlberg (1981), Reimer, Paolitto & Hersh (1983), Schrader (1990), Gilligan (1982;1988), Noddings (1990Noddings ( , 1992Noddings ( 1999Noddings ( , 1984; Stevens & Wood (1987), Peters (1978), Scheffler (1973), Rawls (1971;, and Jackson, Boostrom, & Hansen (1993) presented in their extensive discussions of moral reasoning, ethical deliberations, caring, and justice.…”

Section: Ethics In Special Educationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Ethical Dilemmas in Rural Special Education: A Call for a Conversation about the Ethics of Practice

Berkeley

Ludlow

2008

Rural Special Education Quarterly

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Education and human services by their very nature imply an ethical imperative (Kelman & Warwick, 1972; Becker, 2005) as these areas of endeavor represent work designed to alter the development and other characteristics of the children and their family members who are being served. The ethical imperative is an ideal based upon an assumption that we must both do good and do good well. In this article, we begin with several ethical dilemmas applicable to rural special education; these are dilemmas similar to those special educators must face but are idiosyncratic, in part, to rural locales. We follow these dilemmas by petitioning special educators to develop a language of ethics, and, perhaps, too, a commitment to social justice, since the legislative policy stimulating and requiring the development of such services has its foundation in social justice. Still, even in the presence of codes of ethical conduct developed to guide professional practice, we believe there is a higher calling, a need to move toward ideals in the work done by special educators. This calling must be absent any consideration of sanctions for not acting ethically that seem to be at the center of discussions of ethical codes—typically taking the form of this question: What happens if I do not adhere to the ethical code of conduct of my profession? For us, this petition for moving toward ideals in the work we do, and the development of a language of ethics, should be at the core of answering two essential queries throughout our professional careers: Why we do what we do? Why do we care?

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Section: Ethics In Special Educationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Ethical Dilemmas in Rural Special Education: A Call for a Conversation about the Ethics of Practice

Berkeley

Ludlow

2008

Rural Special Education Quarterly

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“…Ethical dilemmas in special education are well documented and are often defined as a situation that forces educators or educational leaders to choose among competing interests, such as determining the placement of a child with an emotional-behavioral disability and maintaining the safety of other students (Fiedler & Van Haren, 2008). Ethical dilemmas may also occur as a result of concerns about overrepresentation and disputes over inclusion (artiles, 1998), as well as demands for scarce resources and pressures to maximize educational potential (Howe & Miramontes, 1991). Ensuring that special education leaders are informed by both legal and ethical principles is critical, given the increasing numbers of students identified as disabled (U.S. Department of Education, 2010), serious concerns about overrepresentation of minority students (see, e.g., arnold & lassmann, 2003;Larry P. v. Riles, 1972), and significant financial and emotional costs associated with poor leadership (Mueller, Singer, & Draper, 2008).…”

Section: Special Education Leadership: Integrating Professional and Pmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…While Howe and Miramontes (1991) recognized that ethical questions are related to legal questions, they cautioned against the tendency to oversimplify the relationship between law and ethics. In other words, law and ethics are related, but they do not always coincide.…”

Section: Special Education Leadership: Integrating Professional and Pmentioning

confidence: 99%

Special Education Leadership: Integrating Professional and Personal Codes of Ethics to Serve the Best Interests of the Child

Bon¹,

Bigbee²

2011

Journal of School Leadership

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Special education teachers who also serve as case managers for students with disabilities are in unique leadership positions in which they face complex ethical dilemmas and are called on to make decisions that involve multiple competing interests and pressures. The purpose of this study was to explore how special education leaders identify ethical dilemmas and to examine the ethical perspectives that influenced their decision making. Through a series of focus group interviews based on a semistructured interview protocol, special education case mangers engaged in collective discussions about ethics and ethical decision making. The findings suggest that special education leaders operate according to an ethical framework that integrates personal and professional codes of ethics and emphasizes the best interests of the child. The complexity of integrating legal compliance pressures and administrative policy directives into the framework, however, led to inner conflict for many of the participants.

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“…(p. 2) Suspensions and expulsions also have been a long-standing contentious issue for schools and families of children with disabilities. Howe and Miramontes (1991) propose that ethical problems often become magnified in special education for two reasons. First, special education has a strong ethical commitment to provide all individuals access to public education, regardless of how they might differ from the general population.…”

Section: Discipline and Special Populationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Professional Ethics Within the Context of Student Discipline and Diversity

Cartledge¹,

Tillman

Johnson

2001

Teacher Education and Special Education

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Students who differ from the mainstream, both physically and culturally often find themselves at odds with the culture of schools. Under these conditions, issues of misperceptions and proportionality become paramount. With the heightened anxiety over school safety and the advent of "zero tolerance" regulations, the possibility of unethical and unfair practices for students from poor and minority groups increase considerably. These more regimented and severe policies mean that schools have an even greater obligation to make certain that rules are administered so that they do not further subjugate the most vulnerable segment of our population. A review of the existing and most recent findings on this topic indicates that the schooling of minority students is being further jeopardized by this current mania. A means for a more constructive focus is discussed.

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A Framework for Ethical Deliberation in Special Education

Cited by 17 publications

References 3 publications

Ethical Dilemmas in Rural Special Education: A Call for a Conversation about the Ethics of Practice

Ethical Dilemmas in Rural Special Education: A Call for a Conversation about the Ethics of Practice

Special Education Leadership: Integrating Professional and Personal Codes of Ethics to Serve the Best Interests of the Child

Professional Ethics Within the Context of Student Discipline and Diversity

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