The Failure of Rachel H.: Practical Steps to Desegregating Special Education Systems

Abstract

This practitioner-oriented article uses the vignette of “David,” a disabled Student of Color, to discuss practical steps to desegregate special education systems in the United States. California students seeking inclusion through the courts have had little success under the least restrictive environment test articulated in Rachel H. v. Sacramento City Unified School District (1994). We argue that the Rachel H. test has favored students with the means to unilaterally secure inclusive placements and pursue litigation over those from marginalized communities languishing in restrictive placements. Then, we offer practical steps to reform special education infrastructure in three areas: (a) family and student engagement; (b) evidence-based school and classroom practices; and (c) professional learning for educators.

“Inclusion is definitely a possibility for all”: Promoting inclusive education through a critical professional development schools model

“…To push back against these assumptions, educators need to be prepared to implement inclusive education strategies that value difference leading to equitable educational opportunities for all students (Waitoller & Kozleski, 2010). However, many teacher preparation programs are in need of more robust content that prepares teachers to apply their inclusive philosophies and pedagogies (Elder & Borrelle, 2022;Kurth & Foley, 2014). These traditional teacher preparation programs reflect views of disability categories and strategies of remediation and interventions rooted in the medical model of disability (Ashby, 2012).…”

“…Through this research, we use our PDS work to promote the National Association for Professional Development Schools' (NAPDS) mission of "advanc [ing] the education profession by providing leadership, advocacy and support to sustain professional development schools as learning communities that improve student learning, prepare educators through clinical practice, provide reciprocal professional development, and conduct shared inquiry" (NAPDS, 2021, para 1). Our PDS work responds to the call from Damiani and Elder (2023) for infusing a critical social justice lens into PDS work and research and builds on the work and recommended school desegregation practices outlined by Elder and Borrelle (2022).…”