Public Education Themes

Public Education is a treasure (Hochschild and Scovronick, 2003). The six main themes and mission of education is devised to develop the whole child. The Center on Education Policy (1996) list may sound like a wish list of sorts, but it lays a foundation upon which to build on for all school systems.

• To provide universal access to free education
• To guarantee equal opportunities for all children
• To unify a diverse populations
• To prepare people for citizenship in a democratic society
• To prepare people to become economically self-sufficient
• To improve social conditions

Public Law No: 94-142 H.R.1350
The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) is a very important law that has evolved over the years to provide a huge umbrella effect for the protection of students with disabilities. The legislation specifically strives to ensure that children with disabilities have access to free and appropriate public education (FAPE). FAPE addresses the related services guaranteeing equal opportunities for all children supporting differentiation to meet the needs of the diverse population (Wilmshurst and Brue, 2010). By guaranteeing equal opportunities the law developed procedures for each state for educating children in the Least Restrictive Environment (LRE). This helped a specialized population in multiple ways: provided opportunities for children with disabilities to benefit form involvement with peers, increased self dependency for success, and helped develop cooperation
and caring of others different then themselves (Center Education Policy, 1996).

IDEA has four main parts that cover children from three years to twenty-one years of age and is meant to enhance educational services for children with disabilities.
The law follows procedures set in place to help establish eligibility procedures, regulations, and the required services. It also supports high expectations for success by providing access to the general curriculum. IDEA also opens communication between parents and schools in the planning of their child’s educational
plan.

A collective goal achieved in 1975, the federal government passed legislation as we know as IDEA. It was brought about as a governmental action after Brown v Board of Education advocating for all groups for civil rights (Fowler, 2013). Our founding fathers believed in public education as an American Dream. Schools were intended to benefit each person but build the “collective good” of building good citizens. IDEA is being modified to meet the growing needs of the collective good speaking to the diversity of the population of the United States and the changing demands in the public education system (Fowler, 2013).

I have witness IDEA at its best in achieving many of the themes in Education as a school psychologist and classroom teacher. IDEA offers the support for special education in ways that support the system of education was meant to do. Provides opportunities and resources for students who years ago would not have been allowed to be educated. It to me is one of the biggest successes in our educational policy in American education.

Hochschild, J., & Scovronick, N. (2003). The american dream and the public schools (First ed., pp. 1-27). New York, NY: Oxford University Press.

Wilmshurst, L., & Brue, A. W. (2010). The complete guide to special education (Second ed., pp. 228-240). San Francisco, CA: John Wiley & Sons.