Title: 7 Tips for Achieving Equity in Special Education - Rethink Education
Headings: 7 Tips for Achieving Equity in Special Education
7 Tips for Achieving Equity in Special Education
Why equity? Why now?
Tip 1: Principal Leadership
Tip 2: Develop Truly Individualized and Quality IEP’s
Tip 3: Use Online and Blended Learning Options
Tip 4:  Let Data Drive Instruction and Intervention
Tip 5: Thorough and Individualized Lesson Planning
Tip 6: Establish High Standards for Each Child
Tip 7: Motivation and Enthusiasm
Conclusion

Content: Why equity? Why now? People often confuse the two terms as synonyms, when in fact they are both quite different things with very different intended outcomes. Both equality and equity aim to ensure basic fairness. With equality, the end goal is simple fairness – everyone has the same starting point and is treated exactly the same. With equity, however, the presumption is that not all people begin from the same place – so each person is given what they need to be successful, based on their unique abilities and needs. It makes sense that equality would have been the focus over the past four decades given the Supreme Court’s establishment of the Rowley standard of 1982, which enshrined the term ‘de minimis’ education in reference to what was required from school districts serving students with disabilities. In Rowley the Court ruled that the law’s intent was not to enable students with disabilities to achieve their full potentials, but rather to give them equal and sufficient access to a free and appropriate public education (FAPE). Ever since this decision, too many schools simply complied with paperwork requirements and provided cookie-cutter services which were anything but truly individualized. The presence alone of a disability did not mandate special education services.