Annotated bibliography on 1 article on Special Educations Laws and 2 articles on Gifted Education Policies

Answer

Annotated Bibliography

Czapanskiy, K. (2014). Special Kids, Special Parents, Special Education. University of Michigan Journal of Law Reform 47(1), 733-790

This article was written by Karen Czapanskiy and published in the University Of Michigan Journal Of Law Reform in 2014. It is primarily related to special education laws in the United States of America. Essentially, the author presents the situation that most parents across the U.S. are raising children who have developmental, emotional, cognitive, physical, or mental challenges. All these are factors that significantly reduce their ability to be education in a similar manner as the other children. The paper introduces the Act that aids some of these children in the acquisition of special education service: the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). The focus of the article is on how to enhance the effectiveness of IDEA. Currently, only one in six million children receive special education via the mandates of this Act. The author proposes that the objectives of IDEA cannot be attained unless the parents of special children are given more attention. These parents are often faced with a difficult time raising their special children and there is a need for more parental empowerment since they are the primary link between their children and the education system.

The author goes further to propose three substantial changes to the special education system that shifts some of the focus to the needs of the parents of special children while enhancing the opportunities that the children who require special needs have of actually receiving it. These reforms are “requiring schools to help parents be in touch with each other; requiring school systems to commit to common special educational plans through a public process; adopting universal design pedagogies in general education when predictable” (Czapanskiy 2014, p. 733).

The article is important because it seeks to improve the special education law, and particularly the IDEA. It addresses the problem of neglecting the parents of children in need of special education as parental difficulties often reflect in the capacity of these children to respond adequately to their educational activities.

Mansfield, K. (2015). Giftedness as property: Troubling whiteness, wealth, and gifted education in the US. International Journal of Multicultural Education 17(1), 121-142.

Mansfield’s article is written by Katherine Cumings Mansfield of Virginia Commonwealth University, USA. It was subsequently published in the International Journal of Multicultural Education in 2015. His article primarily aims to shed light on the racist pedigree of the gifted education practices and policies in the United States of America. In essence, the author’s objective is to illustrate how deficit discourses are still rampant in the contemporary society. She also provides personal illustrations from the field concerning how educators can start to challenge the status quo, object to the commonly-held presumptions, and conversely make practical alterations beginning at the local level. Furthermore, the author uses the article to clearly illustrate how giftedness is merely an instance of undeserved white privilege that inadvertently sustains a social class in the school system. 

The central point of Mansfield’s article is that racism is deeply rooted in the education system of the USA. The concept of white privilege is wholly relevant, which is a factor that is reflected in the Gifted Education policies and laws. In essence, the article provides examples that indicate the manifestation of such racial bias, particularly with regards to who can attain this form of education and whose chances are largely reduced on the basis of their racial affiliations. The author holds that the current discourses are all in favor of the white race.

The author calls for reforms to the Gifted Education Policy and Laws. Fundamentally, the acquisition of gifted education should be fairly accessible to all. The article proposes that it is the role of educators to begin making changes as individuals before this can reflect in the larger spectrum. In reflection, the article is largely important since it addresses an important issue on the education system. The issue of bias on racial grounds is rampant in the USA Gifted Education system. By implementing the proposed methods of reforms, the Gifted Education system may become more inclusive.

Wiggin, L. (2017). Demography in America: Gifted Education for a Growing Population of English Language Learners. Indiana Journal of Law and Social Equality 5(2), 301-312.

The article by Lisa Wiggin and published in the Indiana Journal of Law and Social Equality in 2017. Majority of the states in the USA are experiencing a drastic increase in the number of students in the public schools lacking sufficient English skills. Despite the fact that several of these students have the cognitive capacities to qualify for placement in gifted programs, the article points out that they are regularly discounted during the process of identification. This element forms the basis of the article. Primarily, the author addresses the need to develop policies that will be used to identify the English Language Learners who qualify for gifted education programs within the school system. This has been a longstanding challenge that must be addressed in order to provide the brightest students with fair chances to realize their full academic potential.

The article is important and highly relevant to the current education system in the USA. In essence, it is common for the school system to constantly overlook the varying abilities that different students have. The implication of this is that many of the students are frequently forced to either learn at a faster pace than their abilities would allow whereas others are forced to limit themselves for the sake of the slower learners. The paper establishes a method of separating the two types of students in order to give each one a fair chance of learning to the best of their abilities.