Our Spring Colloquium, Intersections of Race and Class in Special Education Policy considers the collective impact of a range of legislative acts – from Brown vs Board of Education in 1954, the Civil Rights Act in 1964 and the Education of All Handicapped Children Act in 1975. These statutes were passed with the intent to improve outcomes for marginalized students. Unfortunately, students continue to experience unequal treatment at school and demonstrate disparate achievement. This colloquium will engage participants across research, policy, and practice areas in novel approaches to address the impact of equity-based legislation on students. With a specific focus on the intersection of race, class, and disability, the interactive sessions are designed to facilitate collaborative problem-solving across federal, state, and local education policy stakeholders.

Discussion begins with the release and presentation of a national report on state level disproportionality data by Wendy Cavendish (Roosevelt House Visiting Scholar) and Alfredo Artiles (Arizona State University). Panels continue all day with scholars, advocates, and educators, including Kristen Harper (US Department of Education, Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services), Dan Losen (UCLA Civil Rights Project), and Beth Harry (University of Miami).

 

SCHEDULE

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD SCHEDULE (PDF)

8:30 am
Registration and continental breakfast

9:00 am
Welcoming remarks
John Rose, Dean for Diversity and Compliance, Hunter College

9:05 am
Presiding: Jennifer Samson, Roosevelt House Faculty Associate and Interim Acting Chair of Special Education, Hunter College

Report: National Report on State Level Disproportionality Data
Wendy Cavendish, Roosevelt House Visiting Research Scholar and Associate Professor, University of Miami and Alfredo Artiles, Associate Dean and Professor of Special Education, Arizona State University

9:30 am
Panel 1. Federal Policy and Monitoring

Moderator: David Steiner, Director, Johns Hopkins Institute for Education Policy and Professor of Education, Johns Hopkins University

Panelists:

Kristen Harper, Senior Policy Advisor for the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services, U.S. Department of Education
Dan Losen, Director, Center for Civil Rights Remedies UCLA Civil Rights Project

10:30 am
Coffee break

10:45 am
Panel 2. State and City Level Educational Policy

Moderator: Catherine Voulgarides, Senior Research Associate, NYU Metropolitan Center-Technical Assistance Center on Disproportionality (TAC-D)

Panelists:

Larry Spring, Superintendent, Schenectady City School District
Laura Morana, Interim Executive County Superintendent, Middlesex and Mercer Counties, New Jersey State Department of Education
Jordan Stockdale, Program Director, School Climate Initiatives, Mayor’s Office of Criminal Justice in NYC

12:00 pm
Lunch

1:15 pm
Panel 3. Legal, Theoretical and Ethics Based Approaches

Moderator: Wanda Blanchett, Dean, College of Education and Distinguished Professor, Rutgers University

Panelists:

Osamudia James, Professor of Law, University of Miami School of Law
Leigh Patel, Associate Professor of Education, Boston College

2:30 pm
Panel 4. Standing up for Equity

Moderator: Lauren Katzman, Executive Director, Urban Special Education Leadership Collaborative, Education Development Center

Panelists:

Beth Harry, Professor of Special Education, University of Miami
Lydia Ocasio-Stoutenburg, Board Member and Advocate, Parent-to-Parent

3:45 pm
Coffee break

4:00 pm

Roundtable Discussion

Rapporteurs:

Dan Losen, Director, Center for Civil Rights Remedies UCLA Civil Rights Project
Jordan Stockdale, Program Director of School Climate Initiatives, Mayor’s Office of Criminal Justice in NYC 
Wanda Blanchett, Dean, College of Education and Distinguished Professor at Rutgers University
Beth Harry, Professor of Special Education, University of Miami
Kristen Harper, Senior Policy Advisor for the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services, U.S. Department of Education

Moderator: Shyama Venkateswar, Director, Public Policy Program, Roosevelt House Public Policy Institute at Hunter College

5:00 pm
Conclusion: Jennifer Samson, Roosevelt House Faculty Associate and Interim Acting Chair of Special Education, Hunter College

5:15 pm
Reception

SPEAKERS





RESOURCES & MEDIA



Conference Planning Committee

Wendy Cavendish, University of Miami
Jen Kalaidis, Roosevelt House Public Policy Institute at Hunter College
Rafael Muñoz, Roosevelt House Public Policy Institute at Hunter College
Jennifer Samson, Hunter College, City University of New York
Shyama Venkateswar, Roosevelt House Public Policy Institute at Hunter College

Sponsored by the Hunter College Office of the Provost and the Roosevelt House Public Policy Institute at Hunter College. Additional travel support provided by New York University.

 

Roosevelt House expresses its gratitude to co-organizers Jennifer Samson, Roosevelt House Faculty Associate & Interim Acting Chair of Special Education at Hunter College School of Education, and Wendy Cavendish, Roosevelt House Visiting Research Scholar and Associate Professor, University of Miami.

Intersections of Race and Class in Special Education Policy | Posted on April 22nd, 2016 |