Public K-12 Education Response to Serving Special Education Students During COVID: A Content Analysis

Cheryl L. Burleigh; Andrea M. Wilson; Erik Bean

doi:10.64546/jaasep.519

Public K-12 Education Response to Serving Special Education Students During COVID: A Content Analysis

Cheryl L. Burleigh, EdD (Author) Walden University https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2393-5477 Author Biography
Cheryl L. Burleigh, EdD, is a Contributing Faculty member in the Richard W. Riley College of Education and Leadership at Walden University. Over the course of the last 17 years, she has been a faculty member, research fellow in residence, and university supervisor of higher education faculty and teacher licensure candidates for several universities within the colleges of education and educational leadership, general studies, and doctoral studies. She has extensive experience within K-12 and higher education, educational coaching, and consulting as a fully credentialed educator in the fields of educational leadership and science education. Her K-12 education career included leading programs for NASA, teaching the sciences, and working in administrative leadership positions in public, private, and charter schools in the United States, Europe, and Africa. Dr. Burleigh is a widely published author with a focus on relevant issues that affect the field of education and education leadership in the K-12 and higher education sectors. Her research interests include current issues in K-12 and higher education, science education, (JAASEP) emerging educators, educational leadership, policies and governance in education, and technology applications in education.
Andrea M. Wilson, PhD (Author) Walden University https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1471-654X Author Biography
Andrea M. Wilson, PhD, is a current Core Faculty member in the Richard W. Riley College of Education and Leadership at Walden University. She has served for the last 15 years as a member of the faculty and field supervisor for multiple universities teaching and advising students in the fields of education leadership and administration, special education, research methods and statistics, and psychology. Dr. Wilson has extensive experience in the K-12 public education sector as a teacher, behavior interventionist, and special education district leader. She is a fully certified educator in the fields of educational leadership and special education. Dr. Wilson is a published author with current research interests in the retention and success of students and faculty in online higher education, collaborative teaming approaches to research and scholarly activity, best practices in school discipline and leadership, as well as technology applications in education. In the Summer of 2019, Dr. Wilson was the honored recipient of Walden University’s prestigious Presidential Award for Faculty Excellence.
Erik Bean, EdD (Author) University of Phoenix https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4731-2135 Author Biography
Erik Bean, EdD is Associate University Research Chair, Center for Leadership Studies and Organizational Research, University of Phoenix, and is the Leadership Perspectives section editor for the Journal of Leadership Studies (Wiley). In addition to more than 20 years of experience teaching higher education English composition, journalism, leadership, cyber communications, and critical thinking classes for example, Dr. Bean is a retired, but active K-12 public education teacher who specializes in study skills (K-8) and computer aided instructional lessons. He is the author of several popular educational books such as Social Media Writing Lesson Plans, Using Microsoft Word AutoCorrect for Rigorous Grading, WordPress for Student Writing Projects, and his most recent effort Bias Is All Around You: A Handbook for Inspecting Social Media & News Stories.

DOI

https://doi.org/10.64546/jaasep.519

Abstract

From the onset of COVID-19, public K-12 schools were scrambling to keep classrooms open virtually providing all students with meaningful learning experiences. This study provides a synthesis of insights gained about K-12 special education service provision during COVID. A content analysis benchmarking approaches to serving special education K-12 students during COVID-19 included a review of current literature, government, state documentation, and public advocacy data revealed the complexities of this issue. When services are not provided, the school is out of compliance, directly affecting students’ educations and the funding the school district receives to support special education programs. Furthermore, when school districts lacked the forethought to anticipate the unexpected or address how to serve students remotely, students were left to fend for themselves. This disruption in legally mandated services detrimentally affected these students and their special education teachers, paraprofessionals, parents, as well as caregivers.

Keywords

Access to Education, Barriers, Blended Learning, COVID-19, Distance Education, Educational Legislation

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How to Cite

Burleigh, C. L., Wilson, A. M., & Bean, E. (2023). Public K-12 Education Response to Serving Special Education Students During COVID: A Content Analysis. Journal of the American Academy of Special Education Professionals, 18(2), 32-53. https://doi.org/10.64546/jaasep.519