Aaron King
IDEA Impact
Aaron King
SPED 100
April 9, 2009
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Aaron King
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IDEA Impact
Being a teacher is a career choice that takes a lot of commitment and desire. Educating
young people is one of the most important things that needs to happen to be able to succeed in
life. Our future depends on the young people of today’s world and teachers are the pathway to
young people. When a person decides to be a teacher, that person is taking on a task that requires
a desire to better all people.
The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act is something that needed to happen when
the act was reauthorized in 2004. Special Education is a very important part of the education
career and is an area that needs to be addressed in the right way. It is said that children with
disabilities represent about nine percent of the school age populations. Children with disabilities
need a lot of attention and by having the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act; these
children with special needs receive the attention they need. In this essay I will talk about IDEA’s
impact on American education, the roles’ of teachers, and the individuals with special needs.
IDEA American Impact
The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act has many components, but the six major
principals are: Zero Reject, Nondiscriminatory Identification and Evaluation, Free, Appropriate
Public Education, Least Restrictive Environment, Due Process Safeguards, and Shared Decision
Making. All six of these principles impact the American education system in many different
ways. Zero Reject states that schools must educate all children with disabilities, and this affects
the American education system by giving every young person the chance to excel in school and
learn how to live life. Nondiscriminatory Identification and Evaluation declares that every school
must use nonbiased, multifactored methods of evaluation. This principle affects our nation’s
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education by giving each child with a disability an equal opportunity to receive the proper
evaluation to be able to succeed in school. An individual education plan must be developed for
each child with a disability according to the Free, Appropriate Public Education principle of
IDEA. By developing an Individual Education Plan for each child, every student that has a
disability receives their own plan to help them get the most out of their education. If each child
with a disability was on the same plan, American education would see no improvement.
America’s education is greatly affected by each student receiving their own personal plan. Each
child with a disability must be educated with children without disabilities to the maximum extent
appropriate, which is stated by the Least Restrictive Environment principle. By being with your
classmates, most children with disabilities are able to learn how to socially cope with other
people. If children were kept away from the social aspect of school, then those students would
not to be able to function in the society. Due Process Safeguards states that parents and
children’s rights are protected. The information that is known about each student’s disability is
something that is not allowed to be shared with outside people. This principle says that no matter
what is talked about or what is known, the parents and child will have all of this information
protected. Finally, Shared Decision Making states that schools must collaborate with every
child’s parents. All six of the principles of IDEA stated above have such a huge impact on
Americans education. Without the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, the people who
are educating and being educated would not be as successful as they are. Every aspect of special
education requires a lot of commitment and IDEA just helps provide the push to succeed.
Educators’ Roles
I feel that educators deserve more credit than they get. Being a teacher is something I
take very serious and I look forward to becoming a teacher. Educators have had guidelines to
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help them better their special education because of the Individuals with Disabilities Education
Act. Educators are the first line of success for students and by using IDEA, teachers are that
much more successful. Teachers are the people who use the Individuals with Disabilities
Education Act to help each student learn to their abilities. The components of IDEA have
impacted the educators’ role in America’s education by giving them rules to follow and
providing successful pathways to successful teaching. For example, one component of IDEA
says that services must extend to toddlers, infants, and preschoolers. This component allows for
educators roles to begin with students at a younger and allow younger students to get a step
ahead. The guidance of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act has allowed educators to
be the best they can.
Individuals Roles
Since 2004, individuals with disabilities have seen much more time and effort from
everyone involved in education. From the classroom to home, students with disabilities have
received a higher degree of education because of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act.
Both the students and the parents have had their rights protected and cared about, and because of
this, special education is something that has seen vast improvement. Overall, the Individuals with
Disabilities Education Act has created so much change in American education and has bettered
the future of our nation.
Conclusion
The components of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act have impacted the
American education system, educators’ roles within the system, and the lives of the individuals
with disabilities. Every aspect of education has seen gains because of IDEA and children with
Aaron King
special needs receive the education they need because of this act. The Individuals with
Disabilities Education Act has been something that has improved every aspect of education and
as this act betters, we all can look forward to seeing even more growth in American education.
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