Special Education in Rural Settings University of Nevada, Las Vegas 2010

1. Ethics in Special Education in Rural Settings
Running head: ETHICS IN SPECIAL EDUCATION IN RURAL SETTINGS
Ethics in Special Education in Rural Settings
Philosophical Perspectives in Special Education
April 2010
Janet Vanheck
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2. Ethics in Special Education in Rural Settings
There are a number of issues to consider when examining ethical considerations
and dilemmas in special education in rural settings. First, one may examine ethical
considerations for special educators in rural America. Second, a discussion about the
ethical considerations of teaching self-determination in rural settings may take place.
Third, ethical practices and parental participation in rural special education may be
considered. Fourth, one may examine ethical issues in special education and teacher
preparation for rural settings. Finally, a look at ethical dilemmas in rural special
education may occur.
Ethical Considerations for Special Educators in Rural America
The unique ethical challenges faced by educators in rural schools and
communities are complex. Geography, population density, and availability of specialized
services create unique contexts for students. For students who live in rural settings, their
experiences reflect a contemporary challenge to the ideals of society and the universal
education of all learners. Expectations for ethical practice may be explored through an
investigation of theoretical constructs, codes of ethics, and standards for professional
practice.
Ethics can be linked to the rights of individuals in society. All teachers who work
with special needs students agree to hold themselves and others accountable for ethical
principles and standards.
Special education has been filled with ethical dilemmas since the beginning of the
Individuals with Disabilities Act. With challenges posed by this law, teachers must find
ways to provide a free appropriate education for all students. Despite educators’ best
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3. Ethics in Special Education in Rural Settings
efforts, special education continues to be filled with ethical dilemmas. Many of these
revert to decision makers at the local level.
Confidentiality and procedural safeguards are of particular interest to special
educators. Special education teachers should try to improve their skills. They should
grow as skilled educators and share information with their team mates to promote an
effective team atmosphere. Scientifically based practices are, fortunately, becoming
common in classrooms, as supported by the Nation Center on Special Education
Research (Rude, 2008).
Ethical issues are found both subtly and boldly in the field of special education.
They are found in interventions, policies, research, and teacher education. Special
education teachers often rely on complex foundations of justification for what they do
and how they do it. For a field so filled with complexities of interest, it is surprising that
so little attention has been paid to the study and development of applied ethics.
There are four major ethical challenges in special education. The first is the need
to examine the political and moral stories and ethical frameworks in which to understand
them. The second is the need for expressing character morality. The third is the need to
look at special education within the context of a liberal democracy. The fourth is the
need to develop an ethical basis for discussion on the nature and representation of
knowledge.
All teachers would aspire to be a part of an ethical framework and would like to
reaffirm their intentions to do good for students and their families. As such, initiatives
for advocacy on behalf of students with disabilities came mainly from educators involved
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4. Ethics in Special Education in Rural Settings
with them, their families, and friends. Special education is a field where the good
intended by educators is meant to improve educational outcomes for all students.
Choice morality is familiar to special educators. In choice morality, a moral
choice becomes the utmost of importance in responsibility. Principle-based ethics are
emphasized by authors writing about educational policy. Character morality is an
alternative to choice morality. The focus is not on choice but on character. Both of these
moralities have been the central theme of special educators and psychologists throughout
the 20th
century.
Since the development of the modern field of special education, the call to create
an appropriate education for all students has taken up the full attention of special
educators. Three main issues appear as among the most critical to sustaining the work of
special education. The first is recognizing the implications of the minority status of
students with disabilities. The second is inclusion of all students in general education as
both an empirical and ethical issue. The third is the debate about what is included in
knowledge must be open and respectful (Paul, 2001).
Everyone who works with exceptional children agrees to hold themselves and
others accountable for ethical principles and standards. These are in keeping with the
established ideals that guide professional practice. Some of these principles are
developing a high educational quality of life, promoting and maintaining high levels of
competence and integrity in professional practice, exercising objective professional
judgment, and engaging in professional development that benefits individuals with
disabilities. Other principles include striving to advance knowledge and skills for
improved education, operating within standards of the profession, avoiding unethical or
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5. Ethics in Special Education in Rural Settings
illegal acts that violate the code of ethics, and seeking to uphold and improve laws for the
delivery of special education and related services (Rude, 2008).
Ethical Considerations in Teaching Self-Determination in Rural Settings
Self-determination is a major concern in special education. It includes a set of
skills and behaviors that have been described as self-regulatory, goal oriented, and
independent. There has been a great deal of research, practice, and articles published on
this subject. It is critical to examine certain ethical issues that may impact successful
educational practice in regard to self-determination.
Self-determination can be examined in the context of rural special education.
There are four main considerations for this: 1. the impact of self-determination on the
lives of persons with exceptionalities; 2. how to determine what is ethical in teaching
self-determination; 3. attention may be focused on certain issues related to self-
determination programs that are especially relevant to education in rural settings; and 4.
certain issues that rural teachers must address when dealing with self-determination
instruction in an ethical manner.
Self-determination is an important skill that all people with exceptionalities
should work on. Self-determination training for people with disabilities is important, and
professionals must ask themselves how to make ethical choices in regard to the nature of
instruction in self-determination.
There are several considerations that may affect the challenges of teaching self-
determination instruction in rural settings. Rural America is becoming more diverse, and
about a third of growth in rural areas is the result of international migration. Enrollment
patterns must also be considered. In 2005, the number of public rural schools reporting
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6. Ethics in Special Education in Rural Settings
severe under-enrollment was more than in all other locations. Also, student success is
related to success in adult outcomes. Poverty is noted to a significant degree in rural
settings. Finally, there is a problem with the availability of qualified teacher candidates
for special education positions.
New federal plans place significant demands on educators. Teachers in rural
areas often teach more than one academic subject and may lack access to needed
professional development courses. However, No Child Left Behind makes them be
highly qualified in each of the subjects at the same rate as teachers from non-rural
districts. Additionally, rural schools do not receive the funding they need. Rural public
schools receive a smaller portion of their funding from federal sources than their urban
counterparts (Smith, 2008).
Ethical Practices And Parental Participation In Rural Special Education
Parental participation in special education is very important (Kauffman, 2009).
The original 94-142 provided an equal partnership for parents of students with
disabilities. Parents are encouraged to participate in planning the most appropriate
education for their children (Lashley, 2007).
Special education professionals should follow a code ethics created by the
Council for Exceptional Children (CEC). It establishes a set of principles under which all
special educators are obligated to adhere. Educators should engage in professional
activities that benefit individuals with disabilities and their families. Professionals should
as a matter of ethical responsibility implement techniques and strategies to ensure the
involvement of families of children with exceptionalities.
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7. Ethics in Special Education in Rural Settings
Research shows that rural parents of children with exceptionalities often do not
participate to the same extent as their urban and suburban counterparts. It is difficult for
rural school districts to build and maintain ongoing collaborative relationships with
parents due to the lack of resources and services. Parents in rural areas have less
resources. These include parent support centers, educational libraries, and parent
advocates. This can make them more susceptible to professional dominance at meetings.
As partners, parents are given equal authority in making decisions about their
child’s education. This may include helping special educators interpret and discover the
significance of available information in creating the student’s IEP. This places a moral
obligation on special educators to prepare and assist parents in becoming informed
decision makers in their child’s education. Unfortunately, research shows that sometimes
parents have negative experiences in becoming such equal decision makers. Parents must
be involved at each level of their child’s educational program in order to create true equal
partnerships. Research has also shown that parents voice concerns that educational
programs are made in advance without parental input and that parental feedback is not
sought or valued. The reality is that parents are not as involved in the education of their
children as anticipated by educators. Parental interaction also goes beyond passive
involvement in the educational process, but also includes negative experiences and
interactions with educators.
Special educators are both legally and ethically responsible for ensuring parental
involvement in the special education process. Research shows that the field of special
education has not adequately involved parents as equal partners. There should be a
greater effort to increase parent’s knowledge base regarding all aspects of special
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8. Ethics in Special Education in Rural Settings
education. This includes increasing special educators’ knowledge about the family,
community, and cultural factors that influence students with disabilities. Teachers should
be sensitive and respectful about meeting times and structure. An IEP meeting should be
conducive to collaboration and communication. This means that each member’s personal
circumstances are considered when developing meeting locations and agenda items
(Trussell, 2008).
Special Education and Teacher Preparation in Rural America
Research shows that ethical considerations in teacher preparation programs is
considered important, and yet it receives little attention in most teacher training
programs. The lack of educational professionals who are prepared to adequately handle
ethics and morality has been a concern in teacher education. Interest in the topic has
reappeared in the last ten years since the American Association of Colleges for Teacher
Education created a taskforce for it. It was called the Teacher Education as a Moral
Community and explored and defined the ethical dilemmas involved in teaching. It
considered moral and ethical issues in schools and higher education and the combination
of diversity with moral and ethical issues.
As such, teaching should be guided by ethical standards that provide all students
with high quality educational opportunities. It should ensure their learning opportunities
and skills toward becoming productive citizens. Also, education should teach them
critical thinking and problem solving skills needed to live in a democratic society.
Often, rural communities have high unemployment rates and low socioeconomic
levels. Students in rural areas may experience increased levels of underachievement
when compared with students in urban areas. Teaching in rural areas also poses
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9. Ethics in Special Education in Rural Settings
challenges for educators to provide a high quality education that ensures the academic
and social development of all students (Sileo, 2008)..
A code of ethics becomes necessary in these contexts. Professional ethics is a
system of moral principles that relates to behaviors or a specific professional group.
Ethics is a set of reciprocal processes that make critical reflection referring to
professional obligations and behaviors possible. The American Council on Rural Special
Education adopts ethical values designed to foster quality education for persons with
disabilities in rural areas, promote cultural diversity, and develop collaborative
partnerships to benefit rural residents (Skinner, 2010).
Teachers encounter a number of ethical issues. These concerns may be especially
relevant in rural areas where teachers must adapt to students’ academic development in
light of local values, physical isolation, harsh weather, limited fiscal resources, and
potential confidentiality issues that may arise in small towns. Ethical teachers actions are
guided by several factors. Included in these are beliefs, attitudes, and characteristics that
reflect courage, empathy, honesty, impartiality, and practical wisdom. All of these
inform classroom behaviors and practices (Sileo, 2008)
Teacher training programs must reflect the field of special education, which is a
field where educators develop and deliver programs and services for individuals with
disabilities. Teachers are confronted with many ethical issues as they work with students
with various disabilities. Almost every profession requires its members to act
responsibly toward the people they serve (Margalit, 2000). This includes teachers
treating their students in ways that favor individual welfare in accordance with best
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10. Ethics in Special Education in Rural Settings
practice. Rural special educators face particular difficulties due to lack of funds,
personnel and services, cultural differences, and geography.
The IDEA passed in 1997 requires that all students have access to participate in
the general education curriculum, and has posed several issues for special educators.
Research on how to teach this group is somewhat limited. However, new research has
been discovered on how to teach academics to some of the students in this group. This
affects teacher preparation.
No Child Left Behind in 2002, mandates assessment of all students on state
content standards in academic areas. This usually takes the form of standardized tests.
This has led to alternative assessment procedures that assist school districts to collect
assessment scores for students with disabilities that can be used in a school’s adequate
yearly progress. In terms of teacher preparation, teachers must have content knowledge
in the academic subjects for which they were responsible and state teaching certification
at grade levels to which they were assigned (Courtade, 2008).
Teachers must be prepared to work with students with severe disabilities and must
deal with particularly tough issues as they work as part of a team responsible for
determining the education of a student with disabilities. This is particularly true when
considering the relative value of inclusive or separate classroom settings.
Unfortunately, there has been little agreement on how teachers should be prepared
to deal with these issues. There is also little agreement on how teachers should be
prepared to work with students with severe disabilities. There is even less consensus on
which teachers should receive such training. The focus and content of these programs is
often open to interpretation. School systems face many challenges in recruiting,
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11. Ethics in Special Education in Rural Settings
employing, and retaining teachers who work with students with sever disabilities
(Courtade, 2008).
Ethical Dilemmas in Rural Special Education
It is perhaps possible that ethics will lead to precepts that reflect the best of who
we are and the best we hope to offer the students we service. It is impossible to provide
individualized and meaningful special education services unless ethical issues are
addressed on a continual basis. Determining what is just, what is right, what ought to be
done is important.
Ethics are legalistic statements regarding the values one brings to a particular
endeavor. Ethical dilemmas develop when a conflict arises between competing values
represented by the differing opinions of at least two people. This can also include
competition among various values held by one individual. The creation and maintenance
of a language of ethical standards can be helpful to parents, teachers, administrators, and
specialists. Given the vast range of ideals teachers hold close and try to understand and
use in their daily lives, ethics should be part of a long-term self-examination and part of a
continual conversation in our professional lives.
Only the very best is good enough for students and other beneficiaries of the
education and human services special educators provide. Holding the bar high is how
educators sustain the notion of doing good, and doing good well. It also has the
unexpected benefit of having a foundation upon which to reflect on the journey as
professionals.
Education and human services by their very nature imply an ethical imperative.
These are the areas of endeavor that represent work designed to alter the development
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12. Ethics in Special Education in Rural Settings
and other characteristics of the students and family members who are served. It invites
special education teachers to develop a language of ethics, and a commitment to social
justice, since the law requiring the development of such services has its foundation in
social justice. It implies that there is a higher calling, a need to move toward ideals in
special education. This calling should be void of consideration of sanctions for not acting
ethically that seem to be at the center of discussion of ethical codes. This idea of moving
toward ideals in the work teachers do, and the creation of a language of ethics, should be
at the center of answering basic questions: Why do educators do what they do? And,
why do they care (Berkley, 2008)?
Conclusion
In conclusion, there are a number of factors to consider in examining ethics in
special education in rural settings. First, ethical considerations for special educators in
rural American may be examined. This includes an examination of the unique challenges
faced by educators in rural schools. Next, the ethics in teaching self-determination in
rural settings may be explored. Self-determination consists of a set of skills that are self-
regulatory, goal oriented, and independent. Then, parental involvement and ethical
practices may be considered. Parental involvement is crucial to student success. Further,
special education and teacher preparation may be examined. Presently, ethical
considerations receive little attention in most teacher training programs. Finally, ethical
dilemmas in rural special education may be explored. Ethical dilemmas must be
considered on a continual basis in order to provide meaningful special education services.
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References
Berkley, T. & Ludlow, B. (2008). Ethical dilemmas in rural special education: a call for
a conversation about the ethics of practice. Rural Special Education Quarterly.
27 (1/2), 3 – 9.
Courtade, G., Ludlow, B. (2008). Ethical issues and severe disabilities: programming
for students and preparation for teachers. Rural Special Education Quarterly.
27 (1/2), 36 – 42.
Kauffman, J & Hallahan, D. (2009). Parental choices and ethical dilemmas involving
disabilities: special education and the problem of deliberately chosen
disabilities. Exceptionality. 17: 45 – 62.
Lashley, C. (2007). Principal leadership for special education: an ethical
framework. Exceptionality 15 (3), 177 – 187.
Margalit, M. (2000). Issues in special education research within international
perspectives. Exceptionality. 8 (4), 299 – 304.
Paul, J., French, P. (2001). Ethics and special education. Focus on Exceptional
Children. 34(1), 1-16.
Rude, A. & Whetstone, P. (2008). Ethical considerations for special educators in rural
America. Rural Special Education Quarterly. 27(1/2), 10-18.
Sileo, N & Sileo, T. (2008). Ethical issues in general and special education teacher
preparation.: an interface with rural education. Rural Special Education
Quarterly. 27 (1/2), 43 – 54).
Skinner, M. & Gurganus, S. (2009). Principles of ethical practice: cases for illustration
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and dialogue. Intervention in School and Clinic. 45, 3 – 13. doi:
10.117/1053451209338396
Smith, T., Beyer, J. (2008). Ethical considerations in teaching self-determination:
challenges in rural special education. Rural Special Education Quarterly. 27
(1/2),27 – 35.
Trussell, R. & Hammond, H. (2008). Ethical practices and parental participation in
rural special education. Rural Special Education Quarterly. 27 (1/2), 19 – 23.
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