Problem Statement
The department of education in New York City is responsible for facilitating equal education among all students but parents still push them to act. Moreover, New York City has not appropriately developed special education systems to address needy students’ requirements. Further, those who access education face discrimination from teachers and classmates, exacerbating the need to address gaps in New York City’s learning system. This research aimed to analyze and elaborate on special education services in New York City public schools, determine special issues within these services and evaluate the current policies focusing on solving the issue.
Background Information
Contributing Factors
There are more than 200,000 public school students who are eligible for special education in New York City. This value constitutes 20% of New York’s public school students. Other factors include bullying and unresponsive administrative systems. Providing special education services is procedural and challenging.
Affected People: Disabled children who develop low self-esteem and encounter poor personal advancement; their families, using more efforts to seek justice and provide medications; society, due to inadequate talent development.
The New York department of education is working to eliminate disparities in the education system. It should establish specific laws and policies to manage special education and prevent bullying and harassment. The executive branch of education should ensure that the policies set above are adhered to.
Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) is the current policy, which aims to control whether learners with disabilities and special needs receive appropriate and efficient free public education. It also governs the state’s interventions in education.
The policy has ensured that learners receive appropriate and free learning, and it has controlled federal interventions in the provision of public education. However, its evaluation system contradicts the expectations of teachers and parents.
Barriers to Policy Implementation
Implementing the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act is limited by inadequate funds and time availed for the provision of individualized learning services, lack of awareness among people, and a few measures for parents to take when reporting non-compliance in special education services.
Research Questions and Objectives
Research Questions
What are the challenges that parents and their children with disabilities and special needs face in receiving special education services?
How has the city’s educational system failed?
Research Objectives are
- Specific: researching the challenges that parents with disabled children face while seeking quality education. The researcher will collect data from the students’ families eligible for special education in New York. He will also categorize particular challenges the students eligible for special education and their families face.
- Measurable: through specific indicators and standard measurement procedures, such as multiple-choice questions.
- Attainable: all the necessary tools and skills are available. The researcher’s capabilities determine the goals’ attainability because it will take eight hours per week for three months.
- Realistic: The aim of the study is also actual because the required resources are accessible. The participants from the educational department of New York City are ready to attend interviews. Additionally, data on children eligible for special education is available and accessible.
- Time-bound: The research will cover approximately three months, allowing all the goals to be achieved. Three to four weeks will be spent on survey designing and participant search. Three weeks are allotted for data collection; two weeks for interviewing the representatives of the Department of Education; three to four weeks for data analysis and interpretation.
Research and Analysis Approach
Part 1: Field Survey
The study entails qualitative and quantitative research methods: structured and unstructured methods, close-ended and open-ended questions, as well as a rating scale. Participants will be sampled randomly, while questionnaires will facilitate hypothesis testing.
Part 2: Designing a Simple Survey
The stages for designing a survey include goal-setting, sample size determination, and selection of the interview methodology. It is followed by the creation of the questionnaires, performing a pre-test of the designed questionnaire to determine its practicality, and conducting interviews. The survey questions will majorly concern a child’s gender, age, type of school attended, whether their parents consume alcoholic drinks and whether the special education department has failed.
IRB application questions
- Question A: It addresses whether parents face challenges seeking special education services for their children.
- Question B: Subjects will be drawn within New York City after the maintenance of a separate direct recruiting protocol that has IRB approval.
- Question C: will inform participants on all trial aspects.
- Question D: it focuses on the study’s activities.
- Question E: The IRB is a mandated decision-maker on whether the set protocols are enough to safeguard the privacy of participants.
- Question F: focuses on psychological risks and legal risks liable if the research violates any laws.
- Question G: Subjects will receive indirect benefits ranging from collateral to aspirational benefits.