Examining Competing Notions of Social Justice at the Intersections of High-Stakes Testing Practices and Parents’ Rights: An Inclusive Education Perspective

• Published in: Teachers College record (1970) 2016-01, Vol.118 (14), p.1-24
• Main Authors: Waitoller, Federico R., Pazey, Barbara L.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Accountability; Case Studies; Disabilities; High Stakes Tests; Inclusion; Parent Rights; Parents & parenting; Public schools; Social Attitudes; Social Justice; Special Needs Students; Student Rights; Students with disabilities
• ISSN: 0161-4681; 1467-9620
• DOI: 10.1177/016146811611801402

In this article, we examine tensions that can materialize at the intersection of high-stakes accountability assessments and the rights of parents of students with dis/abilities. We bring to the surface and analyze the competing notions of social justice that have fueled the implementation of both high-stakes testing and the inclusion of students with dis/abilities in public schooling. Our purpose is to problematize narrow discussions about high-stakes testing and students with dis/abilities, contextualizing them in broader struggles for inclusive education. To achieve this task, we examine an event, framed as a case study, which emerged from a larger research project. Our analysis is informed by an understanding of inclusive education as situated practice in which historically evolving notions of justice are tangled and enacted to negotiate situated identities. We conclude with implications for practice and accountability models.