Experience Shaped Hehir’s Inclusive Spec. Ed. Views
Thomas Hehir, the current director of the office of special education programs at the U.S. Department of Education, has had a long and successful career in the field of education. He began as a special education teacher in the 1970s at a vocational-technical high school in Framingham, Massachusetts that embraced the idea of inclusion, or integrating disabled students into regular education classes. This experience greatly influenced Hehir’s views on education and inclusion.
Hehir’s educational background includes a bachelor’s degree in psychology from the College of the Holy Cross, a master’s degree in special education from Syracuse University, and a doctorate in administration and social policy from Harvard University. He has held various administrative positions in the education systems of Boston and Chicago.
Throughout his career, Hehir has been a strong advocate for the rights and education of disabled students. As the director of the office of special education programs, he has focused on holding schools accountable for the academic performance of students with disabilities, monitoring states and districts for compliance with the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), and addressing the issue of high dropout rates among disabled students.
Hehir has been a vocal defender of IDEA, a federal law that ensures disabled students are educated in the least restrictive environment appropriate for their needs. He has faced opposition from Republicans in Congress in his efforts to protect the rights of disabled students. Despite these challenges, he has successfully fought against proposals that would have allowed schools to stop educating violent disabled students charged with unrelated offenses.
As a political appointee, Hehir believes that allowing schools to stop teaching any disabled student would undermine the core principles of the IDEA, which is to provide a free and appropriate public education for all children with disabilities.
The office of special education programs, which Hehir heads, is responsible for administering the IDEA and ensuring compliance for the approximately 5.7 million disabled students in the United States. However, there has been criticism that the office is out of touch with the reality of teaching disabled children. The House Education and the Workforce Committee plans to hold hearings to investigate the office’s authority in writing regulations to clarify the IDEA amendments.
Overall, Thomas Hehir is a respected and dedicated advocate for special education and inclusion. He has made significant contributions to the field and continues to work towards addressing the challenges faced by disabled students in the education system.
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