Ableism in Education Audiobook By Gillian Parekh cover art

Ableism in Education

Rethinking School Practices and Policies

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Ableism in Education

By: Gillian Parekh
Narrated by: Chloe Dolandis
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How we organize children by ability in schools is often rooted in ableism.

Ability is so central to schooling—where we explicitly and continuously shape, assess, measure, and report on students' abilities—that ability-based decisions often appear logical and natural. However, how schools respond to ability results in very real, lifelong social and economic consequences. Special education and academic streaming (or tracking) are two of the most prominent ability-based strategies public schools use to organize student learning. Both have had a long and complicated relationship with gender, race, and class.

In this down-to-earth guide, Dr. Gillian Parekh unpacks the realities of how ability and disability play out within schooling, including insights from students, teachers, and administrators about the barriers faced by students on the basis of ability. From the challenges with ability testing to gifted programs to the disability rights movement, Parekh shows how ableism is inextricably linked to other forms of bias. Her book is a powerful tool for educators committed to justice-seeking practices in schools.

©2022 Gillian Parekh (P)2022 Tantor Education Student
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I was super excited for this book, but it was a huge let down! It reads entirely like a graduate research paper that hasn’t been fully developed or experimented other than for their one paper. The examples she gives unfortunately may be reality in some places they have never been a reality in any of the 4 corporations I have worked at all over the state of Indiana, perhaps we are a bit more progressive than I thought, but in reality I think it’s the differences in Canada vs. the United States and terms used not quite lining up. I want greater inclusion for my own students who are all on an alternative diploma track, I want students to have the opportunities to pursue grade level credit courses instead of applied courses, but this book unfortunately doesn’t help any of that. I actually believe it further alienates public schools and just drives more people to home schooling or ABA services because of the poor overview of the public school special education programs.

Good theories but not very accurate

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The book makes some valuable points about special education, tracking, etc. Too theoretical and repetitive of theoretical formulations, not much in the way of concrete examples. It strains too conform to intersectional orthodoxy: lots of mention of gender minorities, but since when are gays and lesbians academic underachievers? It is mentioned that boys suffer disproportionately from ableism, but no mention is made of how this undermines the idea that white straight males are the top predators of the intersectional pyramid. It is mentioned that East-Asian immigrants are great benificeries of meritocracy, but somehow that has no impact on the assumption that the system is rigged to preserve 'white supremacy".

OK, makes some valuable points

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