Professor Co-Authors Book on Special Education Legal Knowledge

Photo by University Relations

Kevin Brady

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – Kevin Brady and his colleagues in both the fields of educational leadership and law decided to write a book teaching educators the basics of complying with education law, specifically legal issues that impact students with disabilities.

Brady, a new associate professor of educational leadership at the University of Arkansas, came to the College of Education and Health Professions this summer after spending a decade as a faculty member at North Carolina State University. In August, he co-authored How to Prevent Special Education Litigation: Eight Legal Lesson Plans, published by Teachers College Press in New York.

“Educators and lawyers speak different languages, often creating a disconnect when they try to communicate,” Brady said. “Back when I was in graduate school at Teachers College in New York, I saw that educators had little or no expertise in law and attorneys had equally little or no expertise in education so their communications about legal issues were poor. I saw a huge opportunity to work with both constituencies to deconstruct legalese and advise school districts. No matter where educators are in the public education sphere – teachers, nurses, counselors, administrators – they need to be aware of what the leading legal issues are in their school.”

The book’s focus is on legal compliance, he said.

“It explains: here’s what we currently know about legal compliance, here are the rules so you can’t say you aren’t aware of them,” Brady said. “This knowledge leads to more effective leadership in our schools.”

Special education law is probably the most complex and misunderstood area of education law, he said, and the area in which educators and administrators are most likely to have difficulty ensuring that the needs of students with disabilities are met and the district is in proper legal compliance.

Other educators praised the book in promotional material from the publisher, saying that districts spend too much money on special education litigation, money that could be better used to provide educational services to children.

The lesson plans in the book require no legal knowledge and can be facilitated by school principals, special education directors, teachers or university instructors. They include practical lesson plan activities that can be completed in one-hour sessions, and they use actual situations that have led to expensive litigation.

About the educational leadership program: The educational leadership program in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction of the College of Education and Health Professions offers three graduate degrees with coursework completely online. These degrees prepare educators seeking administrative positions in elementary and secondary schools, district-wide administrative positions, federal and state governmental agency positions and other education leadership-related professional positions. The master’s program has a 100 percent pass rate on the School Leaders Licensure Assessment, and the educational specialist program has a 100 percent pass rate on the School Superintendent Assessment.

About the University of Arkansas: The University of Arkansas provides an internationally competitive education for undergraduate and graduate students in more than 200 academic programs. The university contributes new knowledge, economic development, basic and applied research, and creative activity while also providing service to academic and professional disciplines. The Carnegie Foundation classifies the University of Arkansas among only 2 percent of universities in America that have the highest level of research activity. U.S. News & World Report ranks the University of Arkansas among its top American public research universities. Founded in 1871, the University of Arkansas comprises 10 colleges and schools and maintains a low student-to-faculty ratio that promotes personal attention and close mentoring.