The 12 Ethical Principles of Special Education

Ethical Principles

Introduction

Upholding the twelve Principles of Ethics keeps Special Educators providing students with what they need. By understanding these pillars of standard practice, professionals can organize themselves to better advocate for student needs. Additionally, larger communication networks can be established in order to better facilitate a comunity of likeminded educators.

1. Expectations

Principle 1

"Maintaining challenging expectations for individuals with exceptionalities to develop the highest possible learning outcomes and quality of life potential in ways that respect their dignity, culture, language, and background." (2023, CEC)

Educators should provide an environment in which students can attain and apply real world skills. This pertains to local culture as well as larger career-driven expectations.

2. Proffesionalism

Principle 2

"Maintaining a high level of professional competence and integrity and exercising professional judgment to benefit individuals with exceptionalities and their families." (2023, CEC)

Abiding by the laws in place while providing the proper services to those in need.

3. Community

Principle 3

"Promoting meaningful and inclusive participation of individuals with exceptionalities in their schools and communities." (2023, CEC)

Ultimately, our schools are designed to help build citizens. By giving students real world skills in schools, they can take advantage of the opportunities within their own communities.

4. Practicing Collegially

"Practicing collegially with others who are providing services to individuals with exceptionalities." (2023, CEC)

As a Special Education INstructor, you are a part of a team! You must work alongside parents, psychologists, administrators, and many others.

Principle 4

5. Families

Principle 5

"Developing relationships with families based on mutual respect and actively involving families and individuals with exceptionalities in educational decision making." (2023, CEC)

Parents deserve to be involved with the educational process of their children. As an educator, it is ethical to gain their input.

6. Evidence

Principle 6

"Using evidence, instructional data, research, and professional knowledge to inform practice." (2023, CEC)

If you don't use data, you're just making stuff up. Research is conducted in order to better inform practices, and it is up to Educators to utilize the information to inform best practices.

7. Protection

Principle 7

"Protecting and supporting the physical and psychological safety of individuals with exceptionalities." (2023, CEC)

Students with exceptionalities are already at risk by societal pressures. As educators, providing a Least Restrictive Environment is essential to their process.

8. Preservation

Principle 8

"Neither engaging in nor tolerating any practice that harms individuals with exceptionalities." (2023, CEC)

Preserving students' safeties is a part of providing each student with a Least Restrictive Learning Environment. Reporting student safety is also a part of being a Mandated Reporter.

9. CEC

Principle 9

"Practicing within the professional ethics, standards, and policies of CEC; upholding laws, regulations, and policies that influence professional practice; and advocating improvements in the laws, regulations, and policies." (2023, CEC)

The laws are put in place to protect the rights of students with exceptionalities. The laws provide protection as well as guidelines.

10. Advocate

Principle 10

"Advocating for professional conditions and resources that will improve learning outcomes of individuals with exceptionalities." (2023, CEC)

Student needs come first, resources come next. The principle of advocation is about understanding what students need and taking professional steps to provide resources for those needs.

11. Organize

Principle 11

"Engaging in the improvement of the profession through active participation in professional organizations." (2023, CEC)

Being a part of professional organizations keeps professional development opportunities abundant. Staying current means staying organized.

12. Participate

Principle 12

"Participating in the growth and dissemination of professional knowledge and skills." (2023, CEC)

By being a part of professional education organizations, we actively play a role in furthering the research that sets the foundation for all other educators to base their practices on.

Conclusion

Through these 12 principles of ethics, the CEC and Special Education Professionalshave a code with which they can hold themselves to a standard. When dealing with students who donb't konw their own needs, we must be absolutely sure that the professionals hired are trained to keep student health an absolute priority. Ethical guidelines create a standard with which to hold people accountable. Accountability for the sake of students with exceptionalities.