"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"-- Provided by publisher

Introduction -- Part I: Thinking through ability, disability, and ableism -- Making disability a different kind of issue in schools: Disability studies in education -- How ability is constructed and organized in schools -- Detangling the relationship between race, class, and perceived ability -- Part II: How students are organized by ability -- Special education program, identification and placement -- Academic streaming and hierarchies of ability -- Implicating gifted and talented education -- Part III: Practical strategies for the school and classroom -- Critical approaches to inclusion -- Inclusive pedagogy and practice -- Conclusion: Moving forward and setting new conditions for justice