Julie Mead

Professor

School of Education | Educational Leadership & Policy Analysis

Hometown: Edgerton

Julie Fisher Mead is a professor in the Department of Educational Leadership & Policy Analysis. Dr. Mead researches and writes about topics related to the legal aspects of education. Dr. Mead’s research centers on legal issues related to special education and legal issues raised by various forms of school choice.

Talks:

• Understanding Federal Disability Rights in Public Schools

  This presentation discusses three federal laws and their application to public schools: 1) Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973; 2) the Americans with Disabilities Act; and 3) the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. These three laws govern special education in public schools.

• Public Education: The Cornerstone of Democracy

  This presentation addresses the following questions: What are the values and principles that make public schools so essential to a strong democracy? How do external threats to public education impact those principles? How do we describe and defend those values when supporting our local schools?

• Public Education and Privatization: What’s at Stake?

  This presentation explains forms of school privatization, including school vouchers, tax credit scholarships, and education savings accounts. The presentation examines the trade-offs in various forms of school choice, the history of Wisconsin’s voucher and charter school programs, and the implications of those policies on public education.

• How School Privatization Opens the Door to Discrimination

  This presentation discusses differences between legal protections in public schools, charter schools, and private school voucher programs, explaining how privatization opens the door to discrimination because of three phenomena:

  • Differing legal definitions of discrimination.
  • Lack of explicit protections in state voucher and charter laws.
  • Limited requirements for program availability.