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Harold L. Hodgkinson Award for Outstanding Dissertation Dr. Christopher Plum was awarded for his commitment to social change in special education.
 Dr. Christopher Charles Plum Plum’s dissertation examined Individualized Education Program (IEP) meetings—meetings that determine the special education placement for students with disabilities, attended by teachers, administrators, the student and his or her parents. Plum’s findings are timely as the number of students who qualify for special education continues to grow, and as school districts across the United States begin to examine and reform their special education placement processes. Plum’s study analyzed 13 IEP meetings in three schools across the greater Detroit area. The study focused on the interactions that occurred just before the student’s education placement decision was reached. Plum concluded that the school psychologist is the power center of the IEP meeting. This key finding revealed a disconnect with the Individuals with Disabilities in Education Act, which states that a student’s education placement should be a collective decision reached by the IEP meeting team. Plum concludes that equalizing the power asymmetries in IEP meetings will lead to the proper educational placement of students with disabilities, which, in turn, will enhance the life and education of children in America. Bernard L. Turner Award Dr. Linda Crawford chaired Plum’s dissertation, for which she received the Bernard L. Turner Award. Dr. Sharon Johnson and Dr. Joe Ann Hinrichs from The Richard W. Riley College of Education and Leadership also served on Plum’s dissertation committee. Harold L. Hodgkinson Award The Harold L. Hodgkinson Award is bestowed annually upon a Walden graduate whose dissertation is judged as meeting the highest university standards of academic excellence. The award honors the life of dedication and the distinguished career of one of the nation’s foremost experts in demography, Dr. Harold L. Hodgkinson. It also recognizes Hodgkinson’s instrumental role in the establishment and academic development of Walden University. Read about past recipients of the Harold L. Hodgkinson Award. August Ponder front page
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