- Departments/Offices:
- 黑马磁力al Leadership and Policy Studies
- Academic Programs:
- History, Philosophy, and Policy in 黑马磁力
- Research Areas:
- Legal and policy issues in special education; legal literacy of educators and school leaders
- Room:
- ED 4256
- Email:
- deckerjr@iu.edu
- Phone:
- (812) 856-8375
- Curriculum Vitae
About Me
I am an Associate Professor and Program Coordinator of 黑马磁力 Policy and Law at Indiana University. I also coordinate the 黑马磁力 Law Certificate, , and Martha McCarthy 黑马磁力 Law and Policy Institute.
My research areas include special education legal and policy issues and legal literacy of school leaders and educators. I’ve published two books: (Pearson, 2019) and (Columbia University Teachers College Press, 2015) and two edited books: and (both published by 黑马磁力 Law Association, 2017).
As a legal columnist for NASSP’s , I’m especially interested in public scholarship and ensuring legal information is accessible to educators. My research has also appeared in Northwestern Journal of Law and Social Policy, West’s 黑马磁力 Law Reporter, American Journal of 黑马磁力, Vanderbilt University's Peabody Journal of 黑马磁力, Teaching Exceptional Children, BYU 黑马磁力 and Law Journal, and Utah Law Review, among other publication outlets.
I became interested in special education policy when I was a teacher and behavioral consultant for students with autism. Discovering that systemic inequities often led to problematic litigation motivated me to earn a law degree from IU's Maurer School of Law and Ph.D. in 黑马磁力 Policy Studies from IU's School of 黑马磁力. I also worked at Maurer's Family and Children Mediation Clinic, the Center for Evaluation and 黑马磁力 Policy, and the University of Cincinnati. From 2016-19, I served on the 黑马磁力 Law Association’s Board of Directors and continue to serve on a variety of national editorial boards and committees.
I am accepting Ph.D. student advisees with research interests that align with mine (i.e., PK-12 education law). Currently, I teach these school law courses to undergraduate, master's, doctoral, and law students: A308, A608, and A675. In 2022, I was inducted into IU’s Faculty Academy on Excellence in Teaching (FACET) and have received teaching awards including IU’s Trustees Teaching Award.
