Dissertation Proposal Announcement Ed.D. Program: Cassandra L. DeVita “Between Mandate and Reality: How PreK–8 General Music Educators Navigate Inclusive Practice in New Jersey”

In New Jersey, PreK–8 general music educators work under a dual mandate. Federal disability law requires meaningful access for students with disabilities, and state standards require sequential music instruction for every student. Both mandates meet in the same room, with no guarantee that the educator has the information, staffing, or materials needed before the lesson begins. Many music educators enter the field with little music-specific preparation for teaching students with disabilities. Willingness is not the issue. Many educators support inclusion and still feel underprepared. Beyond preparation, access to student information, collaboration with special educators, planning time, staffing, materials, and administrative support all shape what educators can sustain, and those conditions vary widely across districts. When supports are missing or delayed, educators still find ways to respond, often through informal workarounds rather than reliable institutional systems. Placement in a general music classroom is not the same as meaningful inclusion. Guided by Critical Disability Studies and Systems Thinking, this study shifts attention away from locating barriers within…