ABSTRACT
The study of politics is the investigation of power within particular contexts. Power circulates through discourses among various groups who make use of and are used by values and language to participate in on-going events (e.g., Foucault, 1980; Gonick, 2003; Peet, 2007). These discourses and uses of discourse set parameters, in uence actions, and position participants within events. Those who wield power in some contexts are powerless in others as negotiations push and pull participants in ways of their own making, but not entirely within their control. The discourses surrounding DIBELS (Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills) can serve as a short introduction to the political contexts of reading disabilities, demonstrating how power works.
