David Bateman

David F. Bateman is a principal researcher at AIR, and the project director for the Massachusetts IEP project and the review of the Edmonds School District special education program. He is a former professor at Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania in the Department of Educational Leadership and Special Education where he taught courses on special education law, assessment, and IEP implementation/development. He is also a former due process hearing officer for Pennsylvania for over 580 hearings. He uses his knowledge of litigation relating to special education to assist school districts in providing appropriate supports for students with disabilities and to prevent and to recover from due process hearings.

Dr. Bateman has been a classroom teacher of students with learning disabilities, behavior disorders, intellectual disability, and hearing impairments. He has recently co-authored the following books: A Principal’s Guide to Special Education, A Teacher’s Guide to Special Education, Special Education Law Case Studies, Special Education Leadership: Building Effective Programming in Schools, Developing Educational Meaningful and Legally Sound IEPs, and Current Trends and Issues in Special Education. He was recently co-editor of a special issue of TEACHING Exceptional Children focusing on legally proficient IEPs. He is also co-editor of the new Special Education Law and Policy Series for Rowman and Littlefield Publishers.

Since 2020 Dr. Bateman has been involved in 115 due process hearings. During COVID he led the Pennsylvania Department of Education monthly presentations on working with students with disabilities in virtual environments. He also works with multiple state education agencies on system-wide change, including supervising a class-action lawsuit against the Oregon Department of Education as the neutral fact-finder, and rewriting SEA procedures for charter schools for the Guam Department of Education.