Special Education Policy
Get insights into the federal, state, and local rules and polices regarding special education
Special Education
U.S. House Committee Ponders Federal Role in Addressing Autism
Members of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform asked those in the autism researchers and advocates to tell them how the federal role in autism research, education of those with autism, and autism-related services should change.
Special Education
Court: Districts Must Repay Parents for Special Ed. Evals
School districts, under certain circumstances, must reimburse parents for independent educational evaluations of their children with disabilities, a federal court has ruled.
Special Education
Ed. Dept. to Forgive Loans More Easily for Those Who Become Disabled
The shift reported by Propublica and the Chronicle of Higher Education report will allow many borrowers to avoid a lengthy double review to determine whether they truly are disabled.
Special Education
District of Columbia Settles Lawsuit Over Transport of Special Ed. Students
Over the years, a special master had found that some students with disabilities were never picked up or picked up late, missing valuable time in school.
Teaching
States Must Tread Cautiously on Evaluations of Special Ed. Teachers
With school reform efforts combining with federal incentives to encourage more districts and states to change how they evaluate teachers, the Council for Exceptional Children shares its views on evaluating special education teachers.
Special Education
Ed. Dept. Slashes S.C. Special Education Budget, Permanently
In what may be a first-of-its-kind penalty, the feds used a provision in federal law that allows cutting a state's federal special education grant, permanently, if the state cut its special education budget without the right justification.
Special Education
Outcomes for Students With Severe Disabilities Can, Must Improve
The Collaboration to Promote Self-Determination today shared a set of recommendations to better prepare students with significant disabilities for the workforce and continue their education after high school.
School & District Management
Could Cutting Special Ed. Spending Improve Student Achievement?
A new analysis of the cost of special education concludes that by cutting special education personnel in high-spending districts to the national average, the country could save up to $10 billion a year and improve educational outcomes for students with disabilities.
Special Education
GAO: Transition for Students With Disabilities Can, Must Improve
The different agencies only coordinate their activities to an extent and don't ever reflect on how effectively they work together, the Government Accountability Office said.
Special Education
South Carolina Files Motion to Stall $36 Million Special Ed. Penalty
The state filed a motion for a stay in the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals to put off the penalty, in part to continue fighting the U.S. Department of Education over whether it should have been levied at all. South Carolina also worries about the financial repercussions
Special Education
South Carolina Won't Get Hearing on Special Ed. Penalty
The Education Department gave South Carolina a year to find a way to come up with the $36 million it faces losing, permanently, by putting off a $36 million penalty until this October. Earlier this year, the state was denied another one-year delay of the loss in federal money. In a letter to state Superintendent Mick Zais late last month, U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan denied the request for a hearing.
School & District Management
Details of Romney's School Choice Plan Emerge
Students who use the choice option to attend private schools would have to participate in state standardized testing, and states getting federal money for disadvantaged students and students with disabilities will have to create open-enrollment plans.
Special Education
Feds Offer Guidelines on Discouraging Restraints, Seclusion
Among 15 principles developed by the agency, one says that policies restricting restraint and seclusion of students should apply to all students, not just students with disabilities.
Special Education
Senators, Advocates Call for Increase, Improvement in Teaching Braille
U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan is urged to consult stakeholders and write new regulations for the education plans of students who are blind or visually impaired and give guidance to school districts on teaching Braille reading and writing.