Students With Disabilities

Read about the needs and experiences of students with disabilities in schools

Special Report

Silhouettes of diverse students, each growing a different type of plant. Neurodiversity represented by biodiversity.
Understanding Learning Differences
This special report explores neurodiversity and some key issues shaping the experiences of students with learning and thinking differences.
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President Ford at work in the Oval Office on Jan. 27, 1976.
President Gerald Ford, pictured in the Oval Office on Jan. 27, 1976, signed into law the predecessor to the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act in 1975.
Courtesy of the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library & Museum
Special Education 50 Years of IDEA: 4 Things to Know About the Landmark Special Education Law
The nation's primary special education law details schools' obligations to students with disabilities.
Evie Blad, December 19, 2025
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5 min read
Roman Martinez, an attorney with Latham & Watkins, is featured in the Bloomberg Law documentary 'Supreme Advocacy.'
Roman Martinez, a Washington lawyer who has played a role in four U.S. Supreme Court cases about the rights of special education students, is featured in the Bloomberg Law documentary "Supreme Advocacy."
via YouTube
Law & Courts How One Lawyer Helped Reshape Special Education at the Supreme Court
A documentary follows a lawyer behind major Supreme Court wins for students with disabilities.
Mark Walsh, December 15, 2025
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9 min read
IQ test, paper sheet with test answer on the table
iStock/Getty
Law & Courts Supreme Court Weighs IQ Tests and Other School Records in Key Death Penalty Case
The court weighs the proper role of IQ tests for defendants claiming an intellectual disability.
Mark Walsh, December 11, 2025
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8 min read
Students in the online blended learning class at the ALLIES School in Colorado Springs, Colo., work with programs like ST Math and Lexia, both created for students with dyslexia, on April 7, 2023.
Under a new definition, students wouldn't need to have "unexpected" learning gaps to be identified for dyslexia services. Students in the online blended learning class at the ALLIES School in Colorado Springs, Colo., work with literacy programs created for students with dyslexia, on April 7, 2023.
Jaclyn Borowski/Education Week
Special Education What a New Dyslexia Definition Could Mean for Schools
An updated definition put forth by an international group of researchers could identify more students.
Sarah Schwartz, November 24, 2025
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5 min read
Image of a hand raising a red flag.
DigitalVision Vectors
Special Education Parents Should Continue to File Disability Rights Complaints, Say Special Ed. Advocates
Continuing to file them puts pressure on the Ed. Dept. to enforce special ed. laws.
Evie Blad, November 21, 2025
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4 min read
Human hands surrounded boy reading book with kindness.
iStock/Getty
Special Education Fragmented Federal Education Plan Could Harm Students With Disabilities, Advocates Warn
Parceling out Ed. Dept. work to other agencies risks weakening enforcement of disability rights laws, groups warn.
Evie Blad, November 19, 2025
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5 min read
This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
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Student Achievement Whitepaper How Arizona’s Largest District Improved Literacy for Thousands of Special Education Students
Mesa Public Schools, Arizona’s largest district, dramatically improved literacy outcomes for thousands of special education students thro...
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Female student retrieving an IEP document from a giant laptop equipped with artificial intelligence.
iStock/Getty Images + Vanessa Solis/Education Week
Special Education Teachers Are Using AI to Help Write IEPs. Advocates Have Concerns
Experts call for guardrails around the ethical, legal, and instructional concerns.
Evie Blad, October 29, 2025
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9 min read
Wheelchair user obstacle metaphor. Conquering adversity. Hurdle on way concept. Overcoming obstacle on road. Vector illustration 3d isometric design. Barrier on way to success.
iStock/Getty Images + Vanessa Solis/Education Week
Special Education Opinion ‘Educational Exile’: How Trump’s Layoffs Threaten Students With Disabilities
Here’s what’s at stake for millions of students if we lose federal enforcement of IDEA.
Susan Haas, October 21, 2025
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4 min read
close up pencil and alarm clock on answer sheets with yellow background, education concept
iStock/Getty
Special Education Does Extended Time on Tests Actually Help Students With ADHD?
Most students with ADHD receive extended time. Experts say better alternatives exist.
Elizabeth Heubeck, October 13, 2025
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5 min read
Itinerant teacher April Wilson works with student Ryker Elam at Greenville Elementary on Sept. 29, 2025 in Greenville, Ill.
Ryker Elam works with itinerant teacher April Wilson at Greenville Elementary on Sept. 29, 2025, in Greenville, Ill. Wilson is a teacher of the visually impaired who works at schools across rural Illinois. A Braille training program Wilson enrolled in this fall was among dozens of special education-related programs for which the U.S. Department of Education has ended grant funding.
Michael B. Thomas for Education Week
Special Education Trump Funding Cuts Hit Particularly Hard for Deaf and Blind Children
Programs supporting students with rare, complex disabilities have lost millions of federal dollars.
Mark Lieberman, October 7, 2025
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13 min read
Cropped photo of a caucasian elementary school boy standing alone in a hallway holding his books and looking up at someone or something not shown.
Getty
Teaching ADHD Is Punished in Schools. How Teachers Can Flip the Script
These strategies can help manage the behavior of students with ADHD more effectively.
Elizabeth Heubeck, October 2, 2025
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7 min read
Ear Defenders or Headphones And Fidget Toy To Help Child With ASD Or Autism On Table In School Classroom
iStock/Getty
Special Education Educators Worry About How Trump's Autism Rhetoric Will Affect Students, Parents
Misinformation about autism can fuel stigma that harms students, educators say.
Evie Blad, September 25, 2025
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7 min read
The United States Capitol building as a bookcase filled with red, white, and blue policy books in a Washington DC landscape.
Luca D'Urbino for Education Week
School Choice & Charters Opinion How Can Education Savings Accounts Serve Students With Special Needs?
The state that pioneered the ESA is overseeing more than 10,000 requests daily from families for education expenses.
Rick Hess, September 23, 2025
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8 min read
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