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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Thu., October 15, 2026, 2:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m. ET
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October 15, 2026
Elaine Wilson, left, and Lois Curtis are shown in this April 10, 1999 file photo. States may have to place people with mental disabilities in homelike settings if they can fare just as well there as in state hospitals, the Supreme Court said Tuesday, June 22, 1999. The decision did not provide the final word in the legal battle of the two Georgia women who sued Georgia to get out of a state mental hospital in Atlanta. Elaine Wilson and Lois Curtis had been approved for community-based care but faced long waiting lists. Now in group homes, both women attended the Supreme Court arguments for their case in April.
Plaintiffs Elaine Wilson and Lois Curtis, shown here on April 10, 1999, during their Supreme Court battle, were the two Georgia women whose lawsuit established the landmark <i>Olmstead</i> decision requiring community-based care for adults with disabilities. The U.S. Department of Justice in July issued new guidance that said it will no longer rely upon the <i>Olmstead</i> decision in its enforcement of the Americans with Disabilities Act.
John Bazemore/AP
Special Education Q&A How New Federal Guidance on Disability Could Impact K-12 Special Education
New federal DOJ guidance deemphasizing independent living skills could affect special education transition plans.
Caitlynn Peetz Stephens, October 14, 2026
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4 min read
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Educational posters and stickers are displayed in a Head Start center classroom in Athens, Pa., on Aug. 13, 2026. The Trump administration has proposed sweeping changes to Head Start regulations.
MD. ZOBAYER HOSSAIN JOATI for Education Week
Early Childhood Here’s Where RFK Jr.’s Head Start Deregulation Would Hit Hardest
The Trump administration has proposed dismantling several key Head Start regulations.
Elizabeth Heubeck, October 6, 2026
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6 min read
Students get waffle mix for a chicken and Waffles cooking day in the classroom of Gabrielle Carpenter at the Daniel Webster School in Indianapolis, Friday, Oct. 2, 2026.
Students prepare waffle mix in Gabrielle Carpenter's special education classroom on Oct. 2, 2026, at Daniel Webster School 46 in Indianapolis. Carpenter uses the biweekly cooking lessons to teach the students independence, along with skills like counting and measuring.
AJ Mast for Education Week
Special Education Little Chefs, Big Gains: Students With Disabilities Cook Toward Independence
Cooking helps the elementary students learn counting, build fine motor skills, and practice emotional regulation.
Caitlynn Peetz Stephens, October 5, 2026
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3 min read
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Special Education Whitepaper Supporting Students With Dyslexia: A Practical Guide
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Students break down a word using the Neuhaus method during class at Starpoint School in Fort Worth, Texas on Thursday, Sept. 17, 2026 . Starpoint is a laboratory school that focuses on education for students with learning difficulties like dyslexia.
Students break down a word using the Neuhaus method during class at Starpoint School in Fort Worth, Texas, on Sept. 17, 2026. Starpoint is a laboratory school that focuses on education for students with learning difficulties like dyslexia. A new Texas plan aims to expand support for early childhood special education.
Amanda McCoy/Star-Telegram via TNS
Early Childhood This State Has a Plan to Improve Early Childhood Special Education. Here's How
Experts discuss the difficulties that families and educators face in supporting young students with disabilities.
Jennifer Vilcarino, September 30, 2026
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4 min read
A photo showing a CCTV security eye style camera monitoring students in a classroom. The classroom is blurred in the background while the camera is in focus.
iStock/Getty
Special Education Cameras in Special Ed. Classrooms: Safety Measure or Privacy Invasion?
Cameras don't address insufficient teacher training, inadequate staffing, and poor behavior policies.
Caitlynn Peetz Stephens, September 25, 2026
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7 min read
Lois Curtis, left, addresses a group at the state Capitol in Hartford, Conn., to observe the 10th anniversary of a U.S. Supreme Court ruling that qualified patients have the right to receive community-based care rather than to be institutionalized. Curtis was one of the to plaintiffs in the suit, Olmstead v. L.C. and E.W.
Lois Curtis, left, addresses a group at the Connecticut state Capitol in 2009 to mark the 10th anniversary of <i>Olmstead</i> v. <i>L.C.</i>, a U.S. Supreme Court ruling stemming from a lawsuit in which she was a lead plaintiff that established qualified patients' right to community-based care over institutionalization. In June, the U.S. Department of Justice stated it “will not rely upon the <i>Olmstead</i> Guidance in its enforcement” of the Americans with Disabilities Act, a move that advocates fear could upend transition planning for K-12 students who have disabilities.
Bob Child/AP
Special Education New Federal Guidance Could Roll Back Special Ed. Transition Services
New DOJ guidance threatens high school transition programs meant to help disabled students live independently.
Caitlynn Peetz Stephens, September 1, 2026
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3 min read
A classroom image with aspects of the struggles of disability rights woven through it.
Vanessa Solis/Education Week + Getty
Special Education Opinion Disability Studies Is a Rich Discipline That Builds Empathy. How to Teach It
A more inclusive world starts with teaching all students the long history of disability rights.
Brittany R. Collins, August 28, 2026
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5 min read
Jessica DiMaggio, an education for students with disabilities paraprofessional, watches a Structured Academics and Interpersonal Learning or SAIL student put the tips of his index fingers together at Watkins Elementary on Nov. 4, 2025 , in Wylie, Texas.
Jessica DiMaggio, an education for students with disabilities paraprofessional, watches a Structured Academics and Interpersonal Learning or SAIL student put the tips of his index fingers together at Watkins Elementary on Nov. 4, 2025 , in Wylie, Texas. Most teachers don't feel confident in their ability to adapt instruction to differentiate instruction to meet the needs of students with learning disabilities, according to a new survey by the National Center for Learning Disabilities and West Ed.
Angela Piazza/The Dallas Morning News via TNS
Special Education How Teachers Feel About Adapting Instruction for Students With Disabilities
Both general and special education teachers need more time and support to build confidence in differentiating instruction.
Caitlynn Peetz Stephens, August 27, 2026
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3 min read
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Lylah Bobowski, 3, plays in the outdoor playground of the Head Start Center in Athens, Pa., on August 13, 2026.
Md. Zobayer Hossain Joati for Education Week
Early Childhood What This Rural Head Start Program Stands to Lose With Federal Changes
The federal government just announced plans to de-regulate Head Start. Here's what this might mean.
Elizabeth Heubeck, August 14, 2026
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10 min read
Third-grade students learn about identifying story elements as part of an elementary school's Dual Language Program in August 2023.
Third-grade students learn about identifying story elements as part of Crestwood Elementary School's Dual Language Program in August 2023 in Tampa, Fla. Due to silos in the teaching profession, English learners with disabilities may miss out on language services such as dual language programs in favor of special education programming.
Douglas R. Clifford/Zuma Press/Tampa Bay Times via TNS
English Learners How Schools Are Failing English Learners With Disabilities
An EdWeek Research Center survey found gaps in trained staff for dually identified students.
Ileana Najarro, July 24, 2026
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4 min read
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Dominic Di Palermo for Education Week
Special Education Video Inside a Summer School Program for Special Education Students
Academic support offered between school years is especially important for students with learning differences.
Marvin Joseph, July 17, 2026
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1 min read
20250329 AMX US NEWS OSCEOLA PARENTS FEAR DISASTROUS FALLOUT 1 OS
Melanie Thomas plays with her autistic son, Luke, at their home in St. Cloud, Fla., on March 25, 2025. The local school district implemented changes that would merge more students with disabilities into mainstream classes. A new report from the U.S. Government Accountability Office found that the number of students who have disabilities and spend at least 40% of their school day in general education classes rose about 25% between the 2012-13 and 2023-24 school years.
Stephen Dowell/Orlando Sentinel via TNS
Special Education More Students With Disabilities Are in General Education Classes. How's That Working?
New report examines states' efforts to educate students with disabilities in mainstream classrooms.
Caitlynn Peetz Stephens, July 14, 2026
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1 min read