Special Education Blog

On Special Education

Explored the opportunities and obstacles educators encounter while serving students with special needs, including children with disabilities, gifted students, and those who are homeless or incarcerated. This blog is no longer being updated, but you can continue to explore these issues on edweek.org by visiting our related topic pages: students with disabilities, gifted education, and homeless.

Special Education Education Department Can't Delay Special Education Bias Rule, Judge Says
The rule requires states to use a standard method in determining if districts are biased in how they identify minority students, discipline them, or place them in restrictive settings.
Christina A. Samuels, March 7, 2019
3 min read
Special Education One in 5 Students With Significant ADHD Gets No School-Based Help, Study Finds
Reports from the parents of nearly 2,500 children and youths with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder found a gap between students with the most severe symptoms and those who get any school-based interventions.
Christina A. Samuels, March 6, 2019
2 min read
Special Education National School Boards Association Pushes for Federal Special Education Law Overhaul
The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act was last revamped in 2004, and the NSBA would like to see Congress take on reauthorization as well as increase funding to states.
Christina A. Samuels, March 5, 2019
2 min read
School & District Management Five-State Initiative to Boost Principals' Knowledge of Special Education
The Council for Chief State School Officers has launched a program intended to will help deepen principals' knowledge of special education in Arkansas, Colorado, Georgia, Mississippi, and Ohio.
Christina A. Samuels, February 24, 2019
2 min read
School Climate & Safety Ed. Dept. Pushes to Reduce 'Inappropriate' Restraint, Seclusion in Special Education
The U.S. Department of Education's civil rights and special education offices are teaming up for compliance reviews, more assistance to schools and districts, and better data collection on the extent of seclusion and restraint.
Christina A. Samuels, January 17, 2019
2 min read
Special Education Your Holiday-Edition Special Education Reading List
Catch up with popular stories that you may have missed in 2018, including articles on teacher shortages, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, and classroom practice.
Christina A. Samuels, December 24, 2018
1 min read
Special Education Special Education Reforms at Center of New Settlement Agreements
The Berkeley, Calif. school district and the state of Ohio have said they will do more to provide services and to ensure students with disabilities are educated in inclusive settings.
Christina A. Samuels, December 17, 2018
3 min read
Special Education Race, Not Disability Status, Linked to Increased Suspension Rates
The research team that has examined minority identification for special education has turned its attention to a new subject: suspension rates.
Christina A. Samuels, December 11, 2018
2 min read
Autumn Edwards and her mother, Lindsey Edwards, walk toward Prairie Mountain School, where Autumn will take part in the KITS program.
<i>A parent walks her child to kindergarten in Eugene, Ore.</i>
Amanda L. Smith for Education Week-File
Early Childhood Redshirting Debate Just Got New Fuel with ADHD Study
A study has shown more diagnoses of ADHD among kindergarten students who start school just before a Sept. 1 school enrollment cutoff date.
Christina A. Samuels, November 29, 2018
3 min read
School Climate & Safety Sheriff's Office in Kentucky Pays $337,000 Settlement in Student-Restraint Lawsuit
A school resource officer cuffed two elementary school students at the biceps after being called in to calm them during an emotional outburst.
Christina A. Samuels, November 2, 2018
2 min read
Special Education Texas Directed to Take Additional Actions to Remedy Special Education Violations
Thousands of Texas children are believed to have been kept from special education services because of a now-prohibited special education enrollment target of 8.5 percent, which is well below the national average.
Christina A. Samuels, October 20, 2018
2 min read
Special Education Ed. Dept. Signals New Attempt to Address Racial Bias in Special Education
The Education Department has concerns with an Obama-era approach to addressing potential overrepresentation of minorities in special education, so it plans to tackle the issue itself.
Christina A. Samuels, October 17, 2018
2 min read
Special Education Michigan Administrator Tapped to Oversee Federal Special Education Programs
Laurie VanderPloeg, a longtime special education administrator, will take over the office of special education programs starting in November.
Christina A. Samuels, October 11, 2018
1 min read
Every Student Succeeds Act State ESSA Plans A 'Missed Opportunity' for Special Education, Says Advocacy Group
Most states' plans Every Student Succeeds Act plans could do more to push rigorous goals and adequate supports for students with disabilities, according to an analysis from the National Center for Learning Disabilities.
Christina A. Samuels, October 3, 2018
2 min read