Opinion
Special Education Letter to the Editor

Let’s Have a National Discussion

February 12, 2019 1 min read
  • Save to favorites
  • Print

To the Editor:

Special Education’s Future,” one of Education Week‘s 10 Big Ideas (January 9, 2019), suggests that the broken special education system is flawed in many ways, including issues with “child find,” eligibility labels, response to intervention, funding, and more. I hope the article spurs a national conversation and true systemic change for all students—disabled and not.

The article raises questions that Congress needs to answer, including one about the cost of special education, which is spot on. We need to know the real costs of general and special education for these students. However, the question raised about inequalities in due process doesn’t go far enough, as it assumes that a more-equitable due process is the path forward.

Of course, schools need equity, but it’s time to remove litigation from classrooms and rebuild effective schooling for all. The current one-size-fits-all legal system no longer works well, especially as students fall into two groups identified in the U.S. Supreme Court decision, Endrew F. v. Douglas County School District: those with severe/profound needs and the vast majority with mild/moderate needs who are mostly in general education classrooms. It’s time to create alternatives to due process for the latter.

In terms of inclusion, do policies help or hurt? To answer this, we must focus on all students—general and special education—especially as data are often incomplete, invalid, or misleading. Why do we continue to label students when it often impedes good teaching? Consider “wait to fail,” whereby students aren’t served until after they fall far behind and get labeled. This contradicts solid early-intervention research.

I agree that a revival of activism could fix what’s broken. Let’s get going!

Miriam Kurtzig Freedman

Attorney and Author

Related Tags:

A version of this article appeared in the March 20, 2019 edition of Education Week as Let’s Have a National Discussion

Events

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.
Sponsor
Assessment Webinar
Reflections on Evidence-Based Grading Practices: What We Learned for Next Year
Get real insights on evidence-based grading from K-12 leaders.
Content provided by Otus
Mathematics Webinar How to Build Students’ Confidence in Math
Learn practical tips to build confident mathematicians in our webinar.
Student Achievement K-12 Essentials Forum How to Build and Scale Effective K-12 State & District Tutoring Programs
Join this free virtual summit to learn from education leaders, policymakers, and industry experts on the topic of high-impact tutoring.

EdWeek Top School Jobs

Teacher Jobs
Search over ten thousand teaching jobs nationwide — elementary, middle, high school and more.
View Jobs
Principal Jobs
Find hundreds of jobs for principals, assistant principals, and other school leadership roles.
View Jobs
Administrator Jobs
Over a thousand district-level jobs: superintendents, directors, more.
View Jobs
Support Staff Jobs
Search thousands of jobs, from paraprofessionals to counselors and more.
View Jobs

Read Next

Special Education Spotlight Spotlight on Neurodiversity in K12: Supporting Every Learner's Success
This Spotlight will help you explore effective strategies for supporting neurodiverse students, fostering inclusive environments, and more.
Special Education Why Trump's Move to Shift Special Ed. to HHS Is Rattling Educators
Current and former staffers are wary of vague plans to move special education out of the Education Department.
9 min read
Professionals stand on an arrow that shifts from one parallel line to another, illustrating the concept of a realignment. One person is dressed as healthcare professional.
mathisworks/DigitalVision Vectors
Special Education How Schools Make Up for the Feds' Unfulfilled Special Ed. Funding Commitment
Congress has never met a 50-year-old funding commitment it made for special education services.
6 min read
Vector of a teacher hand holding puzzle piece bridging the gap in primary education for children
iStock/Getty Images
Special Education What Educators Need to Know About Dyslexia—and Why It's Not Something to 'Fix'
Curing dyslexia isn't an option, say experts. But with today's resources, there's a lot of reason for optimism.
6 min read
Illustration of a young woman looking up at a very large wave of letters, numbers, pencils, and paint brushes looming over her head.
iStock/Getty