Special Education

Policy-Research Groups Issue Joint Report on Special Education

By Lisa Fine — May 16, 2001 1 min read
  • Save to favorites
  • Print

Students are being needlessly referred to special education because of other deficiencies in the education system, concludes one of a collection of 14 papers released last week by two think tanks here. The organizations hope to set the agenda for reconsidering how the nation educates students with disabilities.

For More Information

“Rethinking Special Education for a New Century” is available from the Thomas B. Fordham Foundation’s Web site, www.edexcellence.net, or from the Progressive Policy Institute’s Web site, www.ppionline.org.

The papers, released in a joint effort by the conservative-leaning Thomas B. Fordham Foundation and the Progressive Policy Institute, the research arm of the centrist Democratic Leadership Council, are aimed at influencing the reauthorization of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, planned for next year. The papers point out many of the problems long discussed by special education experts.

Among the findings in the papers are that race is a factor in special education placement; that the current programs focus on complying with regulations rather than on student achievement; that standards-based accountability systems encourage schools to exclude students in special education from high-stakes tests; and that granting accommodations on tests encourage some parents to seek special education classification for their children.

Chester E. Finn Jr., the president of the Fordham Foundation, said special education does not help students overcome disabilities and “has become a one-way street.”

“It’s relatively easy to send children down it, but they rarely return,” said Mr. Finn, who was an assistant education secretary under President Reagan. “The program needs a top- to-bottom rethinking.”

Andrew J. Rotherman, the director of the Progressive Policy Institute’s 21st Century Schools Project, said special education is still far from what it should be.

“What happened in the past was an abomination,” Mr. Rotherman, who served a stint as an education aide to President Clinton, said at a press conference held by the two groups last week. “What’s happening now isn’t good enough either.”

The report recommends: focusing on prevention and early intervention; streamlining special education categories into a few broad groupings; allowing schools to customize services; and providing enough funding to meet special education requirements.

A version of this article appeared in the May 16, 2001 edition of Education Week as Policy-Research Groups Issue Joint Report on Special Education

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
Equity & Diversity Webinar
Classroom Strategies for Building Equity and Student Confidence
Shape equity, confidence, and success for your middle school students. Join the discussion and Q&A for proven strategies.
Content provided by Project Lead The Way
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
Professional Development Webinar
Disrupting PD Day in Schools with Continuous Professional Learning Experiences
Hear how this NC School District achieved district-wide change by shifting from traditional PD days to year-long professional learning cycles
Content provided by BetterLesson
Jobs Virtual Career Fair for Teachers and K-12 Staff
Find teaching jobs and other jobs in K-12 education at the EdWeek Top School Jobs virtual career fair.

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 What the Research Says How Do You Sign 'Pi'? New Sign-Language Terms Could Boost Scientific Literacy
Scientists are developing a sign-language lexicon of scientific terms for deaf and hard-of-hearing students.
3 min read
Second graders Drayden Ayers, left, and Breeanna Runde work with Megan Johannsen, a teacher of deaf and hard-of-hearing students in Dubuque, Iowa on Sept. 25, 2015.
Second-graders Drayden Ayers, left, and Breeanna Runde work with Megan Johannsen, a teacher of the deaf and hard of hearing with the Dubuque Community School District, at Carver Elementary School in Dubuque, Iowa on Sept. 25, 2015.
Jessica Reilly/Telegraph Herald via AP
Special Education Obituary Judy Heumann, a Powerful Advocate for Special Education and Disability Rights, Dies at 75
The renowned activist who helped secure legislation protecting the rights of disabled people, has died at age 75.
3 min read
Judy Heumann, center, is applauded during her swearing-in as U.S. Assistant Secretary for Special Education and Rehabilitative Service by Judge Gail Bereola, left, in Berkeley, Calif., in June 1993. Standing at left is Berkeley Mayor Loni Hancock with sign language interpreter Joseph Quinn, and Julie Weissman, right. Heumann, a renowned disability rights activist who helped secure legislation protecting the rights of disabled people, has died at age 75.
Judy Heumann, center, is applauded during her swearing-in as U.S. Assistant Secretary for Special Education and Rehabilitative Service by Judge Gail Bereola, left, in Berkeley, Calif., in June 1993. Standing at left is Berkeley Mayor Loni Hancock with sign language interpreter Joseph Quinn, and Julie Weissman, right. Heumann, a renowned disability rights activist who helped secure legislation protecting the rights of disabled people, has died at age 75.
Susan Ragan/AP
Special Education Some ADHD Medications Are in Short Supply. Schools Are Feeling the Fallout
A nationwide shortage of Adderall or its generic version has families and school nurses scrambling.
4 min read
Illustration of 3 adderall pills
DigitalVision Vectors
Special Education Universal Screening for Dyslexia Isn't Enough
A growing number of states are requiring schools to screen students for dyslexia, but advocates say that's just the first step.
7 min read
Scrambled letter tiles on a blue background
iStock/Getty