A Special Education Video

Special Education

Did you know...?

Prior the passage of the Individuals with Disabilities Act (IDEA) special needs students were often denied entrance to public schools and faced a learning enviroment that was openly hostile to their disabilities.

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The Problems with Placement in a General Education or Special Education Classroom

This Infographic describes the drawbacks of normal classroom placement as well as placement in a Special Day Classroom.

Want to Learn More?

Here are some reliable sources about Special Education in California:

Special Education in California: What is at Stake

Ph.D student Elizabeth Harris has done extensive research regarding special education in California public schools. Her research paper covers everything from the direct correaltion between the wealth of school districts and the quality of its special education programs to the pros and cons of the classroom room options for students with disabilities. I highly reconmmend reading this paper if you
wish to have an overview of California's special education system.

The Seven Broken Premises of Special Education in California

In this article Miriam K. Freedman anayalyzes the failings of the California Special Education system by looking at the Idividuals with Disabilities Act (IDEA), the federal legislation that required all public schools to educate special needs children. She points out the elements of IDEA the hinder the special education system, explains the elements, and then proposes ways to reform the outdated legislation.

Disability and Education Laws

This page provides you with a list of influential legislation with regard to speical education and provides broad and in depth decriptions of each act.

Classroom Options

This video features a special education teacher speaking about a special education program that allows for students with disabilities to spend part of their day in a normal classrom and then return to an enclosed Speical Day Classroom for their "core" education. This video shows a variation of the classroom options available to special needs children.

The Wealth of School Districts

An excerpt from my research paper:

" Special education is incredibly expensive; California spends 23 percent of its school funding on special education alone (Freedman). This is an enormous of amount of money considering that special education students only make up 13 percent of the overall student population in California public schools (Hoag). It is no wonder that badly pinched schools in less affluent areas are not able to provide their disabled children with an adequate education. So, how can we ensure that our disabled students in our poorest schools receive a sufficient education? Some school districts have attempted to obtain more money for their special education programs by creating financial incentives for particular diagnoses that are not always in the best interest of the child (The Future of Children), and may even promote “unnecessary segregation” of special needs children (Martin, Martin, Terman). I do not support this funding system. By focusing solely on money, this system completely disregards the needs of the student. I maintain my position that special education does not enable special needs kids to reach their full potential by placing the needs of the children behind the needs of the school district."