Special education is an overly convoluted topic with the potential to torpedo a politician’s (or policymaker’s) career. As a result, most public figures and organizations give the subject a wide berth. Which is unfortunate, because the very reason for that convolution is what requires action: Special education is broken. It’s a broken solution to an important problem few are willing to speak publicly about. And even fewer are willing to invest the political capital necessary to make more than surface-level changes to the laws that protect our neediest children. No amount of retooling will fix the fundamental flaws of this system — we need an entirely different model.
UPDATED
Special education is an overly convoluted topic with the potential to torpedo a politician’s (or policymaker’s) career. As a result, most public figures and organizations give the subject a wide berth. Which is unfortunate, because the very reason for that convolution is what requires action: Special education is broken. It’s a broken solution to an important problem few are willing to speak publicly about. And even fewer are willing to invest the political capital necessary to make more than surface-level changes to the laws that protect our neediest children. No amount of retooling will fix the fundamental flaws of this system — we need an entirely different model.
12 Comments
Many consider special education a social service, and exercise ample caution when gauging the academic potential of learning-disabled students. However, many states have adopted formative and summative testing of special education students, arguing that a predominant focus around functional skills deprive learning-disabled students of wider life opportunities. Many of these specialized tests have been aligned to the Common Core in order to map learning towards ambitious goals. YEP-DC approached a range of stakeholders to ask the question:
Should students with an Individualized Education Program (IEP) — learning disabled as well as those with more severe disabilities — be included in testing, why or why not, and to what extent would testing be a benefit or obstacle to the child's learning and development? Below are the responses from a parent, advocate, teacher, and a school administrator, in that order. |
aboutYEP-DC is a nonpartisan group of education professionals who work in research, policy, and practice – and even outside of education. The views expressed here are only those of the attributed author, not YEP-DC. This blog aims to provide a forum for our group’s varied opinions. It also serves as an opportunity for many more professionals in DC and beyond to participate in the ongoing education conversation. We hope you chime in, but we ask that you do so in a considerate, respectful manner. We reserve the right to modify or delete any content or comments. For any more information or for an opportunity to blog, contact us via one of the methods below. BloggersMONICA GRAY is co-founder & president of DreamWakers, an edtech nonprofit. She writes on education innovation and poverty. Archives
May 2017
Categories
All
|