Wednesday, February 16, 2011

How would you rate your child's education?

There has been plenty of publicity over the years that relate to how students with special needs are educated. There has been controversy over IDEA, NCLB, inclusion vs. self-contained, restraints, behavior plans, teacher qualifications, the list goes on.  Recently in New York City, parents became outraged because "Mayor Bloomberg called on state legislators to make it harder for special education students to attend private schools at taxpayer expense" (Fertig, 2011).  The question is, are our public schools able to provide an appropriate education to students with special needs? In the "spring Congress is expected to take up reauthorization of the nation's primary education law-the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, or ESEA, now known as No Child Left Behind" (Diament, 2011). The question is, where is the accountability? "The No Child Left Behind Act requires schools to bring all students to a proficient level in reading, math and science by 2014. School districts and states must provide detailed report cards to the public about their progress toward this goal. This law affects every state and school district. Districts that receive Title 1 funding are affected the most" (http://www.wrightslaw.com/flyers/nclb.pdf).  The statistics since the implementation of NCLB:

The U.S. Department of Education reports that:
  • 32 percent of 4t h graders can read at grade level.
  • 17 percent of 12th graders are proficient in math.
  • 18 percent of 12t h  graders are proficient in science
Yes, the implementation of these laws are with great intentions, but there seems to be no follow through.  Just because something is said, does not mean it is happening. Recently, I had a conversation with someone who is trying to help a family who has an autistic girl in kindergarten.  In the IEP it states that she is to be provided with a 1:1 aide, it is now February, no aide...The child is regressing and the public school wants her on meds...Makes you scratch your head and ask, how is this going on?


We want to hear your thoughts and comments about your child's education...What is working? What needs work?

"Education is a critical national security issue for our future, and politics must stop at the schoolhouse door." ~Bill Clinton, former president


References
Fertig, B. (2011). Bloomberg takes aim at special ed costs. WNYC News Blog: http://www.wnyc.org/blogs/wnyc-news-blog/2011/feb/07/bloomberg-takes-aim-special-ed-costs/
Diament, M. (2011). What's next for special education. Disability Scoop: http://www.disabilityscoop.com
U.S. Department of Education http://www.nclb.gov/next/stats/index.html
Wright,P., & Wright, P.  (2007). Special education law. Hartfield, VA: Harbor House Law Press, Inc.