Special Education   Term Paper ID:27518 Click to get this paper

Essay Subject: Discusses the nature & directions of special education. Focuses on economic, social, & political factors, as well as pedagogical concerns.... More...

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Paper Abstract: Discusses the nature & directions of special education. Focuses on economic, social, & political factors, as well as pedagogical concerns. Paper Introduction: INTRODUCTION Special education is offered for those requiring special handling because they are in some way handicapped, because they are mentally challenged, or because they have special abilities which may require a more nurturing environment. Such an education costs more than general education, often 2 to 2.5 times as much. Educators give reasons for these higher costs, analysts offer reasons for the higher costs, and politicians have to justify them. In New York State, the high costs have become a matter for some concern so that educators and political leaders are seeking ways to reduce the costs without sacrificing the quality of instruction, and it is not clear at this juncture whether this is possible. Education in a democratic society holds a special place for Text of the Paper: The entire text of the paper is shown below. However, the text is somewhat scrambled. We want to give you as much information as we possibly can about our papers and essays, but we cannot give them away for free. In the text below you will find that while disordered, many of the phrases are essentially intact. From this text you will be able to get a solid sense of the writing style, the concepts addressed, and the sources used in the research paper. However, leaving the matter to the stateswas a slow and patchy process at best, so it was decided that a federalprogram would bring the service to everyone and provide funds as well.Today, the system is complex and serves some 5, , and more youngsters. Washington at its peak coveredabout 12 percent of the cost, but the federal share today has been reducedto about 7 percent, leaving states and localities with the rest of thecosts. In many businesses, continuing education is necessary foradvancement and so adds further to stratification in the business world.Social inequality is often measured in terms of educational level as muchas it is economic level, and perceived failures in the educational system,such as are noted in the inner cities of this nation, are blamed for manysocial problems based on resulting inequities in employment, socialaspirations, and other dimensions. "Corrupted Intentions: Reforming Special Education." National Review (March 11, 1996), 46-48.Golden, Mary Kaye. Even as the federal government isreducing payments to the states, the state is trying to reduce payments tolocal districts. The latter is the largest chunk of adistrict's budget (Lam, 1996). The superintendent in Oyster Bay-East Norwich says that his districtwould need $135, to cover special education expenses, leading to acertain tax increase. The governorclaims that these proposals are meant to control the spiraling cost ofspecial education by encouraging school districts to form alliances withother districts to provide similar curriculum needs, and it is claimed aswell that New York pays some $3, more to educate a special-educationstudent than the national average. The federalgovernment agreed originally to pay 4 percent of the costs, and now thegovernment is stating that it will only pay 6 percent. If thelocal districts can come up with added funding, then they will be the siteto which the problem, is transferred. "Costs Soaring to Pay for Special Education." Gannett News Service (June 17, 1996). Thesuperintendents state that it is thus unfair to ask that the districts comeup with cheaper alternatives. It spends roughly $3.2 million on the transportation of its 4,4 students each year, and this is an average of $727 per child. Because of the perception of a problem with special education in theNew York school districts, Governor Pataki has been trying to develop aplan that would reduce the payments made by the state, which would onlyincrease the costs to local districts. INTRODUCTION Special education is offered for those requiring special handlingbecause they are in some way handicapped, because they are mentallychallenged, or because they have special abilities which may require a morenurturing environment. The level of educational attainment achieved by theindividual determines to a great degree the type of job that person will beable to get and thus the economic and social level to which they mayaspire. Critics see thissystem as extravagant and as usurping funds needed for general publiceducation. Education in a democratic society holds a special place for improvingsocial standing, educating the electorate, and providing opportunity toall. This committee determineswhat it believes to be an "appropriate instruction" for special educationchildren. Each shift only passes the costs down to the next level.Administrators say such a shift only means higher school taxes for manyresidents or a cut in programs. Each state is required to have a comprehensive plan for serving alldisabled people ages 3 to 21 whether they are in school, the home, ahospital, or a jail. In New York State, the high costs have become amatter for some concern so that educators and political leaders are seekingways to reduce the costs without sacrificing the quality of instruction,and it is not clear at this juncture whether this is possible. Different regions would need different amounts to continue to payfor the services now offered. It costs an average of $1 ,847 annually toeducate a student in the public schools of Long Island, but it can costmore than $3 , per special education student. Since 1973, the civil rights laws have barreddiscrimination against the handicapped. Special education students were once ignored altogether, and now theyare being blamed for the fact that they exist and are seen as a drain oneducational funding. Educational level is a powerful indicator of social inequality onseveral levels. Such an education costs more than generaleducation, often 2 to 2.5 times as much. If the costs for special education are really toohigh, then the reasons for these costs should be addressed and less costlymethods found to deal with them. "Shifting the Burden." Newsday (February 25, 1996).Whitmire, Richard. However, they do not agree that the way to achieve this is to passthe higher costs to taxpayers in local districts. Some believe that this will eventually bankrupt the system.Educators do not like to discuss this because they do not want to say thatspecial education children are robbing "normal" children of educationalfunding. Tax increases would vary according to thesize of the district and the size and costs of each special educationprogram. This clearlycreates a problem for every locality which has such a program. INCREASING COSTS Special education costs have been cited as responsible for flat ordecreasing spending on regular education students in many districts acrossthe country. The federal aid program wasenacted in 1975 and declares that every disabled child must be provided a"free appropriate public education" which is tailored to suit his or herunique needs, whatever those needs may be. Educators give reasons for thesehigher costs, analysts offer reasons for the higher costs, and politicianshave to justify them. There are likely to be higher costs for schools now meeting theirlegal responsibilities, these commentators note (Whitmire, 1996). A given school districthas virtually no say as to which special education programs a child shouldenroll in, for this is a decision that is left up to the parent. Bethpage school districtalready faces revenue loss, perhaps in the millions. Long Island, where this meeting took place, has 34 percentof the state's pre-Kindergarten special education students with only 14percent of the population. CONCLUSION The proposed budget cuts in new York will devastate the educationalsystem at a time when it is already on perilous ground because of reducedrevenues, increased demands by the public, and various problems besettingmany school districts, especially those in poor neighborhoods and urbancenters. Somesuperintendents agree with the governor that there is a need to control theincreasing cost of special-education programs, programs required by statelaw. Rockville Centerschool district has 378 students in special education programs and wouldneed another $329, to keep its programs intact. Specialeducation costs over that same period increased 226 percent (Golden 1). She did this after a 1991 study completed bythe New York State Board of Regents recommended that the Committee onSpecial Education (CSE) process be reviewed. A publicforum was organized in 1994 to tell the New York State Education Departmentthat the system was in trouble. In Hempstead, it was found that the district in 1996would spend $3.5 million more than what the voters had approved, so anyloss of state money would compound the problem. It is not possible to start a new specialeducation program in most districts because they do not have classroomspace (Lam, 1996). The IDEA law sees to it that his transportationand education are paid for by Mahopac. DISSENSION IN NEW YORK Many who participate in the special education program in New York alsobelieve that it costs too much and that it needs to be repaired. Each school system has to provide all the servicesrequired for each child's individual education plan, even if this meanshiring more staff, paying tuition to private schools, or some otherapproach (Finn 46-47). Angry parents have described the CSE as dictatorial anddisrespectful. Total student enrollmenttopped 22.5 percent on Long Island from 1981 to 1991, but over the sameperiod special education enrollment increased 28 percent. Many handicapped students didnot attend school at all in the early 197 s, and a series of successfullawsuits sought change and secured handicapped children the right to publiceducation almost everywhere. Simply cutting back on the funding doesnothing to solve the problem and only transfers it to someone else. The law providing funding for special education is known as theIndividuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). By 1975, only two states did not provideschooling for these children. While localschool spending has been flat, special education expense, which areprotected by law, must come from the top of the budget, and they stand atabout 2.3 times the expenses for regular students. Works CitedChinni, Dante. This meeting was organized by LilianoChiarello, president of the Nassau County Council on Special EducationParent-Teacher Associations. Educators do not want to cut programs and so lean toward highertaxes. The governor's representative says thatschools have to be made more efficient and effective, and he says that bymaking school districts share the expenses of educating special-educationchildren, schools will be made more fiscally responsible. Students in poorerdistricts are more likely to see regular programs cut and staff reduced,and this would be especially true if these districts could not cut back onthe shortage with new tax revenues (Lam, 1996). It is estimated, for instance, thatFarmingdale would need $1 million to cover the shortage, and half of thiswould be used to pay for the district's share of educating 84 pre-Kstudents between ages 3 and 5 enrolled in special education programs.Other types of program would also be affected by various Pataki proposals--categorical aid would be cut in half; no state money would be allowed fornew students; there would be a cap on capital improvement aid; andoperating aid would be frozen. If taxes were to be raised to make up the difference, the districtwould need an additional $6 per household in school taxes. For Farmingdale, these cuts would mean another $5 , would beneeded. The two approaches to the issue started in response to wrongsperpetrated within the educational system. However,$68, of that amount is spent on the transportation of just one child, achild whose classroom is nearly 4 miles away at the New York State Schoolfor the Blind in Batavia. Other schooldistricts face the same or similar problems (Chinni 17). A confrontation between the two seems to be brewing, and this isa confrontation that no one envisioned two decades ago when Congressenacted badly needed laws to rescue special education students from classesin school boiler rooms. "Special Ed Parents Unhappy with System." Long Island Business News (August 1, 1994), 1-2.Lam, Chau. Legislators and educators must find adifferent way to address problems for special education and generaleducation alike. The special education systemdeveloped as the result of civil rights legislation and because of afederal aid program. Thus the issue of equalizing educationhas ramifications far beyond the educational system itself. The New York school district of Mahopac Central can serve as anexample. The law will force Mahopac to spend $98, onthe education and transportation of this one child each year, thoughofficials in the district believe that he could get an appropriateeducation at a nearby regional school for $6 , less. Special education mandates cost federal and local taxpayersbetween $3 and $5 billion each year, though it is believed that thismoney is not spent in an efficient manner. While it is true that special education is expensive and costsmuch more than "normal" education, it is wrong to try to address the realproblems in the general educational system by "punishing" districts withhigh costs for special education students. Those students should betreated fairly as well. The latter is based ona formula developed years ago that is now doubted by many who see it as anunderestimation. Some note the degree to which spending has increased onspecial education and point out that this is a good thing--twenty years agothese students were getting nothing, and now they are getting what theyshould. SPECIAL EDUCATION The special education program is funded by both the state and federalgovernments. The more people a state serves, the more federalmoney it receives. The IDEA was created in 1975 toassist in leveling the playing field for disabled children, but since thattime the law has moved beyond its original goal of ensuring adequateschooling and now provides some children with very expensive instruction.The law places no limit on the cost of special education and leaves schooldistricts to pay the bills. "A Bad IDEA." Washington Monthly (May 1996), 17-19.Finn, Chester E. If they cannot, then parents and thestudents themselves will be the group left holding the bag. Americans want their educational system to serve allsegments of society and to do so fairly, and this includes the populationin need of special education. Congress guaranteed that they would have an"appropriate" education, but it was not possible to predict the risingnumbers of children damaged at birth because their mothers were drugabusers or alcoholics, the soaring number of children diagnosed with ill-defined "learning disorders," the disabilities arising from the poorgetting poorer, or the dramatic new delivery-room technology that saves thelives of scores of children while often setting in motion disturbinglearning problems that will only surface later in life. Special education students currently constitute about 12percent of the school population, though they absorb about four out ofevery ten new dollars added to school budgets according to the EconomicPolicy Institute. 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