As you probably already know, Special Education programs weren't developed in just one day. Movements of providing and improving programs for the disabled dates back for more than 40 years. In fact, one of the first attempts on a National level to assist the disabled was in 1967 when congress established the Bureau of Education for the handicapped. This was the only option at that time that helped fund special programs for students with disabilities, separating them from regular classrooms, although the quality was very inconsistent.
The first official law that gauranteed disabled students a right to recieve a free public education was signed by President Gerald R. Ford in 1975. This was an important turning point because prior to this law, different states and school districts got to decide how and where different students with disablilities would be educated.
Years later 1982, a landmark U.S. Supreme Court decision of Hendrick Hudson Central Board of Education v. Rowley occured. This decision creating the standard that schools decide what services they need to provide for disabled students. Ultimately, affirming the rights of special education students to FAPE (Families and Advocates Partnership for Education). This project serves the purpose to improve the educational outcomes for children with disabilities and provides useful information about the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). This act was reauthorized in 1997.
Other important dates that contributed greatly towards special educaiton programs are the Irving Independent School district v. Tatro case of 1984 and the Honig v. Doe case of 1988.
Sunday, December 2, 2007
What is the Current Situtation with Special Education Programs on a National Level and Who does it Impact?
Ever since 1973, when special education programs were made mandatory when Congress passed the Education for all Handicapped Children Act, the United States have made efforts to improve special education programs across the nation. These various Acts and Laws have greatly increased government spending to pay for the improvements of programs across the United States. Special Education has become a very important issue in the United States and has grabbed the attention of many citizens today. The Office of Special Education Programs has worked to bring improvements to the US’s special education programs.
(US Department of Education)
On December 3, 2004 President George W. Bush signed The Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act of 2004. This National Special education law, also known as IDEA, provides for about 6.8 million children. It guarantees public services and education to infants, toddlers, children, and young adults up until age 21 with disabilities. This national law puts aside money and funds for each state to improve their special education programs. Besides improving the quality of educational services and finding quality teachers the IDEA also improves special education by funding research, supporting demonstrations, parent training, and information centers. Overall the IDEA has been a very important contributing factor to the Special education in the US.
The IDEA (part C) promotes and provides early intervention by offering services to infants and toddlers with disabilities. It is thought that if they are given special attention and help at an earlier age they will be able to gain a better education and learn more efficiently in the future. OSEP has funded research in RTI to improve and better the education of children with special needs at an earlier age.
The Percentage of students receiving early intervention services ages 0-2
Special education enrollment - 3s & 4s
State- Number of 3 & 4 year olds served by the Preschool Grants Program of the IDEA
Alabama- 4025, Alaska-1181, Arizona-8302, Arkansas-6617, California-38,588, Colorado-6281, Connecticut-4865, Delaware-1166, Florida-17,847, Georgia-10,257, Hawaii-1459, Idaho-2446, Illinois-20,223, Indiana-10,760, Iowa-3466, Kansas-5428, Kentucky-12,435, Louisiana-5394, Maine-2787, Maryland-7191, Massachusetts- 9152, Michigan-13,378, Minnesota-7753, Mississippi-3740, Missouri-8573, Montana-982, Nebraska-2732, Nevada-3025, New Hampshire-1747, New Jersey-10,729, New Mexico-3794,
New York-40,422, North Carolina-10,618, North Dakota-852, Ohio-12,594, Oklahoma-4101, Oregon-5093, Pennsylvania-16,565, Rhode Island-1,609, South Carolina-5,422, South Dakota-1,545, Tennessee-6,051, Texas-21,244, Utah-4,485, Vermont-961,Virginia-9,614,
Washington-7,511, West Virginia-2,835, Wisconsin-9,214,Wyoming-1,620
The No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) was proposed by President George W. Bush and signed into law on January 8, 2002. This law was created in attempt to improve the quality of public school education as a whole and assure that no child is left behind in terms of receiving an education. This law attempts to do so by increasing accountability for states, school districts, and schools by offering more choices to students and parents, more flexibility for states and local use of federal education money, and more focus on improving the literacy rate by focusing on reading. While the NCLB was not created specifically for special education programs, it does have a large impact on Public School Special Education programs by providing them with the same benefits and increase funding.
List of Video Clips- National Special Education Programs (IDEA)
Children Enrolled by their Parents in Private Schools
Discipline
Early Intervening Services/Response To Intervention (RTI)
Highly Qualified Teachers
Individualized Education Program (IEP) - Changes in Initial Evaluation and Reevaluation
Monitoring and Enforcement
National Instructional Materials Accessibility Standard (NIMAS)
Procedural Safeguards
How bad is the current situation?
While significant improvements are being made in all states across the country not all of them are meeting the requirements of the IDEA. Despite all the Federal Government’s implementation of the IDEA only nine states Alaska, Connecticut, Hawaii, Michigan, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia and Wyoming are currently fully meeting federal requirements outlined in the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. This means over 4/5 of the states in the US are not meeting these federal requirements. However, while requirements are not being fully met, there are improvements being made to the system. (States Rated on Special Education Programs)
Since the IDEA has been made law the number of students enrolled in special education programs have significantly increased. Today the US provides services to more than 6.7 million disabled students. The national average percentage of students in special education is about 14%. Areas of higher poverty have fewer students enrolled in their programs. The national overall increase in the number of students receiving special education can be viewed as a positive thing, because this means more children are getting they help they need.
Increase in the Number of Children enrolled in special education programs
A current issue that is being debated is who should be responsible for paying for special education. Currently all the funds for special education come out of the pockets of tax payers. Many children have disabilities so severe that they cannot function in a regular public school classroom setting. Educating a special needs child is about 2.5 the costs of educating a regular student. About $7,777 is spent on educating a regular student while $18,492 is spent on educating a special education student. Parents have resulted to sending to private school but forced the state to pay the tuition for their child's private school education because the federal law requires school districts to provide children with extended day education even to children with disabilities. This is just one example of the debates the costs and funding for special education in the United States. (Sate-Level Cost Analysis: Kentucky Case Study) (Where does the money go?)
CURRENT SITUATION:
Another struggle special education programs across the nation are facing is the lack of qualified teachers. The retention rate of these teachers is very low. The departure rate of special education teachers is about 13.5% annually compared to the 6.5% for regular schoolteachers. This is because the demands in special education are much higher and require a lot more individual attention and work. Areas with high poverty suffer from this the most. This has a negative effect on the children living here because they are less likely to receive adequate educational services. According to the 2004 COPSSE report, about 1/3 of the special education teachers hired were not certified. There is also a shortage of special education administrators, paraprofessionals and disability specialists. Without adequate teachers and staff programs cannot be run efficiently and effectively. In attempts to fix this problem the US government now requires all teacher to be fully certified and licensed in any field they teach. Special education teacher are generally paid around a median of $48,000. This salary is not very high for the amount of work put into the job which does not provide teacher with much of an incentive to pursue special education. (Teachers- Special Education- Earnings)
WHO DOES THIS EFFECT:
The current situation regarding Special Education Programs in the United States impacts a wide range of people, similar to those mentioned below in local section.
Special Education Students:
Children across the nation who are identified as having learning disabilities have overall benefited from the current situation in the US with its attempts to improve special education through the IDEA. However, this varies from state to state. Some states have invested more time and money in their programs than others. However, overall in comparison to children (special education) across the world, the children (special education) in the United States of America have it pretty good. The results of the IDEA, such as increased funding, early intervention, response to intervention, and improved individual education programs all benefit the students by giving them a better education. All these services positively impact the children in need of special educational services and provide them with a greater chance of attending college and pursuing a career in the future. (New America Foundation- Impact on Schools)
The current situation regarding special education impacts people of differently economic statuses differently. Children who live in wealthier states and districts have a better chance of receiving an adequate education and getting the services they need. Children who live in poorer districts don’t receive the same high quality services and education.
Students not enrolled in Special Education:
Children not enrolled in special education, while benefiting from other acts such as the No Child Left Behind Act, don’t directly benefit from the improvements made to the special education system. In fact, in many ways the increased funding for public school education programs have taken away from the education of non-disabled children. The opportunity cost in this situation is improving education for children not in the special education programs. This is a huge opportunity cost.
Tax Payers/ US citizens:
The current situation with nation wide special education programs impacts every citizen in the United States through taxes. The improvements made to the special education programs are costly and have contributed to a rise in taxes. Over $60 billion a year has been put aside for the development and improvements of these programs in the nation’s attempt to improve the quality of education and increase the opportunities for children with learning disabilities. Everyone, regardless of if they have any connections or relations to anyone in public special education programs, has to pay these taxes. Therefore, people who are not receiving any benefits and services from the system are forced to pay for it through their taxes. This opens the door for another opportunity cost. If it wasn’t for the IDEA and federal government’s desire to improve special education services across the nation, this money could be used for other services. The $60 billion a year dedicated for national special education could go to fund projects or services that are used by a larger majority of the population.
(Who Pays for Special Ed?)
Society/ American Economy (In the long run):
The improvements made in these programs will, in the long run, benefit society and the nation’s economy. This is because if these children are able to receive adequate education when they are young, they are more likely to graduate from college and become a contributing member to society. If these children are able to get a good education and learn, when they get older they are more likely to get a job which will in the end contribute to society and improve the overall economy by filling job positions and making money. The IDEA has been installed with hopes that the investments made now will have beneficial effects in the future and boost the overall economy.
Rise in Number of Students enrolled in Special Education Programs across the US
The Students Behind NCLB's 'Disabilities' Designation
(US Department of Education)
On December 3, 2004 President George W. Bush signed The Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act of 2004. This National Special education law, also known as IDEA, provides for about 6.8 million children. It guarantees public services and education to infants, toddlers, children, and young adults up until age 21 with disabilities. This national law puts aside money and funds for each state to improve their special education programs. Besides improving the quality of educational services and finding quality teachers the IDEA also improves special education by funding research, supporting demonstrations, parent training, and information centers. Overall the IDEA has been a very important contributing factor to the Special education in the US.
The IDEA (part C) promotes and provides early intervention by offering services to infants and toddlers with disabilities. It is thought that if they are given special attention and help at an earlier age they will be able to gain a better education and learn more efficiently in the future. OSEP has funded research in RTI to improve and better the education of children with special needs at an earlier age.
The Percentage of students receiving early intervention services ages 0-2
Special education enrollment - 3s & 4s
State- Number of 3 & 4 year olds served by the Preschool Grants Program of the IDEA
Alabama- 4025, Alaska-1181, Arizona-8302, Arkansas-6617, California-38,588, Colorado-6281, Connecticut-4865, Delaware-1166, Florida-17,847, Georgia-10,257, Hawaii-1459, Idaho-2446, Illinois-20,223, Indiana-10,760, Iowa-3466, Kansas-5428, Kentucky-12,435, Louisiana-5394, Maine-2787, Maryland-7191, Massachusetts- 9152, Michigan-13,378, Minnesota-7753, Mississippi-3740, Missouri-8573, Montana-982, Nebraska-2732, Nevada-3025, New Hampshire-1747, New Jersey-10,729, New Mexico-3794,
New York-40,422, North Carolina-10,618, North Dakota-852, Ohio-12,594, Oklahoma-4101, Oregon-5093, Pennsylvania-16,565, Rhode Island-1,609, South Carolina-5,422, South Dakota-1,545, Tennessee-6,051, Texas-21,244, Utah-4,485, Vermont-961,Virginia-9,614,
Washington-7,511, West Virginia-2,835, Wisconsin-9,214,Wyoming-1,620
The No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) was proposed by President George W. Bush and signed into law on January 8, 2002. This law was created in attempt to improve the quality of public school education as a whole and assure that no child is left behind in terms of receiving an education. This law attempts to do so by increasing accountability for states, school districts, and schools by offering more choices to students and parents, more flexibility for states and local use of federal education money, and more focus on improving the literacy rate by focusing on reading. While the NCLB was not created specifically for special education programs, it does have a large impact on Public School Special Education programs by providing them with the same benefits and increase funding.
List of Video Clips- National Special Education Programs (IDEA)
Children Enrolled by their Parents in Private Schools
Discipline
Early Intervening Services/Response To Intervention (RTI)
Highly Qualified Teachers
Individualized Education Program (IEP) - Changes in Initial Evaluation and Reevaluation
Monitoring and Enforcement
National Instructional Materials Accessibility Standard (NIMAS)
Procedural Safeguards
How bad is the current situation?
While significant improvements are being made in all states across the country not all of them are meeting the requirements of the IDEA. Despite all the Federal Government’s implementation of the IDEA only nine states Alaska, Connecticut, Hawaii, Michigan, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia and Wyoming are currently fully meeting federal requirements outlined in the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. This means over 4/5 of the states in the US are not meeting these federal requirements. However, while requirements are not being fully met, there are improvements being made to the system. (States Rated on Special Education Programs)
Since the IDEA has been made law the number of students enrolled in special education programs have significantly increased. Today the US provides services to more than 6.7 million disabled students. The national average percentage of students in special education is about 14%. Areas of higher poverty have fewer students enrolled in their programs. The national overall increase in the number of students receiving special education can be viewed as a positive thing, because this means more children are getting they help they need.
Increase in the Number of Children enrolled in special education programs
A current issue that is being debated is who should be responsible for paying for special education. Currently all the funds for special education come out of the pockets of tax payers. Many children have disabilities so severe that they cannot function in a regular public school classroom setting. Educating a special needs child is about 2.5 the costs of educating a regular student. About $7,777 is spent on educating a regular student while $18,492 is spent on educating a special education student. Parents have resulted to sending to private school but forced the state to pay the tuition for their child's private school education because the federal law requires school districts to provide children with extended day education even to children with disabilities. This is just one example of the debates the costs and funding for special education in the United States. (Sate-Level Cost Analysis: Kentucky Case Study) (Where does the money go?)
CURRENT SITUATION:
Another struggle special education programs across the nation are facing is the lack of qualified teachers. The retention rate of these teachers is very low. The departure rate of special education teachers is about 13.5% annually compared to the 6.5% for regular schoolteachers. This is because the demands in special education are much higher and require a lot more individual attention and work. Areas with high poverty suffer from this the most. This has a negative effect on the children living here because they are less likely to receive adequate educational services. According to the 2004 COPSSE report, about 1/3 of the special education teachers hired were not certified. There is also a shortage of special education administrators, paraprofessionals and disability specialists. Without adequate teachers and staff programs cannot be run efficiently and effectively. In attempts to fix this problem the US government now requires all teacher to be fully certified and licensed in any field they teach. Special education teacher are generally paid around a median of $48,000. This salary is not very high for the amount of work put into the job which does not provide teacher with much of an incentive to pursue special education. (Teachers- Special Education- Earnings)
WHO DOES THIS EFFECT:
The current situation regarding Special Education Programs in the United States impacts a wide range of people, similar to those mentioned below in local section.
Special Education Students:
Children across the nation who are identified as having learning disabilities have overall benefited from the current situation in the US with its attempts to improve special education through the IDEA. However, this varies from state to state. Some states have invested more time and money in their programs than others. However, overall in comparison to children (special education) across the world, the children (special education) in the United States of America have it pretty good. The results of the IDEA, such as increased funding, early intervention, response to intervention, and improved individual education programs all benefit the students by giving them a better education. All these services positively impact the children in need of special educational services and provide them with a greater chance of attending college and pursuing a career in the future. (New America Foundation- Impact on Schools)
The current situation regarding special education impacts people of differently economic statuses differently. Children who live in wealthier states and districts have a better chance of receiving an adequate education and getting the services they need. Children who live in poorer districts don’t receive the same high quality services and education.
Students not enrolled in Special Education:
Children not enrolled in special education, while benefiting from other acts such as the No Child Left Behind Act, don’t directly benefit from the improvements made to the special education system. In fact, in many ways the increased funding for public school education programs have taken away from the education of non-disabled children. The opportunity cost in this situation is improving education for children not in the special education programs. This is a huge opportunity cost.
Tax Payers/ US citizens:
The current situation with nation wide special education programs impacts every citizen in the United States through taxes. The improvements made to the special education programs are costly and have contributed to a rise in taxes. Over $60 billion a year has been put aside for the development and improvements of these programs in the nation’s attempt to improve the quality of education and increase the opportunities for children with learning disabilities. Everyone, regardless of if they have any connections or relations to anyone in public special education programs, has to pay these taxes. Therefore, people who are not receiving any benefits and services from the system are forced to pay for it through their taxes. This opens the door for another opportunity cost. If it wasn’t for the IDEA and federal government’s desire to improve special education services across the nation, this money could be used for other services. The $60 billion a year dedicated for national special education could go to fund projects or services that are used by a larger majority of the population.
(Who Pays for Special Ed?)
Society/ American Economy (In the long run):
The improvements made in these programs will, in the long run, benefit society and the nation’s economy. This is because if these children are able to receive adequate education when they are young, they are more likely to graduate from college and become a contributing member to society. If these children are able to get a good education and learn, when they get older they are more likely to get a job which will in the end contribute to society and improve the overall economy by filling job positions and making money. The IDEA has been installed with hopes that the investments made now will have beneficial effects in the future and boost the overall economy.
Rise in Number of Students enrolled in Special Education Programs across the US
The Students Behind NCLB's 'Disabilities' Designation
C. What needs to be done vs. what has been done on a national level?
Currently in the United States our high school seniors are trailing students in Cyprus and South Africa on international math examinations. Nearly one third of our college freshman find it necessary to take a remedial course before beginning the regular college level courses. At the beginning of year 2002, George W. Bush initiated the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB), one of the largest attempts to give an equal opportunity to all students and overall improve the quality of our nation.
Under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) schools are responsible for maintaining high academic standards for all students, including disadvantaged students. In order to guarantee that these standards are met, a sample of 4th and 8th grade students from every state are tested annually with the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP). Additionally, states that narrow the achievement gap and increase the overall education are rewarded. The most successful schools in improving the education for the disadvantaged students are recognized and rewarded with "No Child Left Behind" bonuses.
The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) is a law guaranteeing service toward children with disabilities in the United States. On December 3, 2004, President George W. Bush signed the IDEA into law. IDEA works alongside the ESEA and NCLB act to ensure some of the basic educational standards are met. IDEA Part B provides services for children and young adults from the ages of three to twenty-one. The IDEA helps to ensure that educational standards are met by allowing the use of funds for school programs, enforcing goals and requiring tests to show these goals are met, requiring annual reports of progress in students and school, as well as many other methods. IDEA Part C provides early services for infants and toddlers (new-born to 2 years) with disabilities.
Under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) schools are responsible for maintaining high academic standards for all students, including disadvantaged students. In order to guarantee that these standards are met, a sample of 4th and 8th grade students from every state are tested annually with the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP). Additionally, states that narrow the achievement gap and increase the overall education are rewarded. The most successful schools in improving the education for the disadvantaged students are recognized and rewarded with "No Child Left Behind" bonuses.
The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) is a law guaranteeing service toward children with disabilities in the United States. On December 3, 2004, President George W. Bush signed the IDEA into law. IDEA works alongside the ESEA and NCLB act to ensure some of the basic educational standards are met. IDEA Part B provides services for children and young adults from the ages of three to twenty-one. The IDEA helps to ensure that educational standards are met by allowing the use of funds for school programs, enforcing goals and requiring tests to show these goals are met, requiring annual reports of progress in students and school, as well as many other methods. IDEA Part C provides early services for infants and toddlers (new-born to 2 years) with disabilities.
What can you do Nationally?
Funding for special education programs gets increasingly harder every year. On a national level, we are able to help out the rest of Nation.
Again, Easter Seals Hawaii's provides extraordinary services. Please find them in your neighborhood.
http://www.easterseals.com/site/PageServer
You can also donate to non-profit organizations in your state.
http://www.iser.com/nps.html#AL
Also, becoming a special education teacher is important in our society. Because there is an increase of disabled children every year, we need more and more teachers that are willing to work. Teaching is a self-rewarding profession; we need more teachers in this field. There are two websites that are looking for teachers who would like to teach children with disabilities. Please visit these websites below, if you are interested.
1. http://www.nagc.org/index.aspx?id=1983
2. http://environmentalchemistry.com/careers/type/specialeducation.html
If you would like to help, but do not want to become totally committed, or devote your life to special education, there are places where you can volunteer. Find a place near you!
Again, Easter Seals Hawaii's provides extraordinary services. Please find them in your neighborhood.
http://www.easterseals.com/site/PageServer
You can also donate to non-profit organizations in your state.
http://www.iser.com/nps.html#AL
Also, becoming a special education teacher is important in our society. Because there is an increase of disabled children every year, we need more and more teachers that are willing to work. Teaching is a self-rewarding profession; we need more teachers in this field. There are two websites that are looking for teachers who would like to teach children with disabilities. Please visit these websites below, if you are interested.
1. http://www.nagc.org/index.aspx?id=1983
2. http://environmentalchemistry.com/careers/type/specialeducation.html
If you would like to help, but do not want to become totally committed, or devote your life to special education, there are places where you can volunteer. Find a place near you!
Thursday, October 25, 2007
Local: The History of Special Education in Hawaii
In
Special Education is provided by law under the IDEA which is the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act of 2004. It was only until 2004 this act was amended by the United States federal law.Under this act, it guarantees a free public education with special education services for those that are eligible.
Before this act, it was difficult to decipher which students were eligible for Special education privileges. Just because students had a disability didn't necessarily mean they qualified for Special Ed. So, to decide whether students are eligible to be classified under Special Education, they created a eligible criteria. These are some of the categories:
- autism
- deaf-blindness
- deafness
- developmental delay
- emotional disturbance
- hearing impairment
- mental retardation
- multiple disability
- orthopedic impairment
- other health impairment
- specific learning disability
- speech-language impairment
- traumatic brain injury
- visual impairment, including blindness
Once a student is determined for Special education services, the student, parent, teacher, and school administrator are considered IEP (Individualized Education Program) team members. Together they will decide the placement of the student that will meet their needs.
The DOE (department of education) of
Anoter contributing factor to the development of Special Education was the landmark lawsuit of 1993 that forced the state to make great improvements within the system. An article in the Honolulu Advertiser updates us with that lawsuit in 2005.
What is the Current Situtation with Special Education Programs here in Hawaii and Who does it Impact?
There are many issues regarding the Current Situation of Special Education Programs here in Hawaii.
The current situation regarding Special Education here in Hawaii is actually pretty good. In fact, according to the U.S Education Department’s fist nation report card it is one of only nine states (among Alaska, Connecticut, Michigan, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia and Wyoming) that are currently fully meeting federal requirements outlined in the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. Over 4/5 of the states in the US are not meeting these federal requirements. However, Hawaii proudly stands among the small percentage of states that are actually meeting these requirements in the nation's Individuals with Disabilities Education Act and No Child Left Behind Act (see national portion). (http://startbulletin.com/2007/06/21/new/story04.html)
Hawaii has attained a well-developed special education program, which complies with the special needs of students from ages 3 through 21. Here in Hawaii the public education services offered for special education children have greatly improved over the past decade and are more widely available and accessible. Hawaii has experienced a major turn around in its provided services. Ever since the lawsuit regarding Jennifer Felix, a disabled student, was filled in 1993, many improvements have been made to improve the special education program and services. These improvements include providing more qualified teachers, increasing government spending on public special education, providing services at younger age, and creating a system to efficiently identify children with special needs. The result of this lawsuit was government intervention in the form of the Felix Consent Decree. The Felix Consent Decree basically states that any child with a disability has the right to an education by the Individuals with Disabilities Act (IDEA) and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act. States school’s superintendent, Pat Hamamoto stated in 2005, "I will be forever grateful for (the consent decree), because it taught us about good educational systems, how to help students, and how to pull together for the children. I really believe it was a blessing in disguise." (Special ed better, yet still burdened http://the.honoluluadvertiser.com/article/2005/Jun/01/ln/ln01p.html)
Over a decade ago in 1993 when the Felix Consent Decree was filled, the state’s special education programs for children with special needs and learning disabilities were severely under funded and understaffed. As a result many changes and improvements have been installed in all areas of Hawaii’s special education programs. However, in 2005 the decree was officially dismissed. Since the decree has been dismissed, improvements continue to be made and millions of dollars are still dedicated to these programs. Without this lawsuit filled in 1993 Hawaii would not have most likely received the “jump start” necessary to improve these programs.
Special Education Funding:
The the increasing demand for special education has called for an increase in supply. As a result the overall spending on special education has changed from $75 million in 1994 to an increased budget of $306 million for the 2005- 2006 school year. The Health Department's special education funding has also increased from $22 million to $89 million during this same time period. 22 percent of Hawaii’s Public School budget is allocated towards special education programs. In fact the state spends twice the amount of money on a special education student than it would on a regular student. Many local citizens have criticized the large increase in special needs funding because funding has increased at a more rapid rate than funding for regular education. (http://starbulletin.com/2005/06/01/news/story4.html) (“The Felix decree spurs the state to create a comprehensive system”
http://starbulletin.com/2004/04/18/news/story5.html)
http://starbulletin.com/2004/04/18/news/story5.html
Number of students in the program:
Over the past decade more students have been identified as special needs children, giving more children the special attention needed for them to learn. This is due to a special system that has been developed and enhanced to identify children with theses learning disabilities and special needs inside and outside of the classroom. This improvement has allowed more children to become adequately educated over the past 15 years improving the overall economy. The percentage of public school students in special education programs have grown from 7 percent to 12 percent in the time since the Felix lawsuit was filled in 1993. (“The Felix decree spurs the state to create a comprehensive system”
http://starbulletin.com/2004/04/18/news/story5.html)
http://starbulletin.com/2004/04/18/news/story5.html
Starting at a Young Age:
Hawaii has also been recognized for offering services to children beginning in preschool
(3 years old). Special programs have been developed to recognize disabilities from a young age and deal with the individual needs of these children by creating individualized programs for each student. This has allowed children to receive a more effective learning program at an earlier age.
While it is obvious that many improvements have been made to the system. Faults still exists and improvements have yet to me made in a variety of areas (see next section for more detail).
To review specific/ extensive cases of complaints go to:
DOE- special education reports of complaints
DOE- special education quarterly reports
Who does this impact?
The current situation with Special Education Programs here in Hawaii impacts a wide variety of people ranging from the individuals with disabilities to average local citizens. The students who are currently in these programs are directly affected by the current situation regarding special education here in Hawaii. Because funding has increased programs have been developed. As a result the quality of education has improved and the horizon of academic opportunity for these children have greatly increased. This will allow more students in Hawaii to gain a quality education, which will in the end allow them to grow up into prominent and enlightened individuals. The presence of adequate special education programs in Hawaii offer its participants and future and provide them with the ability and knowledge to go to college and pursue a career.
Your average student who does not receive the aid from public special education programs is also impacted by Hawaii’s current situation. Over the past decade funding for these special education programs has multiplied and increased significantly. However, the high funding provided for these special education programs indirectly takes resources and opportunities away from the regular public school students. Because these large sums of money are spent on the small percentage of disabled children, less money can be allocated towards Hawaii’s public schools to provide for their regular students. This is a very large opportunity cost for the installation and maintenance of successful special education programs.
The current situation also impacts the local citizens and tax payers here in Hawaii. The increased funding for public special education programs comes from tax payers’ money. The increase in the amount of money invested in these programs has contributed to the rise in tax dollars taxpayers have to pay each year. Also this brings up another opportunity cost because the amount of tax payers’ money delegated towards these special education programs could have other wise been used for other service which are more readily used by the public majority.
Overall, Hawaii’s Public Special Education programs have made significant development and improvement over the past 15 years after the lawsuit filled by Jennifer Felix in 1993. However, there are still many improvements to be made and winkles to be ironed out.
For more information visit these RELATED LINKS:
DOE Annual Performance Report & State Performance Plan
DOE- SPECIAL EDUCATION WEBSITE
Hawaii Legislative reference bureau- Felix Consent Decree
Lauren T- 2:30 Economics (November 12 2007)
The current situation regarding Special Education here in Hawaii is actually pretty good. In fact, according to the U.S Education Department’s fist nation report card it is one of only nine states (among Alaska, Connecticut, Michigan, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia and Wyoming) that are currently fully meeting federal requirements outlined in the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. Over 4/5 of the states in the US are not meeting these federal requirements. However, Hawaii proudly stands among the small percentage of states that are actually meeting these requirements in the nation's Individuals with Disabilities Education Act and No Child Left Behind Act (see national portion). (http://startbulletin.com/2007/06/21/new/story04.html)
Hawaii has attained a well-developed special education program, which complies with the special needs of students from ages 3 through 21. Here in Hawaii the public education services offered for special education children have greatly improved over the past decade and are more widely available and accessible. Hawaii has experienced a major turn around in its provided services. Ever since the lawsuit regarding Jennifer Felix, a disabled student, was filled in 1993, many improvements have been made to improve the special education program and services. These improvements include providing more qualified teachers, increasing government spending on public special education, providing services at younger age, and creating a system to efficiently identify children with special needs. The result of this lawsuit was government intervention in the form of the Felix Consent Decree. The Felix Consent Decree basically states that any child with a disability has the right to an education by the Individuals with Disabilities Act (IDEA) and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act. States school’s superintendent, Pat Hamamoto stated in 2005, "I will be forever grateful for (the consent decree), because it taught us about good educational systems, how to help students, and how to pull together for the children. I really believe it was a blessing in disguise." (Special ed better, yet still burdened http://the.honoluluadvertiser.com/article/2005/Jun/01/ln/ln01p.html)
Over a decade ago in 1993 when the Felix Consent Decree was filled, the state’s special education programs for children with special needs and learning disabilities were severely under funded and understaffed. As a result many changes and improvements have been installed in all areas of Hawaii’s special education programs. However, in 2005 the decree was officially dismissed. Since the decree has been dismissed, improvements continue to be made and millions of dollars are still dedicated to these programs. Without this lawsuit filled in 1993 Hawaii would not have most likely received the “jump start” necessary to improve these programs.
Special Education Funding:
The the increasing demand for special education has called for an increase in supply. As a result the overall spending on special education has changed from $75 million in 1994 to an increased budget of $306 million for the 2005- 2006 school year. The Health Department's special education funding has also increased from $22 million to $89 million during this same time period. 22 percent of Hawaii’s Public School budget is allocated towards special education programs. In fact the state spends twice the amount of money on a special education student than it would on a regular student. Many local citizens have criticized the large increase in special needs funding because funding has increased at a more rapid rate than funding for regular education. (http://starbulletin.com/2005/06/01/news/story4.html) (“The Felix decree spurs the state to create a comprehensive system”
http://starbulletin.com/2004/04/18/news/story5.html)
http://starbulletin.com/2004/04/18/news/story5.html
Number of students in the program:
Over the past decade more students have been identified as special needs children, giving more children the special attention needed for them to learn. This is due to a special system that has been developed and enhanced to identify children with theses learning disabilities and special needs inside and outside of the classroom. This improvement has allowed more children to become adequately educated over the past 15 years improving the overall economy. The percentage of public school students in special education programs have grown from 7 percent to 12 percent in the time since the Felix lawsuit was filled in 1993. (“The Felix decree spurs the state to create a comprehensive system”
http://starbulletin.com/2004/04/18/news/story5.html)
http://starbulletin.com/2004/04/18/news/story5.html
Starting at a Young Age:
Hawaii has also been recognized for offering services to children beginning in preschool
(3 years old). Special programs have been developed to recognize disabilities from a young age and deal with the individual needs of these children by creating individualized programs for each student. This has allowed children to receive a more effective learning program at an earlier age.
While it is obvious that many improvements have been made to the system. Faults still exists and improvements have yet to me made in a variety of areas (see next section for more detail).
To review specific/ extensive cases of complaints go to:
DOE- special education reports of complaints
DOE- special education quarterly reports
Who does this impact?
The current situation with Special Education Programs here in Hawaii impacts a wide variety of people ranging from the individuals with disabilities to average local citizens. The students who are currently in these programs are directly affected by the current situation regarding special education here in Hawaii. Because funding has increased programs have been developed. As a result the quality of education has improved and the horizon of academic opportunity for these children have greatly increased. This will allow more students in Hawaii to gain a quality education, which will in the end allow them to grow up into prominent and enlightened individuals. The presence of adequate special education programs in Hawaii offer its participants and future and provide them with the ability and knowledge to go to college and pursue a career.
Your average student who does not receive the aid from public special education programs is also impacted by Hawaii’s current situation. Over the past decade funding for these special education programs has multiplied and increased significantly. However, the high funding provided for these special education programs indirectly takes resources and opportunities away from the regular public school students. Because these large sums of money are spent on the small percentage of disabled children, less money can be allocated towards Hawaii’s public schools to provide for their regular students. This is a very large opportunity cost for the installation and maintenance of successful special education programs.
The current situation also impacts the local citizens and tax payers here in Hawaii. The increased funding for public special education programs comes from tax payers’ money. The increase in the amount of money invested in these programs has contributed to the rise in tax dollars taxpayers have to pay each year. Also this brings up another opportunity cost because the amount of tax payers’ money delegated towards these special education programs could have other wise been used for other service which are more readily used by the public majority.
Overall, Hawaii’s Public Special Education programs have made significant development and improvement over the past 15 years after the lawsuit filled by Jennifer Felix in 1993. However, there are still many improvements to be made and winkles to be ironed out.
For more information visit these RELATED LINKS:
DOE Annual Performance Report & State Performance Plan
DOE- SPECIAL EDUCATION WEBSITE
Hawaii Legislative reference bureau- Felix Consent Decree
Lauren T- 2:30 Economics (November 12 2007)
C. "What needs to be done" vs. "What is actually being done"
Providing Teachers:
This rapid growth in the special education system has created more than 300 positions for student service coordinators. The presence of the student services has reduced the burden on the school teachers and has made learning in the classroom more efficient. However, as there continues to be a shortage of public school teachers there is an even larger shortage of public special education teachers. The demand for special education teachers exceeds the supply of them. This may be due to a variety of reasons such as the extra training necessary to provide these services. Being a special education teacher is a much more challenging job and requires a little more time and individual attention. Also the inadequate salary and compensation that comes with the job of special education teacher does not always make the job enticing and desirable.
Quality of Education:
Some may argue that even though many chances have been made, the system still lacks in providing quality education to each student. While the quality of the special education programs are still being debated, reports do show that many special education students are not scoring as well on the placement/ state tests as the regular students are. This has become a huge area of concern. Reports show that despite all the improvements that have been made over the past years less than 1/5 of special education children are actually scoring as well as regular students. This could be due to a variety of possible reasons. It could be the lack of quality education offered to these students or it could be that due to their disabilities that they are resultantly scoring lower that the average regular public school student. But regardless of the reason, special education students are failing to score as well on tests. (http://starbulletin.com/2007/08/12/editorial/commentary.html)
Parental involvement:
While many of the children receive adequate attention at school, in order for them to learn and excel, the special individual plans created for each student needs to be continued outside the classroom. This is where parental involvement becomes necessary for the special education programs to be effective. This is often a problem for many children with learning disabilities because while they are given adequate help and school, their parents are not as involved. Many times parents do not continue these individual learning plans in their homes and as a result the students are not able to perform at their full potential.
What Can We Do?
The amount of money needed for special education programs is increasing every year. The state of Hawaii, spent $75 million in 1994, and $306 million in general fund appropriations for the 2005-06 fiscal year. Is this enough? What more can we do? There are four very important ways in which we can all contribute. We can contribute by donating money, protesting by writing a letter, volunteering to different schools, and deciding to become a special education teacher.
Easter Seals Hawai’i provides extraordinary services that try to guarantee all people with disabilities or special needs and their families to have equal opportunities to live life to their highest potential. They are the state’s largest provider of services, by providing Early Intervention, Physical Therapy, Occupational Therapy, Speech Therapy, Home and Community-Based Services, and Camping & Recreation, Youth Services, Assistive Technology, Family Support Services, and Partnerships in Community Living (PICL). Donating money to their organization is very beneficial to the people who have disabilities.
Easter Seals Hawaii
Administrative and Development Offices
710 Green Street
Honolulu, HI 96813-2119
Phone: 808 536-1015
visit their site at... http://hawaii.easterseals.com/site/PageServer?pagename=HIDR_homepage.
If your child has a disability or a special need, and you would like to offer suggestions and ideas, there are different people who you could contact.
Special Education Advisory Council (SEAC)
919 Ala Moana Blvd., Room 101
Honolulu, HI 96814
Phone: (808) 586-8126
Email: spin@doh.hawaii.gov
Visit their site at... http://www.k12.wa.us/specialed/SEAC/default.aspx.
Patricia Hamamoto
Hawaii State Department of Education
P.O. Box 2360
Honolulu, HI 96804
Phone: 586-3332
Volunteering at the following schools in Hawaii would be of great help. The Children are phenominal and the rewards are pricless. By coming together we can build a stronger community.
Jefferson Orthopedic
324 Kapahulu Avenue
Honolulu, HI 96815
Phone: (808) 971-6931
http://www.greatschools.net/modperl/browse_school/hi/239
Variety School Of Hawaii
Dr. Colin Denney, Director
710 Palekaua Street
Honolulu, Hawaii 96816
Phone: (808) 732-2835
http://www.greatschools.net/cgi-bin/hi/private/430
Wanting to make a difference in Hawaii? This is your chance! If you would like to teach at a secondary education facility this is your chance. You can work at Jefferson Orthopedic, Variety School Of Hawaii as well as Assets school, listed below. You can write to the following people.
State of Hawaii, Department of Education
Teacher Recruitment Section
680 Iwilei Road, Suite 490
Honolulu HI 96817
Phone: 586-3420
Assets School
One Ohana Nui Way
Honolulu, Hawaii 96818
Phone: (808) 423-1356
http://www.assets-school.net/
Easter Seals Hawai’i provides extraordinary services that try to guarantee all people with disabilities or special needs and their families to have equal opportunities to live life to their highest potential. They are the state’s largest provider of services, by providing Early Intervention, Physical Therapy, Occupational Therapy, Speech Therapy, Home and Community-Based Services, and Camping & Recreation, Youth Services, Assistive Technology, Family Support Services, and Partnerships in Community Living (PICL). Donating money to their organization is very beneficial to the people who have disabilities.
Easter Seals Hawaii
Administrative and Development Offices
710 Green Street
Honolulu, HI 96813-2119
Phone: 808 536-1015
visit their site at... http://hawaii.easterseals.com/site/PageServer?pagename=HIDR_homepage.
If your child has a disability or a special need, and you would like to offer suggestions and ideas, there are different people who you could contact.
Special Education Advisory Council (SEAC)
919 Ala Moana Blvd., Room 101
Honolulu, HI 96814
Phone: (808) 586-8126
Email: spin@doh.hawaii.gov
Visit their site at... http://www.k12.wa.us/specialed/SEAC/default.aspx.
Patricia Hamamoto
Hawaii State Department of Education
P.O. Box 2360
Honolulu, HI 96804
Phone: 586-3332
Volunteering at the following schools in Hawaii would be of great help. The Children are phenominal and the rewards are pricless. By coming together we can build a stronger community.
Jefferson Orthopedic
324 Kapahulu Avenue
Honolulu, HI 96815
Phone: (808) 971-6931
http://www.greatschools.net/modperl/browse_school/hi/239
Variety School Of Hawaii
Dr. Colin Denney, Director
710 Palekaua Street
Honolulu, Hawaii 96816
Phone: (808) 732-2835
http://www.greatschools.net/cgi-bin/hi/private/430
Wanting to make a difference in Hawaii? This is your chance! If you would like to teach at a secondary education facility this is your chance. You can work at Jefferson Orthopedic, Variety School Of Hawaii as well as Assets school, listed below. You can write to the following people.
State of Hawaii, Department of Education
Teacher Recruitment Section
680 Iwilei Road, Suite 490
Honolulu HI 96817
Phone: 586-3420
Assets School
One Ohana Nui Way
Honolulu, Hawaii 96818
Phone: (808) 423-1356
http://www.assets-school.net/
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