Special Education in Classrooms Across America Essay

The special education programs in the United States have been designed to help children with special needs learn easier and fit in better with the education program. Unfortunately, many minority students get caught up in the mix and don’t get the proper attention they deserve. Furthermore, minority students are seriously over-represented in the educational programs. Many minority students are misdiagnosed and put into special education programs when in fact; they do not have a learning disability. This has become a growing problem in this country because it is seen as the easy way out. Schools all over the U.S. are doing this in order to not have to properly test and evaluate students for learning problems.

The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) is a federal law that guarantees educational services to eligible students with disabilities. It establishes “people first” language for referring to people with disabilities. IDEA requires states to educate students with disabilities for transition to employment, and to provide transition services. IDEA also provides the students with a free and appropriate education If a student with a disability is expelled from school, IDEA says that he or she must still receive educational services. The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act mandates that all students with disabilities take state and district testing. This law also requires a general education teacher to be a member of the Individualized Educational Plan (IEP) team.

Special education students are delayed in there learning process. To resolve the gap in learning abilities Individual with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) obliges by law that all public schools to create an Individualized Education Program (IEP) for every child that receives special educational services. IDEA inspires to create an effective relationship amongst the parents and school that boost an educational team with the goals of providing the student with proper services (Mueller, 2009). In Each IEP meeting it involves the IEP team, IEP sections that addresses the student with disabilities educational progress.

Dunn argued that the identification and placement in special education of socioculturally deprived children with mild learning problems was of concern because of the nature of these settings, the questionable benefits of these placements and the detrimental effects of labeling. Since 1968, the Office of Civil Rights (OCR) has received and investigated complaints associated with placement of minority students for mental retardation and serious emotional disturbance; equal access of minority students to pre-referral programs, lack of access to minority students to general education programs and issues associated with students with limited English proficiency.

The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) is an important law that was passed, which advocates for the needs of disabled children. Federal funding is given to the schools to meet the needs of students with disabilities. Each state works with the federal government to provide this service. It is the states responsibility to follow the laws and find appropriate placement for these children. (US Department of Education, 2007) These students go through a process called appropriate placement by going through a series of referrals, evaluations, and classifications to see which category they fall under. These students may suffer with learning disabilities, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, emotional disorders, cognitive challenges, autism, hearing impairment, visual impairment, speech or language impairment, and developmental delay. Once they find the category then the Child Study Team (CST) made up of a school psychologist, social worker, and a learning disabilities teacher consultant will decide if the student needs an Individualized Education Program (IEP). Then the consultant will decide if the student needs an Individualized Education Program (IEP). This program is offered to students struggling in school allowing them to be taught a different way in the school system. If the student needs an IEP the multidisciplinary committee will meet. The

The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) is a federal mandate that regulates how educational agencies supply children with disabilities early intervention services, special education classes, and additional assistance that is equitable to a general education student who does not have a disability. The services under the IDEA law are offered to children from birth to age 21. Students who qualify for services under the IDEA Act

In response to various court cases relating to services for students with special needs, The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) was enacted to mandate to the states that data regarding overrepresentation of race and ethnicity must be collected and monitored. If it is determined that a disproportionate number of students from a minority background are receiving special education services, a review of policies and procedures is required to

For students with documented special needs, the school makes additional accommodation. The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) is "designed to protect the rights of students with disabilities by ensuring that everyone receives a free appropriate public education (FAPE), regardless of ability" (IDEA, 2012, Kid's Health). IDEA mandates that students are educated in the least restrictive environment possible. It also recognizes that every child is different, and giving each child the same education does not mean that every child will receive the same quality of education.

In 1997, the United States Department of Education stated that disproportionate representation in special education is a problem, predominately affecting African American boys. The Individuals with Disabilities

The Individuals with Disabilities Act (IDEA) of 2004 has several different procedure and document that are to be followed when assessing individuals for a special education program. In Guiberson's (2009) research he suggests that some educators may be unprepared to work with diverse student populations. In a 200 participant survey of speech pathologist a study found that a third of the participants did not have sufficient training in multicultural issues (Guiberson, 2009). Studies have shown that students that learn in educational environment that reflect their cultural background tend to achieve more academically, which make multicultural instruction important in school with diverse populations (Ornstein & Levine, 2007). Guiberson's

Of all the males in state and federal prisons, 68% do not have a high school diploma (Amurao, 2013). A disproportionate number of Black male students that are enrolled in special education courses for countless reasons, however, most are for learning disabilities and behavioral issues. A study concluded in 1998 that the placement of African Americans in Special Education the schools enroll disproportionate numbers of Black males in special education. A study completed in 10 cities of disparities of White and African American males in special education and the racial composition of the teaching staff showed that there was a relationship between the number of Black male students that were placed in special education and the number of white teachers in the school system. The cities that were studied had the highest percentage of Caucasian teachers who had the highest percentage of Black students that were identified as special education (Walker,

Disproportionate identification of minority students in special education is a major concern in schools today. This paper describes the issues in the assessment process with minority students and how we have arrived at a situation where minorities are being misdiagnosed into special education programs. Additionally, several legal cases are mentioned which show numerous actions and rulings that have tried to correct the disproportionate identification in special education. Some of the legal cases discussed include Larry P. v Riles, Diana v. State Board of Education, and Guadalupe v. Tempe Elementary School, which all significantly impacted special education today. Additionally, the Individual with Disabilities Education Act has enforced

The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) is a United States federal law that consents of four categories outlining how public agencies and individual states ensures that students with various disabilities are provided a Free Appropriate Public Education (FAPE) in the Least Restrictive Environment (LRE) that is conditioned to their specific needs regardless of their ability. This act mandates tailored services, educational modifications, and the main objective for these children throughout the nation is to supply them with the same possibility of getting an education as those who do not have a disability until the age of 21.

Special education has faced many changes during the last century. During this time there have been many opinions on the way students with differences should be taught and treated. This paper will discuss the history of special education during the twentieth century. We will also discuss the laws associated with Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). Finally we will discuss the current and future challenges that the laws have on special education.

The civil rights movement and the inclusion controversies run side by side, however the segregation factors are contrasting. Color of skin does not affect a human’s ability to learn, therefore segregation was overturned. Mental retardation, however, will affect their education and peers in the classroom.