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Essay on the history of special education
Essay on the history of special education
Essay on the history of special education
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Special Education Placement in Public Schools History of Public Schools Before the 1840’s the education system was only available to wealthy people. Individuals such as Horace Mann from Massachusetts and Henry Barnard in Connecticut believed that schooling for everybody would help individuals become productive citizens in society. Through their efforts, free public education at the elementary level become assessable for all children in American by late 19th century. By 1918 all states passed laws that required children to attend elementary school. The Catholics were against this law, so they created their own private schools. In 1925 the Supreme Court passed a law that allowed children to attend private school rather than public school (Watson, 2008). Facts on Special Education in Public Schools During the late 1980’s and 1990’s the number of children with learning disabilities receiving special education services grew rapidly, but during 1998 and 2007 the number of children classified as having a LD has declined by 7% (Cortiella, 2009). “In 2007, 59% of students with LD spent 80% or more of their in-school time in general education classrooms. In 2000, that figure was just 40%” (Cortiella, 2009). In addition, students with disabilities are spending more time with students in traditional classroom settings. According to the Department of Education, “approximately 6 million children (roughly 10 percent of all school-aged children) receive special education services” (Pardini, 2011). Problem Statement Students are placed into special education courses solely based on IQ. Purpose of Paper The study of IQ and how it operates in the education field has been argued through various theories. Theorist such as Howard Garner, R... ... middle of paper ... ... January 29, 2011 from http://otec.uoregon.edu/intelligence.htm Pardini, P. (2011). Rethinking schools. The history of special education. Retrieved January 29, 2011 from http://www.rethinkingschools.org/restrict.asp?path=archive/16_03/Hist163.shtml President’s Commission on Excellence in Special Education. (2005). A new era: Revitalizing special education for children and their families. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Education. Watson, S. (2008). How public schools work. The history of public schools. Retrieved January 28, 2011 from http://people.howstuffworks.com/public-schools.htm Ysseldyke, J., & Marston, D. (2009). Origins of categorical special education services in schools and a rationale for changing them. Special education in transition: Functional assessment and noncategorical programming (pp. 1–18). Longmont, CO: Sopris West.
The study required that participants must be given IQ tests, and also that they be observed in a classroom setting while interventions were put in place. Thus the adminsitratiors were able to draw results both from IQ scores and actual classroom preformance.
Over the years there have been multiple theories suggested about human intelligence. Howard Gardner’s theory seems to be argued by some, while others embrace it and use it. Applying Gardner’s theory of the eight intelligences- interpersonal, intrapersonal, spatial, bodily, linguistic, musical, naturalistic, and logical- to the education system could help more students learn and understand where their strengths are and where their weaknesses are in order to be able to improve their intellgence abilities.
Shocking and demeaning words such as idiot, moron, and retard were once used as actual labels for disabled children in special education. “Prior to 1975, schools were not mandated to educate students with disabilities . . . . [Those with disabilities] were deemed to be uneducable and were barred from entering schools” (“Exceptional Students”).
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 that minority groups must receive an equal education in the least restrictive environment possible. It is our duty as teachers and citizens to abide by these laws and find different ways to assess and correct the disproportionality of minority groups that exists today.
Through surveys and interviews, data was collected to determine the participant’s knowledge of special education issues, beliefs, attitudes and instructional practices. Coombs and Richardson’s results indicated participants had a great awareness of themselves, colleagues and individual needs of their students. They also reported greater collaboration with special education teachers and quality effort in helping all students in need of assistance.
...osh, D.E., Dixon, F. Newton, J.H., & Youman, E. (2010). A Confirmatory Factor Analysis of The Stanford-Binet Intelligence Scales, Fifth Edition, With A High-Achieving Sample. Psychology in Schools, 47(10), 1071-1083.
Each school, because of government mandate, has to provide services for exceptional students. The textbook Human Diversity in Education defines exceptional students as “those eligible for special educational services” (Cushner, McClelland & Safford, 2011). There are several categories for exceptional student but they all fall under the Ability/Disability continuum. Some of the categories for exceptional students are the: intellectually gifted, specific learning disability, emotionally handicapped, hearing impaired, visually impaired, mentally handicapped, and physically handicapped. In this paper the specific type of students that will be discussed, fall under the disabled side of the continuum. As one can see from the list above there are various types of disabilities that can affect students. One of the disabilities that affect many students in schools today is known as the Learning Disability (LD). Students with learning disabilities, also known as specific learning disabilities, tend to be of at least average intelligence. Of at least average intelligence is the key phrase. A learning disability is defined as “a neurological disorder that affects the brain’s ability to receive, process, store, and respond to information” (National Center for Learning Disabilities,). Learning disabilities can affect students in the areas of listening, speaking, reading, writing and spelling, reasoning, and mathematics. A student that has a learning disability can at times suffer for a social anxiety. Though social anxiety can be something minor, for students with this disability 2011it can cause major problems. Their social anxiety is caused by fearing that they will not fit in because they are unable to understand or process the information a...
Sullivan (2011), who analyzed the disproportionality in the identification and placement in special education of ELLs, has also indicated an increased overrepresentation in special education, especially under the category of specific learning disability (SLD). Moreover, other studies have shown a higher proportion of ELL students overrepresented in special education starting third grade or higher, compared with ELL students from lower grades who were underrepresented in special education (Artiles, Rueda, Salazar, & Higareda, 2005; Samson & Lesaux, 2009).
All teachers dream of the classroom filled with fifteen tranquil, enthusiastic students, all with their note books out and pencils prompt for note taking. This is the classroom where everyone works together, at the same pace, and without any interruptions or distractions. This is the ideal classroom setting. The only problem with this picture is that it does not exist. Students are all different. Kids all learn different ways, and at varying paces. Both Physical and Learning Disabilities can hinder a child’s learning speed and hold them back from the rest of the class. It can be very difficult to identify a child with a learning disability because students can often be misunderstood and labeled as unmotivated and lazy. These students are often ignored and not given enough individual attention, and therefore they experience difficulty and frustration all throughout their education. Teaching students with learning disabilities takes a knowledgeable and understanding teacher and often requires adaptation of the curriculum. The education of these students often needs so much “constant attention and fine tuning if they are to succeed,” (Mather, 3) that they hold the rest of the class back. It is these cases that students should seek an adaptive classroom program and individual attention to work on their problematic areas. The bottom line is these students cannot be allowed to fall through the cracks of our educational system. They need positive reinforcement and individual attention so that they are confident in class and productive when they do their work.
specific learning disabilities in the United States of America. The Journal of International Association of Special Education, 10(1), 21-26.
Inclusion of all students in classrooms has been an ongoing issue for the past twenty-five years (Noll, 2013). The controversy is should special education students be placed in an inclusion setting or should they be placed in a special education classroom? If the answer is yes to all special education students being placed in inclusion, then how should the inclusion model look? Every students is to receive a free an appropriate education. According to the Individual Education Act (IDEA), all students should be placed in the Least Restrictive Learning Environment (Noll, 2013).
In society today, there are many children and parents who face the diagnosis of having a developmental disability that would qualify them for special education and needs. This time can come with many questions for the parents when they realize the specialized care and education their child will need. Most often, questions arise about their schooling and how they will be included with other children, as well as what services are available to their child. How their disability impacts their life is a very valid concern because their education will be impacted. When a disability is discovered, it effects trickle down from the child to the parents, to the teachers and finally the medical and educational specialists.
The passage of the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act of 2001 mandated all students with disabilities (SWD) to be included in the general classroom and learn alongside non-disabled students. Because of the NCLB Act of 2001, significant increases of mainstreamed SWD participate in core subjects and spe...
“in order for your child to qualify for the services the student must be found to have one of the 13 categories of special education and it must adversely affect their educational performance” (Hancock, 2016). So to get a better understanding of the special education process we have to view it from both sides of the situation, that is, a parent whose child was diagnosed with a disability, and a professional who works with special education for a living. Knowing both sides and their views we can get a better grasp of the whole system and the flaws and strengths that come with the whole process and
If you are among the 2.9 million Americans with a Learning Disability (LD), you realize that LD has no cure; instead, you manage it in a series of patterns and behaviors (LDA 1). I was fortunate; my last moments in a Special Needs classroom were as a fifth grader leaving State College. However, I remember clearly Mrs. Weiss and Ms. White and their impact upon me. Years later upon my return from the Army, I found among my old things the posters, alphabet book, and little stories that had made me so proud and received such encouragement from my teachers and parents.