Special Education: The lie of inclusion and equality
I left a job I loved teaching cross categorical special needs children because of a lack of support and equality. The area of special education that needs addressing desperately is self contained classes that are sometimes staffed with long term subs and or beginning teachers that have no degree in special education. Many of these positions are the last to be staffed because of teacher burn out and high attrition rates. Too many special education students will get the least amount of services that the educational system can get away with. The special education model in many states is one of under funding, under educating, socially promoting, warehousing, lowering expectations of what is possible and treating special education students as the lesser and not equal. We spend millions on sports programs in school and see value in team sports yet we do not always see the value in special education programs, Why?
This lie of special education non-inclusion is all accomplished with indifference, political lethargy, political made austerity that burdens already underfunded public schools. The political push to monetize public education and the new separate but equal movement "parent choice", i.e. vouchers, charter schools and private schools that refuse special needs students a seat at the table. Shame on parents, teachers, schools, and politicians that do not demand more for our wonderful special needs children. Sean Taylor The Dyslexic Reading Teacher
I left a job I loved teaching cross categorical special needs children because of a lack of support and equality. The area of special education that needs addressing desperately is self contained classes that are sometimes staffed with long term subs and or beginning teachers that have no degree in special education. Many of these positions are the last to be staffed because of teacher burn out and high attrition rates. Too many special education students will get the least amount of services that the educational system can get away with. The special education model in many states is one of under funding, under educating, socially promoting, warehousing, lowering expectations of what is possible and treating special education students as the lesser and not equal. We spend millions on sports programs in school and see value in team sports yet we do not always see the value in special education programs, Why?
This lie of special education non-inclusion is all accomplished with indifference, political lethargy, political made austerity that burdens already underfunded public schools. The political push to monetize public education and the new separate but equal movement "parent choice", i.e. vouchers, charter schools and private schools that refuse special needs students a seat at the table. Shame on parents, teachers, schools, and politicians that do not demand more for our wonderful special needs children. Sean Taylor The Dyslexic Reading Teacher
Special Education Inclusion today is in a race to the bottom! Unqualified or understaffed special education programs, schools hemorrhaging from austerity, no time for researched and quality progress monitoring (the heart of special education), ridiculous overreaching goals with no common sense reporting, boiler-plate IEPs, and way too many shortcuts at the cost of our special needs kids.
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