Arne Duncan and Special Ed

by Kristina Chew · 2009-02-14 15:00:00 UTC
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The economic stimulus bill is to provide some $100 billion for education. In particular, as EdWeek notes, the bill is "[boost] funding for special education students": What might be the new administration's position on special ed?

While campaigning, Obama said he'd fully fund IDEA. U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan is not "known for an interest in disability issues," according to special education advocates from Chicago, where Duncan was the chief executive officer of the school district for seven years. More from EdWeek:

“He’s not been a great supporter of special ed. I don’t think he dislikes special-needs kids; it just wasn’t on his radar screen during the time he was here,” said Rodney D. Estvan, the education outreach coordinator for Access Living, a Chicago advocacy group for people with disabilities.

In a report released in November, Access Living said the Chicago district has reported to the state that only 2 percent of students with disabilities were enrolled in a four-year college a year after graduation.
..........
The group also points to persistent achievement gaps for students receiving special education services. In 2008, 7 percent of 11th graders in special education met or exceeded state standards in reading, compared with 33 percent of their peers who were not receiving such services.

And, in 2006, Duncan proposed cutting $26.5 million from the fiscal 2007 school budget for special education. Estvan noted that, after a "'critical response'" from the disability community, some $14 million of the money was restored.

EdWeek also notes two more issues highlighted by special education advocates, the question of standardized testing for special education students; discipline (a topic in need of careful discussion, in light of recent incidents involving children on the spectrum) and, specifically, the use of restraints. 

In his plan to empower individuals with disabilities announced while he was campaigning, President Obama said that

".......we must build a world free of unnecessary barriers, stereotypes, and discrimination……..policies must be developed, attitudes must be shaped, and buildings and organizations must be designed to ensure that everyone has a chance to get the education they need and live independently as full citizens in their communities."

Will this vision be applied to students with disabilities?

Image by Claudia Snell.

Kristina Chew
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