Special Education High Schools

Paper Summary:

This paper shows that current methods of preparing teachers for the classroom do not adequately address the needs of students with learning disabilities and those with special needs. Children with learning disabilities present unique challenges to educators at all levels. The trend in the United States in the recent past has been to integrate children with learning disabilities into the "mainstream" of the educational system; teaching them, in other words, along with non-disabled children in a standard learning environment to the maximum extent possible. Thus, this approach to educating children with learning disabilities has been termed "mainstreaming," and it involves the use of both special and general education techniques to provide the maximum learning opportunities for learning disabled children. The research question addressed in this project is, "Does high school prepare special education students for life after graduation?" A careful review of possible research methodologies shows that the most appropriate methodology for this research is a causal-comparative analysis of existing studies by educators and other researchers into the efficacy of a high school education for special needs students in preparing them for life in the real world after graduation. This paper provides a review of the relevant literature, an analysis of secondary sources, followed by findings and a summary of the research in the conclusion.

Outline
Introduction
Literature Review
Legislative and Litigation History of Special Education
What Is Mainstreaming?
Benefits of Mainstreaming
Collaborative Education Techniques for Children With Learning Disabilities
Benefits of Inclusive Educational Settings
Challenges and Drawbacks Associated with Mainstreaming
Methodology
Findings
Discussion
Summary and Conclusion

From the Paper:

"Approximately 5 percent of all public school students are identified as having a learning disability. This broad category includes disabilities in reading, language, and mathematics. One in every 10 students in public schools today receives special education under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). According to Horn and Tynan's assessment, "Revamping special education," prior to the 1950s, the federal government was not routinely involved in the education of children with special needs. "A few federal laws had been passed to provide direct educational benefits to persons with disabilities, mostly in the form of grants to states for residential asylums for the 'deaf and dumb, and to promote education of the blind.' These laws, however, were in the tradition of providing residential arrangements for persons with serious disabilities, services that had existed since colonial times" (Horn & Tynan, 2001, p. 36). These researchers point out that absent federal law, how -- and even whether -- children with disabilities were to be educated within the public schools was left to the discretion of the states and their local school districts. "Although some public schools undoubtedly provided exceptional services to children with disabilities, others did not. Indeed, as recently as 1973, perhaps as many as one million students were denied enrollment in public schools solely on the basis of their disability" (Horn & Tynan, 2001, p. 36). This state of affairs changed dramatically in 1975 with the passage of the Education of All Handicapped Children Act (PL 94-142). Renamed the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) in 1990, this landmark legislation mandated that children with disabilities receive a free and appropriate public education in the least restrictive environment."

More papers on Special Education High Schools:

• Analytical Essay # 123607 : "Special Education and Violence"
• Comparison Essay # 64443 : "Three New York City Area High Schools"
• Research Paper # 59191 : "High School and Special Education Students"

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