NJ Spotlight published the following article on April 14, 2014. To read the full article, click here.
FINE PRINT: REPORT ON SPECIAL EDUCATION RAISES CHALLENGES, BOTH NEW AND FAMILIAR
Year-long study by NJ School Boards Association offers 20 recommendations for improving public education for students with disabilities
What it is: A report titled “Special Education: A Service, Not a Place.” It was released last week by the New Jersey School Boards Association after a year-long study of the state’s special education system.
What it means: The report comes at a time when school districts face increasing pressure over programs and budgets. The tensions between general education and special education are, as ever, a byproduct of those strains.
The state recently reached a landmark settlement with disability advocates to put more emphasis – and enforcement — of more inclusive special-education programs.
The school boards association’s report may provide a salve – and policy options — to ease some of those tensions, although it may add to others.
Trend lines: Either way, the number of students classified with one disability or another has risen in the last five years, according to the report. From 2007 to 2012, the number of classifications rose nearly 5 percent, while overall school enrollment dropped 1 percent. About 202,000 New Jersey students were classified in 2012-13, representing about 15.5 percent of total enrollment.