Teachers unprepared to work with students having disabilities

Only 30% of general-education teachers feel "strongly" that they can successfully support students with learning disabilities, according to a recent survey by  About one-third of teachers surveyed said they have not received professional development on teaching students with special needs.
Forward together: Helping educators unlock the power students who learn differently. (2019).
National Center for Learning Disabilities and Understood.org.
https://www.ncld.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/Forward-Together_NCLD-report.pdf


The findings square with the conclusions of a survey conducted earlier this year. That survey found that special education teachers are concerned about the ability of general education teachers and supervisors to work with students who have disabilities. Of the special education teachers who participated in the 's survey, fewer than 15 percent thought their general education colleagues were highly prepared to work with students with disabilities. Both sets of teachers felt they weren't given ample time to plan with peers and had questions about their ability to co-teach with colleagues.
Survey: Ground-Level Perspectives on Special Education. (2019). Arlington, VA: Council for Exceptional Children.
https://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2019/02/27/survey-offers-front-line-view-into-special-education.html

The two surveys do highlight a key difference in how special education and general education teachers view IEPs: the special education teachers see the individualized education plans as essential documents that play a large role in determining student and teacher success; their general education colleagues are more likely view IEPs as mere paperwork. Of the general education teachers who participated in the National Center for Learning Disabilities and Understood survey, just 56 percent of teachers believed IEPs provide value to students, and just 38 percent believe IEPs improve their teaching.

Positive Long-Term Impacts of Early Childhood Education Programs

This research review, finds that children who participate in high-quality early childhood education programs, or ECE programs, before entering kindergarten later experience fewer special education placements, decreased grade retention, and improved high school graduation rates compared with peers who do not participate. These results support ECE’s utility for reducing education-related expenditures and promoting child well-being, as well as provide further evidence for the potential individual and societal benefits of expanding ECE programming in the United States.

McCoy, D. C., Yoshikawa, H., Ziol-Guest, K. M., Duncan, G. J., Schindler, H. S., Magnuson, K., Yang, R., Koepp, A., & Shonkoff, J. P. (2017). Impacts of early childhood education on medium- and long-term educational outcomes. Educational Researcher, 46(8), 474-487. https://dx.doi.org/10.3102/0013189X17737739

RTI status

This report on RTI explores how the instructional framework has expanded into new forms and uses in schools across the country. The report explores the challenges facing educators as they adopt RTI for new uses, scale it up to more schools and districts, and use it to improve learning for all students.
Education Week. (2016).  Response to intervention 2.0: Next generation. Bethesda, MD: Education Week.
http://www.edweek.org/ew/collections/rtireport-2016/index.html?cmp=eml-eb-sr-rtimini-20161214

California special education funding report

As costs to educate students with disabilities have risen and state and federal special-education funding has remained steady, the share of local funds used to pay for special-education services in California has increased to 39% from 32%, between 2005 and 2011, according to a report from the state Legislative Analyst's Office. The report predicts growth in the amount of funds needed to serve this student population, as there has been a 240% increase in diagnoses of students with autism and a 120% rise in the number of students with low-incidence disabilities that require costly services.
California Legislative Office. (2013). Overview of special education in California. Sacramento: California Legislative Office.
http://lao.ca.gov/reports/2013/edu/special-ed-primer/special-ed-primer-010313.aspx

Los Angeles special education services report

L.A. schools receive mixed progress report on special education
Los Angeles schools are making some progress in the way they serve students with disabilities, but more work is needed, according to a recent report. The report, by an independent monitor, found the schools largely are meeting a target of providing services for students with disabilities but are falling short on providing them with the frequency and duration outlined in their individual education plans. The district also has made progress in hiring adequate numbers of special educators and reducing the number of African-American students identified as having emotional disturbances, the report found.
Los Angeles USD. (2012). Report.
http://oimla.com/pdf/20121024/Report2012_Final.pdf