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Monday, February 7, 2005
Special Education: An Especially Complex Issue
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
I recently visited an East Point school, Brookview Elementary, where pass rates on the state curriculum test are excellent and a can-do attitude permeates the building. While I’m saving most of my observations for a story that’s scheduled to run a week from Thursday, I wanted to mention a brief interview I had with a special education teacher.
For one, there’s a severe shortage of special education teachers. And secondly, the No Child Left Behind law had a huge impact on special education, in that it requires most kids to take the same standardized tests as their non-special ed peers.
Eugenia Shorter has been teaching special education for 23 years. She teaches kids with learning disabilities, emotional and behavior problems, even autism. Here’s what she said:
“The first thing I do is assess where my kids are academically. When I find the gap, I work to close the gap so they can pass the test. I challege them, and I push them. Sometimes, they only need a push. Sometimes, I might need to lower the bar temporarily and let them feel some success.”
She said she believes the federal law pushing special education teachers to teach their kids the same curriculum as regular education students makes sense. She doesn’t want her students to have to settle for a special education diploma. “They need a regular diploma, because they have to make it in the real world.”
I asked her about burnout, and she said she is fortunate in that she has a tight bond with the other teachers and administrators at her school. She said her principal, Paul Brown, “gives us an avenue to vent, to relieve stress. He goes that extra mile to help us. He remembers when he was a teacher.”
I know special education is a loaded topic, but what have your experiences been? Are public schools properly serving students with special needs?
