New Developments In Special Education

It is no secret that special education is expensive and commonly in the forefront of many school district discussions. While school districts are working hard to demonstrate overall program improvement and higher student test scores, parents of special needs students are mobilizing, looking for and finding representation. What may be a secret is the number of practices, common to educators, that actually drive parents to obtain advocates and attorneys. When parents do retain representation, the costs of special education in time and resources increase dramatically. In this manual, these commonly used practices will be identified for the reader. In addition, counter practices will also be explored which will actually reduce special education expenditures over time. While many administrators are familiar with special education law, few are comfortable interpreting and implementing it. This manual will cover basic special education law as it applies to working effectively with parents while keeping the needs of all students in mind. Readers will also learn public awareness of abuse and how to identify and report abuse.