This paper reviews two landmark reports on the state of special education in the United States: the Center on Education Policy (CEP) study of IDEA compliance in Cleveland, Milwaukee, and Chicago, and the President's Commission on Special Education (PCSE) national review. Both reports identify persistent problems including bureaucratic overreach, legal compliance dominating educational goals, achievement gaps between students with and without IEPs, staff shortages, and inadequate funding. Together, the reports call for a refocusing of special education on individual student achievement, early intervention, best practices, and genuine collaboration between special and general education systems.
The monograph Special Education in the Context of Education Reform, published by the Center on Education Policy (CEP), examines how well three major Midwest cities — Cleveland, Milwaukee, and Chicago — have been able to comply with the federal special education law known as the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). A guiding principle of the study is that "children placed in special education are general education first," emphasizing that both branches of education share responsibility for students with Individualized Education Programs (IEPs).
CEP found significant difficulty with compliance across all three cities. In particular, the report highlights that inner-city residents need help understanding the law and require better access to advocates who can assist them in navigating the system.
Despite widespread challenges, CEP identified specific areas of improvement in each city. In Chicago, progress was noted in student identification, referral staff training, and ongoing classroom assessment. In Cleveland, general education teachers showed greater acceptance of their role in teaching students with disabilities, and students gained improved access to the regular curriculum and general education classrooms. In Milwaukee, the IEP process became more streamlined and collaboration among staff improved notably.
However, a large and persistent gap remains between the academic achievement of students covered under IDEA and those without IEPs. Even though IDEA was last revised in 1997, schools were still struggling to implement some of its requirements — and were concerned that a new reenactment would bring additional changes before they had fully implemented the previous version.
The cities also noted that legal concerns have come to dominate special education practice. Court decisions drive significant procedural changes. One recent ruling, for example, required changes in how placement decisions are made as well as new teacher certification standards for both special and general education instructors.
All three cities continue to struggle with staff shortages, difficult teaching conditions, and insufficient staff development opportunities. Personnel are burdened with excessive paperwork, large class sizes, and inadequate pay, compounded by the broader challenges of teaching in urban, under-resourced environments. Districts face critical shortages — particularly of bilingual staff — making it harder to serve linguistically diverse student populations.
Districts also struggle to identify candidates for early intervention in a timely manner. Current achievement testing approaches do not serve children with special needs adequately, limiting the ability to monitor progress and adjust instruction accordingly. Underlying many of these challenges is a chronic lack of funding. The report recommends that Congress fully fund IDEA so that states have the financial resources needed to implement its requirements effectively.
"PCSE national review key findings"
"Legal compliance overshadowing student educational needs"
"Refocusing IDEA on achievement over compliance"
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