Growth of the U.S. Special Education Population: Causes

Introduction

Since the introduction of PL-142, the special education system has received both praise and criticism. Special education programs are an essential component of our educational system. The current special education system has aided many people, but improvements are desperately needed as rates of enrollment increase and the number of special education teachers decreases. The growth in the number of special education students is a topic of conversation among educators all across the country.

The purpose of this investigation is to discuss the increase in the American special education population. We will examine the factors that have contributed to this increase, including: the effect of PL-142 on the growth of the special education population, early identification of special needs, the additional conditions that qualify students for special education, the placement of low-achieving students in special education programs, accountability reforms, pressure from parents, the disproportionate number of minorities placed in special education programs, and the disproportionate number of males placed in special education.

Increases in the Special Education Population

In 1980, the U.S. Department of Education spent $821,777 on special education programs; by 2001, funding had increased to $5,814,825 (Digest of Education Statistics, 2001). This substantial growth in spending can be attributed to the increasing special education population in the nation's public schools. According to a report created by the President's Commission on Excellence in Special Education, there are currently 6 million students between the ages of 3 and 21 enrolled in special education programs around the country. This represents a significant increase compared to the 3.7 million students who made up the same population during the 1976–77 school year — an increase of 65% (Horn and Tynan, 2001).

The report entitled A New Era: Revitalizing Special Education for Children and Their Families (2002) explains that special education students drop out of high school at a rate 50% greater than that of their peers. The report also estimates that the number of students with specific learning disabilities has increased by 300% since 1976. Horn and Tynan explain:

"In 1976–77, at the inception of IDEA, 796,000 children, or 22 percent of the total special-education population, were identified as having a specific learning disability. By 1997–98, that number had grown to 2,726,000, or 46 percent of the total number of students in special education — an increase of 233 percent since 1976–77. In contrast, the number of children in all of the other disability categories combined increased only 13 percent during the same time period." (Horn and Tynan, 2001)

Additionally, the President's report states that many students who are part of the special education population do not have a learning disability but rather have not been taught how to read. The Commission found that 40% of the special education population falls into this category.

According to an article published in Exceptional Children, Russ et al. (2001) explain that the special education population grew by 47% in the years spanning 1977 to 1995, while at the same time the general education population decreased by 2%. The article goes on to explain that this growth has had a profound effect on educators: nearly 90% of special education teachers are overwhelmed by the number of students they are expected to teach. "A nationwide analysis of caseloads for teachers of students who are severely emotionally/behaviorally disturbed found state averages ranged from 3 to 35 students per teacher. A 1999 Council for Exceptional Children (CEC) survey of special educators revealed caseloads ranging from 4 to 154 students per teacher." (Russ et al., 2001)

Retention of special education teachers is vitally important because it takes a great deal of time and money to train new ones. Special education teachers must deal with considerable stress, particularly those who work with children who have emotional disorders. Teachers find it hard to cope with the emotional demands these students place on them. A study conducted in 1998 found that inexperienced teachers had the most difficulty adjusting. Loeb and Stempien (2002) explain that "novice special educators reported different problems from their beginning colleagues in general education. They often described themselves as insufficiently prepared, frustrated, and exhausted."

Many professionals have abandoned the field because of large caseloads. Special education teachers have some of the highest attrition rates of any profession in the country. Russ et al. (2001) explain:

"Louis Harris and Associates (1988) found that 6% to 8% of general educators turned from teaching to other professions. The attrition rate among special educators has appeared considerably higher than their general education counterparts (Billingsley, 1993; Lauritzen, 1997). Singer (1993) found 10% of all special educators left teaching and revealed that the average special educator abandoned education as a profession within 6 years of beginning teaching." (Russ et al., 2001)

The Effect of PL-142 on the Special Education Population

The shortage of special education teachers is sure to grow as the special education population continues to increase. A shortage of qualified special education teachers in the future could be devastating to the educational community. The federal government and state agencies must understand the factors that contribute to the growth of the special education population and seek to reduce or eradicate them.

There are several factors that have contributed to this increase, including: the effect of PL-142, early identification of special needs, additional qualifying conditions, the placement of low-achieving students, accountability reforms, parental pressure, the disproportionate number of minorities placed in special education, and the disproportionate number of males in special education programs. The following sections explain how each of these factors has contributed to the growing number of special education students.

Horn and Tynan (2001) explain that prior to the 1950s, the federal government did not mandate or monitor the education of students with special needs. Before that decade, the federal government only awarded grants to certain residential facilities that housed disabled individuals and to organizations that sought to teach individuals who were deaf or blind.

The law known as the Education of All Handicapped Children Act — Public Law 142, later renamed the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) — did not come about until 1975. Horn and Tynan (2001) report that:

"This landmark legislation mandated that children with disabilities receive a free and appropriate public education in the least restrictive environment. Critical components of the law include requirements for an initial evaluation to determine eligibility for services and accommodations, individual education planning, the provision of individualized services, and procedural safeguards to ensure the active involvement of a child's parents." (Horn and Tynan, 2001)

This act was needed and appreciated by parents and students who lived with disabilities. The program gave those with disabilities the right to attend public schools and to receive the same level of education as their non-disabled peers. However, implementing this program proved far more difficult than anyone had imagined. Much of the difficulty came from a lack of understanding within the profession about the skills and level of professionalism required to carry out such a program in the nation's schools. Early identification of special needs and the broadening of qualifying conditions are both byproducts of PL-142. The legislation forced schools to begin assessing children at an early age and expanded the conditions under which students could be enrolled in special education programs — both of which have contributed to the growth of the special education population.