Problem in education

[Tuffcookie]

Wow, there are so many things, but IMHO:

Positive, parental involvement. Notice I added the word "positive". Do be there for parent-teacher conferences, do be there for open house, do stay on top of your child's classroom progress before a problem starts.

TC

 

[daughtersrus]

Learning to do things that help with daily living - sounds like a rehab center to me .... not a school.

There is a HUGE difference between what is educational and what is medical.

Would you support tax dollars going to pay for the rehab centers in addition to schools? Or would you support an increase in your insurance premium so that insurance companies would be required to provide coverage to educate disabled children?

If one did not have a skill to begin with, it's not rehab.

re⋅ha⋅bil⋅i⋅tate   /ˌrihəˈbɪlɪˌteɪt, ˌriə-/ Show Spelled Pronunciation [ree-huh-bil-i-teyt, ree-uh-] Show IPA Pronunciation
verb, -tat⋅ed, -tat⋅ing.
–verb (used with object) 1. to restore to a condition of good health, ability to work, or the like

 

[daughtersrus]

I agree to a point, but where do we draw the line? Where do we start thinking about helping the best and the brightest to succeed to the best of their abilities? I think parents of bright kids are as frustrated as parents of special needs kids. With so much funding going towards special ed and so little going towards advanced classes and enrichment programs, I think they have a valid point, and the statistics back up what the parents are saying at least as far as dollars being spent.

Do you realize that Special Education includes any category that is not regular including gifted programs and ESL classes?

 

[luvmy3]

What is the most important problem America is facing in education today????


I'm taking a grad class and this is one of our questions...wanted some other opinions.

American's don't value education, hard work and discipline and that is reflected in today's students. Instead of forcing education on them we as a society make it easy for them, our schools lower their standards so everybody gets through.

 

[Pembo]

OP here - Thanks everyone. NCLB and money seem to be the biggest issues.

And for those haters on special ed, please read PL 94-142 better known as IDEA. Here's a link http://idea.ed.gov/explore/home and I pray you are never faced with a family member with a disability.


And one more thing...

Are you sure? There are MANY children that attend parochial schools that have an IEP.

I work in a Catholic school and we have students on IEP's, that's my job, I'm the special ed teacher. We have students with adhd, learning disabilities, and speech/language problems. .

 

[luvmy3]

Do you realize that Special Education includes any category that is not regular including gifted programs and ESL classes?

Our school has NO gifted programs. They need to level the playing field, we couldn't have some students far exceeding others, now could we

 

[daughtersrus]

Our school has NO gifted programs. They need to level the playing field, we couldn't have some students far exceeding others, now could we

Do you mean self-contained classes or are you saying that every child is given exactly the same material? For example, your students are all taught to read from the same books?

 

[daughtersrus]

The biggest problem: Teachers Unions.

Why is the union a problem?

 

[Hoodie]

Do you realize that Special Education includes any category that is not regular including gifted programs and ESL classes?

Then why are SpEd teachers specially trained for handling various disabilities and not trained to handle advanced education?

I'm sorry, but the definition in every school district I've experienced has been that Special Education is for kids with some type of disability and advanced or "gifted" classes are for kids who excel academically. The distinction is definitely there as schools are legally required to provide funding for SpEd classes, but not for gifted/talented progams so we end up spending the least amount of money on the kids who will be the ones who grow up to be the leaders of their generation. It's very sad.

 

[Hoodie]

Our school has NO gifted programs. They need to level the playing field, we couldn't have some students far exceeding others, now could we

And THAT is the biggest problem. Schools have become more focused on "inclusion" and social skills rather than academics.

Some kids are smarter than others - but we're not allowed to acknowledge that. Some kids will fail - but we're not allowed to think that kids fail. There has been a focus for quite some time that every kid is "special". Well, no they aren't. Chances are pretty high that your kid is NOT special to anyone other than yourself. Unfortunately we're beginning to see the first generation of these "special" kids in the workplace and they are HORRIBLE. They arrive with a huge sense of entitlement and are the worst employees we've seen in a long time.

Honestly, the more I learn about our public schools, the more I lean to homeschooling, and I always thought home schooling was weird.

 

[lisadr]

Do parents of gifted children take it upon themselves to provide the extra stimulation their children need? I am just curious about this.

 

[luvmy3]

Do you mean self-contained classes or are you saying that every child is given exactly the same material? For example, your students are all taught to read from the same books?

There are no self contained classes and yes all students are given the same material. The only difference would be an inclusion class would have an extra teacher and/or an aid. During reading, or free time, the spec. ed students would recieve their extra help. Now I think that is great for them, I am not saying they don't deserve an eductaion equal to the other kids but I don't think its fair for all the students. There are some that are well above what is taught in class yet they have no option except to be there, and remain unchallenged.
This is at my child's school, there are only a few in our district with self contained classes and sometimes special ed students are transferred to one of them, but these are for extreme cases.
FTR I do not believe special ed funding should be cut, I just think that there should be more going towards advanced ed, KWIM.

 

[Ember]

OP here - Thanks everyone. NCLB and money seem to be the biggest issues.

And for those haters on special ed, please read PL 94-142 better known as IDEA. Here's a link http://idea.ed.gov/explore/home and I pray you are never faced with a family member with a disability.

Just because some of us feel special education needs to be re-evaluated, it in no way mean we hate it. Quite the opposite in fact. I would like to see more done for these students. I don't think being in a class where the teacher is frustrated and feels unsupported is good for anyone. I also don't think asking one classroom teacher to manage multiple high needs students without help is working - not for the teacher, the "normal" students, or the student with needs.

However, I think you also can't simply dismiss the concerns of parents who ask if having a child/children with needs impacts their the learning of their child and how. It's not a very politically correct question, yet until we as teachers can honestly answer that the impact will be positive in that the child's learning won't be compromised but look at how much everyone is gaining through inclusion, there's a problem.

Also, I know special needs education really does work. In some cases it works exactly as intended and you get a harmonious relationship where students, teachers and support staff can create a rich learning environment for everyone. However, this is not always the case. I think with more needs attempting to be met in regular classroom, more support in the form of training and aides must be provided. An IEP isn't going to cut it if it's just seen as more paper work and not really utilized, which I think is what is happening in many cases.

 

[luvmy3]

Do parents of gifted children take it upon themselves to provide the extra stimulation their children need? I am just curious about this.

I can only speak for myself, but yes we do at our house. My dh and I have always felt that our children's education is OUR responsibility and not solely the school's.
Unfortunately though I know many parents who don't feel this way.

 

[lisadr]

I can only speak for myself, but yes we do at our house. My dh and I have always felt that our children's education is OUR responsibility and not solely the school's.
Unfortunately though I know many parents who don't feel this way.

Would you mind giving me some examples? I am interested to see what others are doing.

 

[snarlingcoyote]

I'm a teacher so take my word for it.

NO CHILD LEFT BEHIND is one of the worst things that ever happened to American education.

Standardized tests also need to be rethought. I'm so sick of teachers who "teach to the test." But who can blame them? If students don't pass the test, teachers get fired.

Preach on, Sister!

Special Ed/Discipline Problems/Parenting skills and lack thereof are issues, but this one is the big one. This is why you won't find me going back into a classroom even after all our bills are paid off and I could, conceivably, afford to do so!

 

[TheZue]

There is a HUGE difference between what is educational and what is medical.

Would you support tax dollars going to pay for the rehab centers in addition to schools? Or would you support an increase in your insurance premium so that insurance companies would be required to provide coverage to educate disabled children?

If one did not have a skill to begin with, it's not rehab.

re⋅ha⋅bil⋅i⋅tate   /ˌrihəˈbɪlɪˌteɪt, ˌriə-/ Show Spelled Pronunciation [ree-huh-bil-i-teyt, ree-uh-] Show IPA Pronunciation
verb, -tat⋅ed, -tat⋅ing.
–verb (used with object) 1. to restore to a condition of good health, ability to work, or the like

I think that's really the crux of the problem right there. Despite the fact that a lot of these problems really are medical (if you need a doctor to diagnose it's medical imo) the insurance companies won't fund the treatment arguing it's educational. So schools are left holding the bag. Really things like speech therapy, OT, and all of the specialized programs like ABA should be covered by MEDICAL insurance. That's not saying these kids wouldn't need aids; they probably would...but really the aid you see is only part of the funding equation in a lot of special needs cases.

And I agree that if a child is being disruptive that it's not okay. We are very lucky that we got a wonderful fit with my son and his classmates and his teacher. His teacher has actually said his presence makes it more important to keep the entire class calm and on a strict schedule. So he's not making the class crazy, but exactly the opposite. It's not always like that, and honestly the parents of special ed kids who are having problems in the class room are probably fighting to get their kids a more apropriate placement; if they aren't they should be.


From an outsider looking in I'm not sure what is going on with the US education system but I do know that jobs are coming to Canada because of it. We have so many call centres opening up here that just can't hire enough people, and I thought it was because of our cheap dollar until I worked at one. Then I realized that our most uneducated kids out of high school (some didn't even finish) sound like more educated Americans that had been to university. The first day I realized I shouldn't use words longer than two sylables because about a third of the callers would require a definition...it was that bad. I was honestly shocked at the lack of understanding of the English language. I'm not saying everyone is like that in the US, but that nobody gets out of grade 8 like that here; let alone graduates and the difference between customers here and in the states was amazing.

We also have a ton of ESL and special needs kids in our system. The only thing I can think of that would be causing the discrepancy is funding inequity between schools. Here there is some difference in the test results but all the schools pretty much have the same access to equipment, books, and teachers. So the opportunity is the same no matter how wealthy your area is.

 

[daughtersrus]

Then why are SpEd teachers specially trained for handling various disabilities and not trained to handle advanced education?

Not true. Here's a link for you.
http://www.units.muohio.edu/eap/about/ncate/programs/pdf/Advising/IS-MildModGifted.pdf

For what it's worth, my DD is a special ed major (currently doing her field base). Part of her education includes how to make accommodation to the curriculum for all of her students. One of her placements so far has been regular ed classes in which she has had to adapt the curriculum for a few students that are above the regular ed students.

we end up spending the least amount of money on the kids who will be the ones who grow up to be the leaders of their generation. It's very sad.

Many of the children that we're talking about may not grow up to be leaders but that doesn't mean that they won't be productive members of society. Would you rather spend the money on educating them or providing life-long care?

 

[freckles and boo]

Wow. I must live in some kind of educational oasis. My district values all children and is committed to serving their needs. My very bright "average" child with ADHD is acing third grade in a regular ed room. Her teacher says she is a pleasure to have in the classroom. My (also very bright) autistic child with ADHD is acing first grade in a special education classroom that accommodates her quirks. She is reading and doing math at, and sometimes above, grade level and is included with other first graders in gym, library, art, music, and computers. It is a good thing that nobody with a "warehousing" mentality got their hands on her IEP.

I will agree that both parents and the school set the standards for their children. Our district is fully committed to PBIS. Discipline problems have declined 400% in the past six years. Even if kids come from poorly disciplined homes they are completely aware of what behaviors are expected at school.

 

[IDoDis]

I tried to stay off of this thread because I usually get into trouble on topics like this.

First off, to answer the OP's question, there is no one answer as to the "problem." There are many. As a 17 year veteran teacher of special education, my biggest concerns are funding, and parental involvement. Although the statistics may show otherwise, I don't see a difference between single parents and two parent homes as far as the child's learning, as long as the parent is involved and values education in the home. That being said, education is not valued in the home like it used to be (doesn't matter how many parents are in the home).

Before anyone bashes education, try walking in a teacher's shoes for a few weeks. It's not just reading, writing, and math that we teach. Come to my classroom and teach 4 different grade levels at the same time with kids who have learning and congintive disabilities, and kids with emotional disturbances who have been witnesses to guns being pointed in their mothers faces, and who have cigarette burns on their bodies from child abuse. Come work your butt off every day so that you are exhausted and want to just fall in a chair and sleep for a month and then get blamed for kids not meeting the standards.

Is it worth it? Heck yeah! I have had kids dubbed as "failures" who come back to visit me years later with success stories. Kids with more severe disabilities have a right to a free and appropriate education, no matter what.

There are days when I feel like crawling under the covers and staying there, but that could be the day that one of my students grasps a concept that they've struggled with for a long time. It happened just this week to one little girl in my class. It brought tears to my eyes to see the light bulb go off.

I'm not going start spouting off on some of the posts I've read because I realize there are some very uneducated posters here on these issues. It's very obvious and frankly, it makes me ill to read some of these posts.