If I wrote the special education law...

NEA Today, Nov 2002

Learning

Better IDEAs from frontline educators.

This year, Congress is rewriting the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), the federal special education law that has a major impact on most classrooms. NEA Today asked NEA members what they would do if revising IDEA were up to them.

I would force each Congressperson to be a first-year teacher in a high priority school for 30 days without a mentor or adequate resources but with the goal of leaving no child behind.

Jacqueline Henry

Third-grade teacher

Stone Mountain, Georgia

The federal forms should be the only paperwork. States and districts should not be allowed to add more. Many state and district forms duplicate what's on the federal forms.

The teacher's main purpose is to teach, not do paperwork. Resource teachers are very valuable to classroom teachers like me, and we're losing them because they're overloaded and burned out by the paperwork.

Ross Rogers

Third-grade teacher

Davis, Utah

We should hold special education students responsible for their actions, such as fighting and possession of weapons.

Many special education kids feel they are beyond reproach. They need to know they are going to be accountable. We need to let them know that even though they have disabilities, they still can distinguish right from wrong.

We have consequences in society for breaking the law. In school, we need to prepare them for that.

We had one special education student who got in trouble outside school, shot someone, and later hanged himself in jail. If we reached them earlier in school, and let them know society is not going to slap them on the wrist, maybe we could prevent that.

We have an alternative school for regular education kids who get in trouble, but not for special education kids.

Veryl Hines

Special education paraeducator

Portsmouth, Virginia

We should have classes for parents on parenting and child development. Parents need to know what is normal development so that they can better understand whether their youngster has a problem or not. I know one mother who was nervous when her child didn't walk until 13 months, even though that's normal.

We should also have chat groups for parents where they can share ideas over coffee, maybe once a month, if we can get them to come in to the school. Parents with AD/HD kids can share their strategies, for example.

Muriel Softli

School nurse

Seattle, Washington

Let's be realistic about what parents, students, and educatoys can accomplish. We are losing students because of highstakes tests with standards that are too high.

We have state tests in grades four, seven, and ten. The students ask why they should stay in school when the state continues to tell them they aren't meeting the norms.

These tests don't show the confidence the student has gained during the year, or the growth that is developmentally appropriate for that student. The tests are defeating to students who have made great gains but not met the state standards.

Karle Warren

Fifth-grade teacher

Clarkston, Washington

I would emphasize funding. So many students with learning problems end up in prison. It would be less expensive-both in dollars and in personal value-to meet their needs earlier.

Paula Haehnel

Elementary special education teacher

Sharon, Pennsylvania

We should seriously think about the impact on non-special education students and be sure they are getting their fair education, too.

Shona Trumbly

Education media specialise

Hainesport, New Jersey

The mainstreaming process should be re-evaluated. In recent years I have had several pupils who were so dysfunctional, they should not have been mainstreamed. The resource people worked with me as much as they could, but the students were not taken out of my class, even though several had serious behavior problems.

Florestine Evans

High school science teacher

Memphis, Tennessee

Local teachers, not policy mandates, should be able to determine what is best for each child.

As teachers, we are trained to meet the unique learning needs of each child. We are sensitive to their individual situations, and we can determine the best way for them to learn. This involves a combination of teacher intuition, creativity, and patience. Sometimes I have to sneak education through the back door.

Mandates are often unrealistic-and unfunded-goals set for all children, regardless of their truly special needs.

Debby Dundas

Sixth-grade teacher

Winnebago, Minnesota

We should limit inclusion to academically able children and create age group classes (for example, 12-- to 14-year-olds) for children not able to keep up academically and mainstream them in non-academic classes.

Coralie Griffith

NEA Student Program member

Norfolk, Virginia

We should provide money for training of regular education classroom teachers in serving the special needs child in specific subject areas-social studies, science, etc.

Judy Holland

Eighth-grade teacher

Buchanan, Virginia

My classroom was more creative and alive when I had my special education students in a class by themselves. They perceived themselves as accepted by the rest of the class, and no one made fun of them. They would say and do things in my room that would be unheard of today because no one wants to be noticed as different.