Feds cite progress in serving children with disabilities

12/5/00 – Twenty-five years after legislation was enacted guaranteeing a "free and appropriate public education" to children with disabilities, the graduation rate for disabled youths is higher than ever.

The U.S. Education Department's annual report on special education, released Nov. 29, says 55.4 percent of students with disabilities graduated from high school in 1997-98, up from 53 percent in 1996-97.

The report coincides with the 25th anniversary of the enactment of the Education for All Handicapped Children Act on Nov. 29, 1975, now known as the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA).

The report says much progress has been made in educating children with disabilities in regular classes alongside their non-disabled peers. A record 46.4 percent of disabled students ages 6-21 were served in the regular classroom at least 80 percent of the school day in 1997-98. That's up from 45.7 percent in 1996-97.

Among other findings in the report:

• The number of children in special education–6.1 million in 1998-99–continues to rise at about 3 percent a year, with the greatest growth occurring in the preschool program.

• The number of students with disabilities served under IDEA continues to grow at a greater rate than both the resident population and school enrollment. African-American students are overrepresented in the special education population.

• Dropout rates for students with disabilities fell to 31 percent in 1997-98, declining from 32.7 percent the previous school year and 34.7 percent in 1993-94.

• The largest increase in students served has been those listed in the category of "other health impairments," which includes those with attention deficit disorder and attention deficit hyperactive disorder.

• The number of children with autism rose by 244 percent between 1992 and 1998.

NSBA continues to be concerned with the rising costs of educating children with disabilities and is urging Congress to meet its funding commitment.

Reproduced with permission from the Dec. 5, 2000, issue of School Board News. Copyright © 2000, National School Boards Association. Opinions expressed in this newspaper do not necessarily reflect positions of NSBA. This article may be printed out and photocopied for individual or educational use, provided this copyright notice appears on each copy. This article may not be otherwise transmitted or reproduced in print or electronic form without the consent of the Publisher. For more information, call (703) 838-6789.