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Article of Interest - Special Education

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Commentary: Still a Gap in Special Education
Barbara Miner, Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel, May 21, 2005

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Want to build a first-rate school? Recruit good students and get rid of "problem" students as soon as possible. It's a time-honored if despicable tradition in some Milwaukee schools - public, private and charter alike.

Perhaps that's why, after reading and writing about education for almost 15 years, I halfheartedly skim articles proclaiming miracles at School A or, conversely, horror stories at School B. Yes, some schools deserve their saint-like reputation and some schools deserve to go to hell. But not always.

Too often in evaluating a school, crucial questions are ignored. How many students qualify for free lunch? How many don't speak English? Does the school have admission standards or mandate parent participation? Is it racially and culturally diverse? What percent of students qualifies for special education services?

Most important, does the school culture welcome all students or subtly but effectively weed out those who, sometimes based on stereotypes and the school's own shortcomings, are branded as difficult to educate?

Which brings me to special education. One of the dirty little secrets in Milwaukee is that one way to control your student body - and increase your odds of becoming a "good" school - is by limiting the number of children with special educational needs.

This is especially true when the needs involve behavioral issues and present themselves in the form of teenage boys with raging hormones and years of pent-up frustration.

The problem is not unique to Milwaukee. But we have particular complexities given our reliance on "choice" and vouchers as the engine of school reform.

One of the downsides of choice is that it promotes an individualistic "everyone for themselves" mentality. Without countervailing policies promoting what's best for all children, disparities increase. As a result, some Milwaukee schools have more than a quarter of their students classified as special education, while some have few if any.

The biggest gap is between public and private schools. Private schools, even voucher schools relying on public tax dollars, are not required to provide the same level of special education services as public schools. This year, 457 of the approximately 27,000 students in Milwaukee private schools have been identified as eligible for special education services - or less than 2%.

Milwaukee Public Schools, in contrast, has more than 17% of its students classified as special ed. (Figures come from Pat Yahle, director of special services for MPS. Legally, MPS is required to find and evaluate students for special educational needs, even those attending private schools.)

Some schools say they cannot serve special education students because of a lack of resources.

But this argument goes only so far. Lack of resources affects all schools, which leads one to suspect that stereotypes and bias also play a role.

In the 2003-'04 school year, special education services cost MPS about $168 million. Federal and state monies reimbursed about 44% of those costs, according to MPS budget figures. MPS also sets aside about $450,000 in federal dollars to service special education students in private schools.

With a little digging, one can find special ed figures for schools chartered by the City of Milwaukee and the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. Charter schools are public schools and, by law, have to serve special education students; data is reported to the state.

Figures show that city and UWM charters tend to have fewer percentages of special ed students than comparable MPS schools. Most serve 7% to 13% special ed students. Some are as low as 3% to 4%.

Disparities are also growing within MPS. A number of MPS schools - including elementary, middle and high schools - have 20% to 25% of their students classified as special ed and a few approach 30%. Most schools tend to have percentages in the teens. Some, however, have 5% to 8% special ed students. A few have 3%.

It's impossible to make hard-and fast generalizations, and the most reliable source of information about specific MPS schools is the districtwide "Report Card" available online.

Trends are noticeable. Small schools, partnership schools (private schools under contract with MPS), language immersion schools and schools for the gifted and talented tend to have the lowest percentages of special ed students.

MPS charter schools run the gamut from very low percentages to high percentages. Overall, the determining factor is not structure but the school's culture and commitment to serving all children.

Schools with low percentages of special ed students, whether they are a charter, public or private, are sometimes the same schools touted as examples of the city's "good" schools. Many deserve that reputation.

But the question remains. To what extent might some schools be "good" because "problem" students are sent elsewhere - whether they are discipline problems, academic problems or perceived as a problem by virtue of their special educational needs?

If some schools do not have any special ed students, some have 3% and some have 25% or more, something is not right. As even a kindergartner would notice, "That's not fair."

Yes, special education is complicated. Yes, special education costs a lot, with inadequate resources to pay for needed services.

Yes, there are legal intricacies in the voucher program when public dollars go to private schools. Yes, special ed students sometimes gravitate toward certain schools because of the services provided and the school's accepting atmosphere.

But there's another possibility - that as a city, we allow some schools to succeed by virtue of forcing other schools to educate those seen as undesirable.

Thirty years ago, landmark federal legislation established the rights of students with special educational needs to a "free appropriate public education." No longer were such students institutionalized, kept at home, denied help or automatically segregated within their schools.

Throughout Milwaukee, many fine teachers believe it is an honor to fulfill the letter and spirit of that federal law. Unfortunately, not everyone takes that attitude. Some people don't even want to talk about special education disparities, as if silence might make the issue go away.

If we can't even talk about a problem, how can we come up with solutions? If we truly believe that no child should be left behind, why don't all schools embrace and welcome special education students?

Barbara Miner, a Milwaukee-based writer, is a columnist for and former managing editor of Rethinking Schools magazine.

    

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