Not Special Enough? Educating New Jersey's Handicapped Students.

Overview & Synopsis

This document reprints a series of articles appearing in the Parsippany, New Jersey, "Daily Record" on October 25-30, 1987 and November 9, 1987. The series stresses that the New Jersey special education system has vastly improved from what existed prior to the 1975 Education for All Handicapped Children Act, but that the system still falls short of its goals. The effectiveness of special education programs is analyzed, noting that education is not truly individualized, schools do not spend enough money or employ enough staff, some schools place students in inappropriate special education classes, many schools discourage parental participation, and the state does not monitor special education programs well enough. The articles provide statistical data on: special education enrollments by school district and by classification of handicap, types of special education programs by county, and costs of special education by school district. Numerous vignettes illustrate the efforts of classroom teachers to help disabled students learn and the efforts of parents to acquire appropriate services. A state plan is reviewed, calling for increasing mainstreaming, reducing inappropriate placements, modifying funding systems, and providing special training for teachers. Methods for evaluating special education are discussed. Programs enabling learning-disabled students to attend college are described. (JDD)