Washington’s special-education programs are failing to help thousands of students reach their potential, but a new report sheds light on how the state can improve the programs and student outcomes.
Seattle Times Editorial
WASHINGTON’S special-education programs are in dire need of a major overhaul. Not only are students’ experiences in the classroom at stake, but also their ability to contribute to society and thrive as adults.
A new state report on special-education programs found that more special-education students should graduate from high school, receive better instruction and leave school better prepared for the future.
About 135,000 students with disabilities requiring special approaches to education go to Washington schools — about 13 percent of all students.
The report, prepared by the state Office of the Education Ombuds, found that programs waste money by focusing too much on regulations — for instance, filing paperwork or rushing meetings to comply with federal standards when staff members are not fully prepared or parents are not given enough notice. Following procedures alone is not bad, but doing so has not produced results for students.
“Parents and child advocates have been going to the Legislature and saying, ‘Something is broken,’ ” said Stacy Gillett, the director of the Office of the Education Ombuds. The majority of calls her office receives relate to students with disabilities or in special-education programs.
In 2013, only 54 percent of special-education students graduated from high school within four years compared with 76 percent of students without disabilities. Special-education students are less than half as likely to attend college as compared to their peers without disabilities.
Disabilities of students in special education range widely from physical disabilities, visual or hearing impairments, autism, speech impairments or emotional disturbance.
School districts set up individual education plans — IEPs — for students with disabilities to outline instruction and goals. In several large school districts, including Seattle, the report found that students with IEPs were two or three times more likely to be expelled than students without them.
Among those who graduate high school, more than one-third of those who had IEPs were not employed, in school or in a training program one year after graduation.
Some students in special education may never hold a job or live independently. About 60 percent, however, have disabilities — with the right teaching and training they canachieve the same access to college and career options as their peers without disabilities.
The report calls for Gov. Jay Inslee to appoint a 12-person committee to recommend technical and innovative changes to special education, which would be implemented within 10 years. Another goal is to align schools with health, mental-health, social-services and juvenile-justice agencies to better coordinate services.
The report makes it clear that existing funding can and should be better spent.
Inslee’s office, still reviewing the report, has not made any decisions on what actions to take next and could leave it up to the Legislature to form the committee.
State policymakers and educators have an opportunity to reinvent the special-education program and make better use of resources.
http://seattletimes.com/html/editorials/2025051261_editspecialeducation18xml.html