Special Education Issues

Although it can easily be argued that all education issues are special, there are inarguably students who truly have special needs and require a greater deal of care. Special education issues have long been one of the most argued areas of education. Part of this longtime argument arises from the general lack of funding necessary to provide these special needs children with the right amount of attention and special resources they both need and definitely deserve. Another major issue that acts as a troublesome divider is the inability to definitively classify exact measurables to determine just how “special” a child truly is. Where some people may consider a child able to competently attend a regular class, others may just as easily contend that that child needs to be separated and provided with an individualized education that would more directly tailor to their specific needs.

One of the biggest areas of this argument falls into the issue of mainstreaming. This term usually refers to a special needs student being placed in at least one or two regular classes throughout their curriculum. Proponents of mainstreaming hold that this approach encourages the student to catch up so to speak. They argue that it helps the child learn at a regular pace which will help them achieve a higher level of learning.

Others argue that inclusion is the better option. They argue that special needs students will benefit simply by being immersed in a class with non special needs students without having to actually keep up with the rest of the students. They contend that is not the ability to keep up, but simply being in a normal environment that will help special needs student pull through.

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