Virginia, We Have A Problem

There's a two-part story on Special Education in Virginia

Are Virginia schools' special-education classes becoming warehouses for struggling minority students who don't belong there?

and

Are Virginia schools' special-education classes becoming warehouses for students with behavior problems unrelated to learning?

Comments

[Lisa]

Oddly, the case study mentioned of the child in special ed classes did not appear to be a situation in which the child's behavioral issues were keeping her out of regular classes. I would be interested to see some examples that showed how regular education students were mis-classified as emotionally disturbed due to behavioral problems.

As someone who's been in the field for just a little while, it seems to me that more and more children are being referred in with very complex social-emotional problems, which do have a very real impact on their ability to function in a regular classroom. A kid who is spending his time having outbursts, refusing to complete work, and bullying others probably isn't learning very much, regardless of how "smart" he is. Chances are, his peers aren't learning very much when he's in the room, either. I just wonder how to explain the number of kids who seem to be burdened with significant, even severe, behavioral issues. What are we doing wrong?

I would be very interested in a study that looked at kids' emotional stability and receptivity to learning before and after 9/11. I have a feeling, based on the kids I've worked with, that there is much more PTSD and stress than is generally believed. We would be blind not to see the implications for kids' learning and behavior in all situations, particularly school when they are away from their parents all day.