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Opening Doors --
And Keeping Them Open
In recent years special education, specially designed instruction, has been a focus of discussion in public education. In Massachusetts the debate has been particularly heated in the last two years. Are we spending too much? Are we really providing an appropriate education for all children? Should children with special needs be included among their non-handicapped peers in classrooms? Such questions have kindled much debate about special education and its place in the school reform movement.
What are the facts? There are 160,000 Massachusetts children, ages 3-22, who receive special education services. Seventeen percent of public school students receive these services; more than any other state. And, the costs of instruction, tuition and transportation have quadrupled from $183 million in 1977 to $845 million in 1994 (Family Connections, 1996).
But while numbers of students requiring special needs have increased, there are important issues to consider The rapid rise in special education costs is not sinister; there are several contributing factors. For instance, more children are entering schools with severe disabilities who previously did not receive schooling or were educated in residential settings away from home and community Some of this increase is due to advances in medical technology that help more premature babies survive infancy Many of these children will require specialized services. In addition, more children also live in poverty, face family problems, abuse, neglect, alcoholism and drug use. These children often present a variety of problems and exhibit many challenging behaviors for schools to handle. Therefore, it should not be surprising that costs have escalated. The bottom line is that the needs of these children need to be addressed, despite the costs.
What shouldn't be lost in the discussion of special education is often dismissed: There is a substantial body of evidence that proves that services have made a difference in the lives of these children. Over the last decade, numerous reports and studies have documented that children with special needs have made significant gains, academically, socially, and emotionally These students have benefited from gaining access to regular classrooms, receiving remedial instruction and therapeutic interventions. They have also experienced vocational training which has prepared them for the work force. Parents report that they have new hope for their children with disabilities because schools are accepting their children, respecting their differences and giving them a chance to make it in society.
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Lesley University is pleased to announce that Tashia and John Morgridge have given a gift
of $5 million to create a Center for Special Education at Lesley. This Center will provide Lesley with the opportunity to put under one umbrella activities that will be enhanced by more deliberate planning and sharing of resources and talent. It will create a stronger collaboration among our faculty in such areas as early intervention, inclusion and autism, and will allow us to use our expertise to enhance existing programs and investigate potential areas where we can develop new programs or services for the benefit of special needs children. This Center will also heighten Lesley's visibility in the external community, and will become a place for educators and practitioners to seek out information, resources and expertise on matters related to special needs education. Tashia Morgridge is a 1975 alumna of the School of Education. |
Still, these factors are not well known, or ignored, and the public is focused on the expense and the perception of the strain that special education puts on public education. Often voiced concerns include the following: Special education costs are draining resources from regular education. When schools cut regular instruction, class sizes grow and there is less individual attention, causing an increased number of referrals to special education. Also cited is the per pupil cost increase for special needs students in comparison to regular education.
In response we would advocate that there should be one budget - for both education and special education - to meet the needs of oil students. School systems may need to rethink the budget process. Secondly, schools should share resources (materials, specialists, aides, etc.) which should benefit oil children. And thirdly, fair does not mean equal! The needs of children are different and require certain resources. Sharing resources is one way to make special education more cost-effective.
What the public needs to be reminded of is that prior to the passage of Chapter 766 over 25 years ago, students with disabilities had no legal right to an education, and many stayed home. Twelve hundred children with emotional problems were on waiting lists for private placements, and were also staying at home with no educational placements. Several thousand children and young adults were also warehoused in state-run residential institutions, and, within the state-controlled system, getting services was based on political connections.
With the passage of strong legislation and the advances made in special education, all students with disabilities are now entitled to an appropriate public education in the least restrictive environment under both Massachusetts law and federal statute. The state and federal governments have mandated that kids with special needs can not be denied equal access to public education.
For those not familiar with the term 'inclusion,' inclusion is providing all students - including those with severe handicaps - equitable opportunities to receive effective educational services in age-appropriate classes in their neighborhood schools, in order to prepare them for productive lives as full members of society
While it seems that sometimes these same values are not as widely-held in many venues, Lesley University is committed to public education for all, and to the notion that the inclusion model can work best if: (1) the concept of inclusion is embraced by the school community; (2) there is sufficient and ongoing training of staff; (3) the school team is able to meet and plan on a regular basis; and (4) the supports that will make the program succeed are in place, i.e., aides, materials, specialists, etc.
Since the passage of the special education law in 1972 and its enactment in 1974, Lesley College has been in the forefront of educating professionals to teach children with special needs. All Lesley special needs programs are based on a philosophy that all children can learn, and that all children learn differently no matter what the age, label, diagnosis or disability.
A notable strength of Lesley's special needs programs is the attention students receive in working with students in bilingual and culturally diverse settings. Emphasis is also given to a humanistic and inclusionary approach to education, thus ensuring access to problem-solving and active learning for all students.
At the undergraduate Women's College there is a long and rich history of preparing young women for a career in special education (preK-grade 9). Currently at the graduate level there are three special needs programs that all share the same philosophy Two programs (preK-grade 9 and grades 5-9) are designed to prepare professional educators to work directly with a wide range of students who exhibit "high-incidence disabilities" such as learning disabilities, including dyslexia and dysgraphia, as well as other behavioral challenges. The third graduate program is the Intensive Special Needs program (ages 3-22) which prepares professional educators to work directly with students who have "low-incidence disabilities," or developmental disabilities such as autism, mental retardation and multiple handicaps in inclusive and special education settings. In addition to being offered to students on-campus, these programs are offered off-campus, at sites around the state, using a weekend model.
Lesley's special needs programs have grown tremendously over the last 15-20 years for several reasons. There are significant numbers of students entering K- 1 2 schools with special needs who need qualified teachers, and Lesley has earned a reputation as one of the best special education teacher preparation programs in the country In addition, Lesley faculty are highly respected for having both a strong theoretical and practical base, which ensures that graduates will be well-prepared to meet the challenges they will face in today's special needs environments.
Based on strong beliefs of putting theory into practice, and in addition to their teaching, Lesley special education faculty are involved in a number of different initiatives in schools and communities across the state. Some of the following are examples of these initiatives:
- Lesley University is a collaborator on four Vanguard Grants - partnerships between
individual schools in the city of Boston and institutions of higher education - to
promote and support inclusion within the Boston Public Schools. Professor Roberta
Jackson is the coordinator for all Lesley/Vanguard School projects, and works closely
with all schools and partners.
At the Horace-Mann School in Brighton, where Professor Linda Brion-Meisels is the Lesley liaison, the partnership is using the application of multiple intelligences theory in inclusionary settings. At the Mendell School in Roxbury, where Professor Barbara Govendo is the liaison, the partnership's focus is to increase inclusionary practices through team developed and hands-on project-based activities. Professor Barbara
Gibson, the liaison at the Ellis School in Roxbury, works with teams of teachers in grades 3 and 4 to develop units of study designed to accommodate a variety of learning challenges and academic strengths. The Lesley partnership with the Lewenburg Middle School in Mattapan, where Professor Gibson is the liaison, is developing practices designed to meet the needs of diverse learners in inclusive classrooms.
- The Lesley-Brookline Internship Program is a unique two-year teacher preparation
program in special needs education which provides graduate students an opportunity
to learn in an integrated work and study program. In collaboration with the Brookline
Public Schools, students are supervised by mentor teachers in both general and special
education classrooms. Up to 12 students a year intern in Brookline and take courses
both at the Lesley campus and in their Brookline schools. Professor Maria de Lourdes
Serpa directs the program and advises the interns. Lesley graduate Linda Olsen is the
coordinator and the clinical experience supervisor Professor Susan Gurry oversees all
collaborative internship programs including the Brookline program.
- For more than 25 years, Lesley in collaboration with the Cambridge Public Schools, has operated an inclusive summer school program. The Compass program serves hundreds of elementary and middle school students each year, including the most at- risk, in a comprehensive academic and enrichment program. Using a team model with a mentor teacher Lesley graduate students complete their teaching practicum in this inclusionary setting. Professors Marcia Bromfield and Harriet Deane coordinate the Compass program. Marlene Schultz and Beverly Faison-Sneed provide planning, support and direction.
Faculty have also been an entrepreneurial force within the School of Education, piloting several innovative teaching/learning activities as part of the school's core courses in special education. One was to create a graduate-level course - the first in the U.S. - on the concept and strategies of "Learning How to Learn." Another innovation incorporates technology into the curriculum: students learn about computer-assisted augmentative communication, assistive devices in special education, and also learn to use technology in authentic, informal as well as formal assessment. In advanced assessment courses in special education, for example, students learn not only to use traditional assessments, but also to access software to build a comprehensive portfolio documenting student progress.
Lesley faculty also work on a number of other projects which are central to the theme of inclusion. An example is a research project in emergent literacy practices in inclusive primary classrooms being conducted by Professors Anne Larkin and Susan Gurry One outcome of this research is to disseminate successful practices in literacy learning for children with intensive special needs. Professor Larkin also has served as a consultant at the Harrington School in Cambridge to develop their inclusion program. Professor Maria Serpa is working with a group of faculty to provide professional development opportunities in the field of bilingual special education. This is a great need given the significant numbers of non-English proficient school age students that, in addition to linguistic differences, also have special needs.
The dedication of Lesley's School of Education to the field of special needs education has long been a given, hut the entire nation is at an important crossroads. Special education is being scrutinized and overhauled in every state, including Massachusetts. As advocates for all children, we must be vigilant to protect the rights and needs of students with special needs so they can continue to receive the services that will enable them to lead productive lives.
Lesley University always has and will remain in the forefront of innovative and promising practices, methodologies, and strategies in the field of special education, and will always be a strong voice in "opening doors" in special education because we believe all children can learn and all children learn differently.
Associate Professor Susan Gurry and Professor Anne Larkin are special education faculty and program directors in the School of Education.
