The History of Special Education

By EbonyRey

  • Brown vs. Board of Education

    *Supreme Court rules that segregation in public schools is unconstitutional.
    *Began the movement of equality in education.
    *This legal ruling would have implications for special education arena.

  • The Elementary and Secondy Education Act

    *It was signed into law by Lyndon B. Johnson as part of the “War on Poverty.”
    *Federal funding for both primary and secondary education for students disadvantaged by poverty.
    *Provided state federal money to states in order to improve opportunities for students who were disadvantaged (including children with disabilities)
    *The Act was amended in 1966 to provide federal funding to expand programs for children with disabilities.

  • Diana vs. State Board of Education

    *Helped fix misclassification of students in special education
    *IQ tests were not biased and were given in the language appropriate for the student

  • Education of the Handicapped Act of 1970

    *Provide state grants to help expand education programs for students with disabilities
    *Federal government money was given to schools to help train special education teachers better.
    *Congress set out to uncover how many children with special education needs were being underserved.
    *The Bureau of Education for the Handicapped found that there were 8 million children requiring special education services.

  • PARC vs. Commonwealth of PA

    *Required schools to provide a Free Appropriate Public Education (FAPE)

  • Mills vs. Board of Education

    *Since segregation was deemed unconstitutional, it also is unconstitutional to deny students with disabilities.
    Mills v. Board of Education of the District of Columbia case, the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia students classified as “exceptional” – including those with mental and learning disabilities and behavioral issues.
    *This ruling made it unlawful for the D.C. Board of Education to deny these individuals access to publicly funded educational opportunities

  • Section 504 of Rehabilitation

    *Section 504 of the 1973 Rehabilitation Act was the first disability civil rights law to be enacted in the United States.
    *It prohibits discrimination against people with disabilities in programs that receive federal financial assistance, and set the stage for enactment of the Americans with Disabilities Act.
    *Section 504 works together with the ADA and IDEA to protect children and adults with disabilities from exclusion, and unequal treatment in schools, jobs and the community.

  • Education Amendments

    *Included rights from PARC vs. Commonwealth of PA and Mills v. Board of Education.

  • Education for All Handicapped Children Act

    *Federal funding was provided to those who promised to education students with disabilities
    *Started requiring schools to develop an Individualized Education Plan (IEP)
    *Established procedural safeguards

  • Armstrong vs. Kline

    *Parents of student noticed their children in special education began to regress during summer break
    *Ruled in favor of plantiffs and brought forth the extended school year
    *ESY is available to children with disabilities

  • Individuals with Disabilities Act

    *Added traumatic brain injury and autism as new categories of disability
    *Transition element for students age 16 or older was added
    *"People first" language began

  • No Child Left Behind

    *Reaction to the low academic achievement of American students
    *Began holding the government responsible for the gains for students academically
    *Standardized testing began

  • Inclusion of Students with Disabilties

    *The reauthorization of IDEA in 2004 Congress reiterated that special education and related services should be designed to meet students’ unique needs. Students with disabilities should have “access to the general education curriculum in the regular classroom, to the maximum extent possible.”

  • Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act

    *Congress has amended and renamed the special education law several times since 1975. On December 3, 2004, the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act was amended again.
    *The reauthorized statute is the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act of 2004 and is known as IDEA 2004.

  • Mainstreaming has shown to be more academically effective than exclusion practices.

    *Education classes are combined with special education classes. Schools that practice mainstreaming believe that students with special needs who cannot function in a general education classroom to a certain extent belong in the special education environment.
    *Higher academic achievement
    *Higher self-esteem
    *Better social skills