Less than 10 percent of all eighth graders with disabilities scored at or above proficient in reading and math on the 2013 National Assessment of Educational Progress. In that same year, 41 states met compliance standards with the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). To be clear, protecting the rights of children and families is essential, but evidently compliance alone is not enough.
In enacting IDEA, Congress held that “improving educational results for children with disabilities is an essential element of our national policy of ensuring equality of opportunity, full participation, independent living, and economic self-sufficiency for individuals with disabilities.”
The critical question is, how can we leverage more than 30 years of research and funding to produce better outcomes for students with disabilities? The answer: We become laser-focused on improving the educational results of children with disabilities.