Special Education Policy. Morgan Gill. Grand Canyon...

Special Education Policy Morgan Gill Grand Canyon University EDU 535 Instructor: Kimber Underdown March 1, 2017 Special Education Policy There have been several reforms in the past 100 years that have had an influential effect on policy in special education. Some of these changes have left a positive legacy for future education legislators to build from while others have been detrimental to a student’s educational success. All having positive and negative outcomes, some of these changes impacting education include the National Institute of Child and Human Development, Education for All Handicapped Children Act, No Child Left Behind Act, and Individuals with Disabilities Act. The reforms listed above will be discussed†¦show more content†¦Education for All Handicapped Children Act The Education for All Handicapped Children Act (EAHCA) is the government’s response to public schools exclusion of disabled children. In 1975 the EAHCA mandated a free appropriate education at public expense regardless of specific disability (Swafford, 2016). This allowed students with disabilities to access a quality education and related services. According to Smith (2005), EAHCA required local school districts to abide by a strict set of guidelines when educating a disabled child. For example, assessments must be administered before a student could become eligible for special education services. This allowed for dual language learners and students of a diverse culture to be tested in their own language and not classified as having a disability (Smith, 2005). There is no dispute that the Education for All Handicapped Children Act made several positive advancements in the educational system, but, there were also many inconsistencies and defects of the policy. Colker (2013), reported that congress was concerned that the definition of a learning disability was broad and ill-defined. With restricted subsidy, congress created a funding cap limited to one-sixth of all disabled children within a state (Colker, 2013). Regrettably, funding was not the only issue that the EAHCA faced. A study