Not too long ago, students with disabilities were not guaranteed the right to attend public schools. In fact, many were turned away because of their disabilities. Today, however, students with disabilities are in every public school and in most classrooms across the country. Though we have a long way to go before our education system ensures every student reaches his full potential, the tremendous progress we’ve made over the last few decades is due in large part to the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). When Congress passed IDEA, they promised to cover 40% of the extra cost of special education. In other words, they would pay for nearly half of the additional cost required to educate students with disabilities (when compared to the cost per student without disabilities). Unfortunately, Congress has never come close to fulfilling that promise. The number of students with disabilities served under IDEA has increased by 25 percent in the past two decades. Yet, the IDEA state grant program was only funded at around $12 billion in 2017. The federal government is only covering 14.6% of the additional cost.
Why invest in IDEA? Read the full article here >> https://www.ncld.org/archives/action-center/what-we-ve-done/idea-full-funding-why-should-congress-invest-in-special-education
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