What am I doing on the sunny, cool morning in New Jersey? I'm researching the history and the cost of special education. I'm a fun, fun girl. 

Here are some nice factoids:

• Prior to 1975, public schools were not required to educate disabled kids. As many as 2 million kids, received no education at all. The others were sent off to depressing institutions. 
• Buoyed by the civil rights movement, in the early 70s, parents went to the courts to demand an education for their children citing Brown v Board of Education as precedent. The courts maintained that disabled children have the right to a free, public education in the least restrictive environment. 
• In 1975, Congress passed the Education for all Children Act (later renamed to the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act), which was intended to help cover some of the costs of educating disabled kids. 
• Many believe that the feds intended to provide more support than actually happened.
• More kids than ever are getting the special education label. Between 13 and 14% of the general education population qualifies for special education. 

• If you combine education and support services, the total bill for educating special ed kids is 19.1% of total education expenditures in the US.
• Costs have risen over time, mostly due to the increase of the special education population to include developmentally delayed kids.
• Localities are picking up the tab. The Feds pay for 9% of total expenditures, states pay for 45%, and localities pay for 45%.  (There is, however, a huge variation among the states.)

 

 Information gained from numerous sources, including the New America Foundation.