Teach Effectively!

There is an informative article in the NY Times today about the continuing tug-a-war between providing special education services and containing special education costs. Alison Leigh Cowan, who wrote the article, described several disagreements between parents and LEAs about what constitutes “appropriate” in FAPE.

There’s a lot of illustrations of the disagreements in Cowan’s story. What I find especially interesting is that there is nothing about effective instruction. The closest we get is this:

Dr. [Elliot] Landon [Superintendent] and Nancy Harris, the business manager for Westport’s school system, said they have kept special education expenses in line through cost control, not by narrowing eligibility or skimping on services. One example they cited was the hiring of in-house occupational and physical therapists, saving the district $400,000 a year by reducing fees to outsiders. Dr. Landon said expanded “academic support” in lower grades has reduced the number of children who need special education referrals later.

It’s wonderful that the LEA is providing “academic support.” Would there be demands for, say, out-placements for students with autism if the LEA provided effective instructional practices? I have to bet that LEAs could save a bundle by using effective practices.

Bring on those windmills!

By the way, buried in the article is a quotation from Ms. Cynthia Gilchrest, the director of pupil services in an LEA, that raises another point:

We want to make sure we don’t put a label of handicapped on a child that’s not handicapped. That’s a serious label.

I don’t have time to address this one right now, and it might be better addressed in one of the other blogs, but I want to note that it’s an old—and in my view tired—assertion that doesn’t stand up under analysis.

In another footnote: It was great to see Pete and Pam Wright’s Wrightslaw mentioned in the first paragraph.