Impact Of Inter District Cooperative Programs And Special Education Regional Consultant Efforts On Programming For The Handicapped In Minnesota PDF Download

PERCEPTIONS . . . is an effort by the Minnesota Special Education Leaders Foundation to capture what representatives believe educating children with disabilities will be like in 2035. This report is a summary of those statewide survey results and comments. Some 463 parents and educators participated in an online survey hosted by SurveyMonkey and nine representative focus groups addressed issues that had diverse opinions between groups. Participants included parents of children with disabilities, special education advocates, teachers, and directors, related services staff, principals, and superintendents from around the state. The author captured their responses into an insightful summary of what these representatives believe the issues will be in educating children with disabilities in 2035. Important Trends: The participants identified the most important trends that will impact their education will be technology, mental health, medical advances, and expectations about life skills. The vast majority believed that technology, medical advances, and mental health will have a significant impact. Though concerns were expressed about the future of employment opportunities in general, 61% agreed more employment opportunities for youth with disabilities will be available in 2035. Potential Happenings: There was a general agreement among respondents that categorical funds will increase and serving children with disabilities in general classrooms will increase the cost. Some 66% believed that children with disabilities will be identified and served at a younger age; however, concerns were expressed that the expectations for very young children have become too academic. Focus group participants noted that family structures, and therefore supports for children with disabilities, were changing, resulting in a need for increased parent education. There was agreement that schools were changing and students with disabilities would have opportunities to fully participate in each change; participants were concerned that some options, e.g., charter schools, were not prepared to meet the individual needs of those students. Changing politics was noted as having a significant impact on services for children with disabilities, and fears were expressed that the support for those services may be returning to an unfortunate past. Staffing Challenges: Some 66% of the participants believed that the shortage of fully licensed staff will increase by 2035, and 77% noted the number of special education alternative and provisional licenses and variances will increase. Also 55% believed that related services will be more expansive in 2035. There was agreement in the online survey (66%) that children with disabilities had different instructional needs, and 47% believed that special education licensure will become more specialized, while 35% believed it would become more generalized. Some 67% believed that special education eligibility would become more complex, and 71% noted that the percentage of students receiving special education will increase. Discipline: A majority, 58%, believed that suspension an expulsion will continue to exist in 2035, however, it may exist in a different context. And 46% were discouraged that issues of over-representation in disciplinary actions would not be solved by 2035. Focus groups discussed their hopes for new approaches, e.g., restorative practices. At the same time, they contrasted it with the need for school safety for both students and teachers and the need for better mental health services for both. Diversity: Most respondents (87%) agreed that the school-age population will be more diverse in 2035. Some 74% noted that more and increasingly diverse immigrant and refugee populations will impact services for children with disabilities.