Special Education Legislation

Article Review 3: Special Education Legislation

Patty Williams

Liberty University Online

Summary of Article

Education in America has experienced many changes and challenges. These changes begin as early as the 1960s. It was during this era that the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) passed by President Lyndon Johnson to address the needs of those living in poverty. President Bush reauthorized this act under what is known as the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) of 2001 (Mele-McCarthy & Whitmire, 2007). Both acts serve as a means of educating the less advantaged to include those in poverty and disabled children. Within American schools, all students are entitled to a free and appropriate education. Students with disabilities are learners and are vital to our society.

The Education of All Handicapped Children (EHA) Act of 1975 was signed into law by President Gerald Ford. This law was established to address the many children with disabilities who were not being educated with our public educational system. Many of these students were not allowed to attend schools due to their disabilities. To address the needs of these students and allow them access to classroom instruction in a least restrictive environment (LRE), the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act (IDEA) of 2004 was implemented to allow these students the rights to an education as any other student with modifications and accommodations. Students today have an Individualized Educational Plan (IEP), which addresses their areas of deficiencies and put in place a goal to help them master those objectives for that year.

Educating students to enter the world of work, living independently, and to be productive citizens within their community are some of the values taught today. Our culture has experienced many transitions in agriculture, industrialization, and now to information processing. Information processing...