ABSTRACT
In 1995, Congress is expected to review the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act as part of its reauthorization process. This chapter suggests that the prospect of greater numbers of special-needs children is particularly problematic for special education. Special education settings are where special education teachers are—many of whom have a particular training and a unique willingness to implement instructional or behavior-related procedures that are sometimes complex and demanding. Reducing student-teacher ratios should permit special educators to spend more time in general education, working to ensure better responsiveness to and accommodations of mainstreamed students with disabilities, as well as low-achieving, nondisabled students who might otherwise flounder. Special education should continue to work with only the most academically needy, socially vulnerable, and behaviorally inappropriate. Some special education leaders are beginning to wonder how long the field can hold out—whether it can avert a complete collapse.
