ABSTRACT
It is difficult to obtain an accurate picture of regular and special education in the United States, not only because the organisation and practice of education differ from state to state, but also because education in the United States changes continually. In the last decades regular and special education have been shaped by the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, the Education for All Handicapped Children Act (EHA, now Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, IDEA) and the Regular Education Initiative (REI). In this period services for handicapped pupils in regular and special education have improved greatly. The basic principle in the EHA is to educate handicapped pupils in the-for themLeast Restrictive Environment, that is, to educate them 35 far as possible with non-handicapped children in the regular class or school. Despite the adoption of the Least Restrictive Environment as a guiding principle, growing numbers of students receive (part-time) separate special services. Under the REI attempts are made to further integrate regular and special education.
