Issue Briefs 2015

Investing in Special & Gifted Education: Impacting 10 Million Children & Families Summary points and recommendations CEC urges the Congress to lift the non-defense discretionary (NDD) caps on spending to allow for increased investments in special education and early intervention Over 6 million children ages birth through young adulthood, their families, schools and 400,000 special educators are directly impacted by the federal investment in special education through the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA Part B), which is funded at 16% of its authorized level. CEC urges Congress to provide $12.9 billion in IDEA’s Part B Program. IDEA’s early childhood programs serve over one million infants, toddlers, and preschoolers, a 45% increase over the last 20 years; but decades-long stagnant federal funding has meant 40% fewer federal dollars per child. In fact, funding per child has hit a 27-year low for preschoolers with disabilities. CEC urges Congress to provide $1.12 billion in IDEA’s Preschool Program and $1.02 in IDEA’s Early Intervention Program. provide $20.0 million for the Jacob K. Javits Gifted and Talented Students Education Act.

Investing in Special & Gifted Education: Impacting 10 Million Children & Families Summary points and recommendations continued Funding for IDEA’s six National Activities Programs has decreased recently, and is only 2% of the full federal special education budget. These programs provide critical infrastructure – preparing teachers, promoting technology, offering technical assistance to families and educators – that enables high- quality delivery of special education services. CEC urges Congress to provide $853.9 million for IDEA’s Part D Program. Over 3 million students are academically gifted throughout the country, though availability of services varies widely. The sole federal program supporting gifted education, the Jacob Javits Gifted and Talented Students Education Act, is funded at $10 million, far too low to meet students’ needs. CEC urges Congress to provide $20.0 million for the Jacob K. Javits Gifted and Talented Students Education Act.

Promoting Access & Achievement for Children and Youth with Exceptionalities in PK-12 Education Summary points and recommendations ESEA Reauthorization Bills – Student Success Act (H.R.5) passed the Committee on Education and Workforce on February 11, Every Child Achieves Act (S.1177) passed the HELP Committee on April 16, Education policy, such as the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) must emphasize high expectations for students with disabilities. The reauthorization of ESEA must support requirements for high standards and learner performance that are intended to foster high quality teaching and learning, equality of educational opportunity to learn, and improved achievement for students with disabilities and/or gifts and talents.

Promoting Access & Achievement for Children and Youth with Exceptionalities in PK-12 Education Summary points and recommendations continued The reauthorization of ESEA must support the following requirement: o Maintain accountability measures for students with disabilities o Maintain disaggregation of subgroup data o Maintain 95% student participations rate for all students o Include early intervening services in general ed, UDL, PBIS o Maintain the 1% cap on alternate assessments based on alternate assessment standards o Prohibit modified standards and assessments o Maintain Javits Gifted and Talented Act o Include provisions from the TALENT Act o Include early childhood programs o Maintain MOE o Prohibit Title I portability provisions o Allow but not require new teacher evaluation systems o Maintain a focus on professional development o Include adequate funding

Improving Outcomes for Children with Disabilities Through High-Quality Early Learning Programs Summary points and recommendations CEC supports the passage of The Strong Start for America’s Children Act of 2015 (S and H.R. 2411) which will assist states and communities to increase the availability of early learning opportunities for all young children, including children with disabilities. CEC urges Congress to dedicate 5% of authorized funding for this new program to each of IDEA’s Early Intervention Program (Part C, serving children birth – 2 years) and Preschool Program (Part B Section 619, serving children ages three –five). CEC supports the passage of a dedicated funding stream, as included in S. 1380, within a reauthorized Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) Federal funding for IDEA’s Early Intervention and Preschool program must substantially increase to keep pace with the number of children and families who rely on services.

Preparing Future Educators to Meet the Needs of Children with Disabilities Summary points and recommendations The Individual’s with Disabilities Act (IDEA) Personnel Preparation Program provides financial assistance to some 8,000 future special educators in exchange for service in a high-need school. Funding cuts have hurt the program. The reauthorization of the Higher Education Opportunity Act must require teacher preparation programs to train all future educators to address the needs of students with disabilities. Teacher preparation programs should emphasize high-quality clinical experiences for teaching candidates to demonstrate their content and pedagogical knowledge prior to program completion (i.e. edTPA).

Summary points and recommendations continued Chronic shortages in special education must be addressed through student loan forgiveness and scholarship programs, such as the TEACH Grant Program. Accountability measures for teacher preparation programs must not rely on value-added measures of teachers once in the classroom as they are not valid or reliable. Riders in the education appropriation bills against the proposed teacher preparation regulations must be supported by Congress. Preparing Future Educators to Meet the Needs of Children with Disabilities

Special Education Research & Development: Supporting Educational Excellence for Children & Youth with Disabilities Summary points and recommendations The developmental, academic and lifelong success of the nation’s 10 million children and youth with disabilities and/or gifts and talents relies on innovative research and development. Educators and parents alike depend on the availability of evidence- based strategies to support early intervention and special education needs of students with disabilities. The National Center for Special Education Research (NCSER), one of four centers within the U.S. Department of Education’s Institute of Education Sciences, is the primary provider of special education research throughout the country, having funded grants in over 30 states. In 2011, funding for NCSER was slashed by 30%  $20 million – which has resulted in 75% fewer research projects being initiated in This dramatic decline in new research unfortunately comes at a time when the special education field needs a better understanding of how children with disabilities learn.

Special Education Research & Development: Supporting Educational Excellence for Children & Youth with Disabilities Summary points and recommendations continued The developmental, academic and lifelong success of the nation’s 10 million children and youth with disabilities and/or gifts and talents relies on innovative research and development. Educators and parents alike depend on the availability of evidence- based strategies to support early intervention and special education needs of students with disabilities. The National Center for Special Education Research (NCSER), one of four centers within the U.S. Department of Education’s Institute of Education Sciences, is the primary provider of special education research throughout the country, having funded grants in over 30 states. In 2011, funding for NCSER was slashed by 30% - $20 million – which has resulted in 75% fewer research projects being initiated in This dramatic decline in new research unfortunately comes at a time when the special education field needs a better understanding of how children with disabilities learn.

A False Choice: Why Voucher Programs are Wrong for Students with Disabilities Summary points and recommendations Vouchers Undermine and Contradict Civil Rights Laws: The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, and the Americans with Disabilities Act were passed to ensure equal access and protections that are not adhered to in private schools. Absence of Necessary Accountability: Private schools do not adhere to the same federal, state, and local laws and regulations as public schools, particularly regarding providing special education and related services. No Guarantee of FAPE: Vouchers fail to guarantee an education at no cost to a student’s family. Families Must Opt-Out of IDEA Protections: To participate in voucher programs, families relinquish their IDEA rights, in most states.

A False Choice: Why Voucher Programs are Wrong for Students with Disabilities Summary points and recommendations continued Segregation with the Private Schools: Private schools do not have to education student with disabilities in the least restrictive environment which may lead to in-school segregation. No Guarantee of Equal Access: Private schools establish enrollment/retention criteria which leads to fewer students with disabilities. Promotes Re-Segregation Rather Than Diversity: Vouchers can facilitate racial, ethnic, economic, religious, gender and disability segregation. Public Education Funds Should Fund Public, Not Private Education.

Expanding the Federal Role in Gifted Education Summary points and recommendations There are more than 3 million students with gifts and talents who require specialized instructional services to reachtheir potential. Unfortunately, access to these services depends solely on state and local funding, which is highly variable. There is a significant “excellence gap” at the top achievement levels between minority and Caucasian students and between low-income students and their more advantaged peers in every state of the nation. This educational crisis receives little attention among policymakers in Washington, D.C. CEC-endorsed bi-partisan legislation, the TALENT Act (S.363), proposes comprehensive revisions to the Elementary and Secondary Education Act/No Child Left Behind to close the “excellence gap” by providing tools for educators and schools. It is anticipated the TALENT Act will be introduced in the House of Representatives by Polis (D-CO) and Young (R-IA) soon. CEC urges Congress to vote yes on the TALENT Act. Increased investment is needed in the Jacob K. Javits Gifted and Talented Students Education Act to support research and development in identifying and serving students with gifts and talents, particularly from underserved populations. CEC recommends an investment of $20 million.

School Climate and Mental Health Summary points and recommendations School safety policy proposals should use an interdisciplinary approach that reinforces a partnership between education, juvenile justice, mental health, social welfare, and community engagement systems. School safety policy proposals should require implementation of evidence based practices that address prevention and response while ameliorating the stigma associated with mental health challenges. School safety policy proposals should focus on the impact of mental health challenges on students’ social, educational, and employment outcomes. School safety policy proposals should confront and remedy the national shortage of special educators and specialized instructional support personnel who are trained to address the complex needs of students with mental health challenges.

IDEA Maintenance of Effort (MOE) Summary points and recommendations CEC urges Congress to develop policy that includes targeted exceptions that will meet the needs of LEAs without jeopardizing services for children with disabilities, e.g. universal personnel expenditures, technology advances, instructional services. CEC Urges Congress to develop policy that includes appropriate levels of accountability built in at the local, state and federal levels.