Advocates Weigh Impact Of Common Standards Movement On Special Education

Education Week (9/20, Samuels) reported, "Special education advocates are greeting the burgeoning common academic standards movement with a mixture of optimism and caution." So far, details have not been provided as to "how the new curricula should be taught to a student population with a range of physical and cognitive needs." Some special education advocates see the void in that area as an opportunity to add their voices "in the policy discussions as the standards movement starts to shift from adoption to the more challenging process of implementation." Others, meanwhile, "are more wary. Some special educators see the standards-based movement as a recipe for failure for some students."