Disparities Still Exist in Who Gets Special Education.
Abstract
Under the Education for All Handicapped Children Act, all handicapped children age 3 to 21 are to have access to special education services. GAO analyzed 15 evaluation studies and 2 data bases to determine if this mandate is being met. GAO found that nearly 4 million public school children received special education services in the 1980-1981 school year. A 'typical' child in special education is under 12 years of age, male, and mildly handicapped. Few out-of-school children have been identified as needing special education. However, there appears to be a substantial but undertermined number of children in-school who need, but do not have access to, special education. In contrast, certain categories such as learning disabled are overrepresented in special education. Access to special education is determined by such factors as a child's State of residence, age, sex, racial/ethnic identity, and handicapping condition. (Author)
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Sep 30, 1981
- Accession Number
- ADA108392
Entities
Organizations
- United States Government Accountability Office