Special Education by the Numbers
By Caroline Linne, USC Rossier
Recent changes to the California Department of Education's teacher education curriculum is ushering in a new age of inclusion in today's public school classrooms. In the fall of 2017, they introduced a significant change that will include special education into all general education programs.
Before this, the two teacher preparation programs were separate. This shift toward aligns with the changes happening in today's classrooms—as of 2015, more than 60 percent of special education students spend the majority of their time in general education classrooms, a 90 percent increase since 1989.
Graphic Look at Special Education Services
To further highlight the importance of inclusion, USC Rossier's online teaching degree has created the following infographic that provides parents and school communities with a snapshot of what special education services look like for the 6.6 million special education students in today's public schools.
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