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국회도서관 홈으로 정보검색 소장정보 검색

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Title page

Contents

Highlights 2

Letter 5

Background 7

Staff Involved in Providing Special Education 9

Federal Role in Special Education 9

Variation in IDEA Funding Across States 12

School District Officials Cited Staffing Shortages and Other Obstacles to Providing FAPE to Some Students with Disabilities 13

Staffing Shortages Were the Most Widely Cited Obstacle to Educating Students with Disabilities 13

Officials from Most Districts Also Identified Insufficient Time for Professional Development, Communication Challenges with Parents,... 17

Officials from Most School Districts We Visited Reported Problems Providing FAPE to Some Students with Disabilities 20

Officials from States and School Districts Described Efforts to Mitigate Obstacles to Educating Students with Disabilities 23

Growing the Pipeline for New Staff 23

Hiring Outside Providers 23

Mentorship Programs 24

Promoting Access to Professional Development 24

Providing Parent Resources 24

Restructuring Organizational Charts 25

Capacity-Building Grants to Districts 25

Coordinating through Regional Agencies 26

Special Education Resources Vary Widely by State, but Education Does Not Have Data to Fully Assess Availability at the School and District Levels 26

Many Students with Disabilities Attend Schools Without Key Qualified Special Education Personnel 26

Data Gaps, Particularly at the District and School Level, Hinder Education's Ability to Assess Differences in Special Education and Related Resources 29

Conclusions 36

Matter for Congressional Consideration 37

Agency Comments and Our Evaluation 37

Appendix I: Objectives, Scope, and Methodology 39

Appendix II: GAO Contact and Staff Acknowledgments 46

Tables

Table 1. Number of Selected School Districts Reporting Shortages of Special Education-Related Professionals 13

Table 2. Reporting Levels for Special Education Data about Students with Disabilities from Federal Data Collection Programs 30

Table 3. Levels of Reporting of Special Education-Related Staffing Data from Federal Data Collection Programs 32

Table 4. Levels of Reporting of Special Education-Related Financial Data from Federal Data Collection Programs 34

Table 5. Definition of School Characteristics from Student Distribution Analysis 43

Figures

Figure 1. Educational and Related Services That May Be Included in Individualized Education Programs 8

Figure 2. Reported Factors Contributing to Staffing Shortages 17

Figure 3. Snowball Effect of Reported Obstacles to Educating Students with Disabilities 20

Figure 4. Voices from the Field: Concerns about the Future of Special Education 22

Figure 5. Percentage of Public School Students with Disabilities Who Attended a School Without Key Personnel, School Year 2020-21 27

Figure 6. Ratio of Students with Disabilities to Special Education Teachers, Regardless of Certification Status, School Year 2021-2022 28