Americans have always regarded education as a critical cog in the machinery of democracy. Educators stressed that a program suitable for the best students was also good enough for the average ones. By catering to average students and preparing them for stable jobs, America's public schools would help build an educated, prosperous middle class. But today that ideal of common public education is being subverted from within, as principals like Dinzle Adams, who heads Halls High School in Knoxville, Tenn., can attest. Part of the answer lies in special education, which was established in the mid-'70s to cover physically disabled students and children with severe mental handicaps.
Average students pay the price.
Dealing with this many kids and this many different needs wears you out. And by a long shot, the average student loses out. In Buffalo, N.Y., seventh-grade teacher Rebecca Heim confronts similar frustrations. Eight of her 24 students last year had special needs. That's a disservice to the regular-ed students.