The Arc wanted to determine the nation's progress in educating children with mental retardation in the regular classroom. The data for this report were obtained from the Fourteenth Annual Report to Congress on the Implementation of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. The report summarizes data for the 1989-90 school year reported by states to the federal government.
States collect the data annually from their local education agencies.
We examined the data for children with mental retardation to assess in which educational environments they were being served. Twenty percent are educated in resource rooms. Some of these students may receive part-time instruction in a regular classroom. The most common setting for educating students with mental retardation is in separate classrooms. Sixty-one percent receive most of their education in this setting and typically have little interaction with students without disabilities.