Notes on a Thought
16-Sep-08
My brain feels like its turned to mush. Anyway…
I’ve spoken to a couple of people I know who have intimate experience with the workings of Special Education in New York City. (In the interest of disclosure, those people were my sister, and my caterer-slash-babysitting client-slash-friend.) When I started thinking about special education in NYC, I definitely had a bias, mostly from my observations as a teacher and just the general perception that the city rarely does things right anyway, when it comes to schooling in this city. I’ve been hard-pressed to find a parent with a positive experience in special education. If you know of any, send them my way. I’d love to talk to them!
What have I got so far? Enough to make me think that maybe the city should just privatize special education. They obviously can’t handle the challenges of serving these special needs kids, who just fall further and further behind while they wait for the city to figure out what the hell it is doing. I need to overcome my bias to craft a piece that does more than just whine and complain. I’m not so cynical that I think the education system in NYC is completely devoid of redemption.
So, Internet, tell me… what are your perceptions of special education in NYC? What do you think of the idea to privatize special education?