23rd Annual Report to Congress on Special Education

The U.S. Department of Education's 23rd Annual Report to Congress on the Implementation of IDEA showed some encouraging results. Graduation rates for students with disabilities were higher, integration of students with disabilities in regular classes were at record levels, and dropout rates for students with disabilities were lower. The percentage of students with disabilities who graduated from high school increased by two percent from 1997-1998 to 1998-1999 and dropout rates fell over five percent. During the last fifteen years, inclusion of students with disabilities has risen from 25 percent of students aged 6-21 to almost 50 percent. The report also showed findings on specific groups:

• Students with autism had the lowest dropout rates
• Students with emotional and behavioral disorders had the highest dropout rates
• Half of the students covered under IDEA had specific learning disabilities
• Over a third of black students received services for mental retardation. Blacks make up only 14.5 percent of the general population. Students from minority groups represented 30 percent of the population in regular education classrooms.
• Children of low birth weight often received early intervention services.

To read the report in its entirety, visit www.ed.gov/about/reports/annual/osep/2001/index.html.

U.S. Department of Education, 400 Maryland Ave, SW, Washington, DC 20202, 800.872.5327 (voice), www.ed.gov/index.jhtml (website), customerservice@inet.ed.gov (email).