Keep eye on important prize — the student!

Jane Dickinson |

7/20/2008 - 7/20/08

I believe Gayle Raffety expertly articulated the politics of special education in some New Mexico schools in her July 13 My View, "Politics hurt special-education students."

Ms. Raffety describes her realization that to be "successful" she should have reversed her priorities from her focus on her special-education students and keeping them in school (rather than dropping out) to administrative concerns and student compliance for the benefit of teacher comfort.

As an educator, researcher and school psychologist having worked within special education in New Mexico for seven years with 20 years experience in two other states, I concur with Ms. Raffety's assessment of the situation. I feel it is a sad commentary on special education in some New Mexico schools, and I am happy that she has found a school where she will be able to keep her priorities straight!

I want to add that the situation Ms. Raffety describes is not only sad, but illegal.

When I was working on my master's degree in special education in the 1970s, we had to do our practica and internships in state institutions because it was before the civil-rights legislation was enacted to protect the right of students with disabilities to be given free, appropriate public educations in schools alongside their peers.

Kids with disabilities were not, for the most part, attending public schools at that time. We lobbied Congress long and hard for this access. If John, Robert and Ted Kennedy had not had a sister, Rosemary, with a disability, and had not seen this as a civil right, we would probably not have progressed as far as we have.

New Mexico was the last state to accept federal funding for special-education programs under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act.

One can only wonder at the reason for such short-sightedness.

The result has been that New Mexico has had to engage in a good deal of "catching up" with best practices in special education. It's no secret that New Mexico recently slipped from 47th to 48th in its place in the quality of its education in the United States.

Special education has a huge impact on the statistics in education overall. We need all the help we can get. We need more Gayle Raffetys with priorities intact.

I was very encouraged to read that the Santa Fe Public Schools District has chosen to delay the high schools' starting time in the morning based on the research that shows that adolescents perform better when they start school later. I have been suggesting this for years.

This is an excellent example of a district making a choice to improve education for their students based on what is in the best interest of the students, rather than administrative, or teacher/parent convenience. Hurrah!

Jane Dickinson, Ph.D., lives in Santa Fe.