I had a long chat with the leader of Special Education at T.C. Marsh and I feel like I better understand the situation and have more sympathy for Special Education teachers. I like the system less. A Special Education teacher explained to me that 20% of all children in the United States where in Special Education. Special Education teachers are well aware of how wrong-headed and self-defeating certain aspects of the system are. There also isn't much to be done to change the system. Schools like Special Education because it funnels money into the school. Parents like Special Education because:

• Kids pass and progress from grade to grade.
  
• They stay eligible for sports.
  
• The parents often receive money for their child's disability.
  

Teachers all know how sad and disgusting some aspects of Special Education can be. They also know that a third of kids who start Special Education will not graduate and that almost none of these kids will go to college. Kids hate Special Education and learn to hate school quickly once in the program. The kids in the program often have behavioral problems because of their frustration with school. They feel powerless to help themselves and act out by being disruptive, violent, and or disobedient. As they fall further behind they get worse. Teachers are often harried and so stressed out that they send troublesome students to Special Education rather than deal with the child's behavioral problems. It is easier to make the child disappear from your class than it is to repair years of frustration and unlearned school work.
Should your child ever be put in a special education program, he is doomed. The immediate goal should be to get him out immediately. However a lot of the damage is already done by the time the kid gets out of the third grade. Teachers can tell you who will do well in life and who will not by that point in the child's school career. What I learned is that there are children on whom and education is wasted. These children will most likely grow up to be the person who mows your yard, cleans your house, bags your groceries, serves you food or builds your machines. These kids are screwed.