Educating Everyone

Reporters: Sean Corcoran and Cathy Corman
Co-produced by Steve Young and Sean Corcoran
Executive producer and editor: Steve Young

For the past several months, our reporting team has been working on stories about education. Earlier this year we presented a series about dropping out of school and the problems it creates, not only for individuals, but also for society. Now, for the next two weeks, we'll be airing a series about Special Education. We call it: "Educating Everyone: The Struggles In Special Education on the Cape and Islands."

Almost 20 percent of the state's school children receive special education services, and the number is rising, as are the costs. The law says schools, no matter the price, must offer students help if they otherwise can't progress effectively. But to educate one severely disabled student can cost a school district in the hundreds of thousands of dollars, raising questions about what is fair, what is doable financially, and what is right morally.


Monday October 26: Starting Out

















Lisa Johnson and her son Graham

Reporter Sean Corcoran highlights two families: one that soon will be leaving school services when their son turns 22, and another that's just starting the process to get their child special education services - - and so far, without success. A brief note on this story: Reporter Sean Corcoran informed Lisa Johnson about the Barnstable Superintendent's offer to speak with her and review Graham's case. So we'll be following that and reporting back.




Tuesday October 27: New School














8-year-old Joe Bober

Last year parents in the state of Massachusetts rejected more than 7,000 Educational Plans created for students with disabilities. That's 7,000 families in pitched conflict with their local schools over what services their children need and deserve. Some parents battle the system as far as they can, using whatever resources they have to get what they think their child deserves under the law. Others, the ones that may not have the money, time or wherewithal to put up a fight, simply accept what schools offer them. In this episode, reporter Sean Corcoran speaks with a mother who was determined to do whatever it took to help her son, even if it meant spending hundreds of thousands of dollars to start her own school.




Wednesday October 28: Special Ed Parent














Sean and Ryan Dennehy

As parents do what they can to overcome obstacles and advocate for their children, schools and teachers have struggles of their own, not the least of which are financial constraints and growing job demands. Reporter Sean Corcoran speaks with a parent who knows both sides of the issue, both as a mom of a child with learning difficulties, and as a special needs aide in a classroom herself.





Thursday October 29: 504 Plans

















Jeff Kelly

In 1975, the federal government passed a law now known as the Individuals with Disabilities Act, which essentially created the special education system in schools across America. Reporter Sean Corcoran highlights a different law, one commonly called Section 504, a federal civil rights law designed to eliminate discrimination against people with disabilities. And while Section 504 is not geared toward schools directly, some people claim schools are putting students on what are called '504 plans' to lower their Special Education numbers. But the plans are creating difficulties -- both for the students seeking enforcement of them, as well as for schools that are trying to manage newer and emerging disabilities.




Friday October 30: Educating on an Island












James Weiss,
Martha's Vineyard Superintendent of Schools














Kerry Branca, Martha's Vineyard Teacher

Providing quality education services is a challenge in the best of times, and recently, reductions in state aid and reimbursements have further stressed local districts. But one district has weathered the financial storm well. In this installment of "Educating Everyone", reporter Sean Corcoran visits Martha's Vineyard, where locals say a sense of community and a robust tax base have provided for top-notch special education, even during difficult financial times.




Monday November 2: Learning to Advocate















Rich Robison, executive director, Federation of Children with Special Needs and parent advocacy teacher

Nearly 170,000 students in Massachusetts Public Schools are on Individualized Education Plans, or IEPs. They qualify under federal law for special services outside their general education classrooms. Getting those services is especially difficult during the current economic recession. Reporter Cathy Corman listened in on a workshop at a non-profit organization in Boston dedicated to teaching parents how to access services for their own children and children in their communities.




Tuesday November 3: Early Intervention















Kathleen, Liam, and Emma Amaral

Dan and Kathleen Amaral wondered why their infant son was slow to reach significant developmental milestones. Liam, their five-year-old son, hadn't walked at a year and wasn't making the sounds they associated with babyhood. He was a fussy eater and wasn't gaining weight. They were stunned when, at 13 months, Liam was diagnosed with a congenital disorder of glycosylation, a disorder that leads to physical and developmental disabilities. Liam's parents weren't sure he would ever walk or communicate. But because Liam received early intervention, he is exceeding expectations. Reporter Cathy Corman tagged along recently one morning as the Amarals got Liam off to a school that they say has made all the difference to their son.




Wednesday November 4: Inclusion















Nadine and Jeff Briggs and their children Trent, 10, and Megan, 12

There are approximately four hundred thousand people with Down Syndrome living in the United States. The three thousand four hundred children born with Down Syndrome each year in the U.S. are different physically, socially, and intellectually because they have an extra twenty-first chromosome. A generation ago, these children were routinely institutionalized. These days, kids with Down Syndrome are included in everything from social studies to school plays. Reporter Cathy Corman spent an evening recently with a family in Westford to learn why they've worked to make sure their daughter, who has Down Syndrome, has been included in school alongside typically abled children since kindergarten.




Thursday November 5: Placement















Heather and Keaton Metcalfe of North Reading

The majority of students who have a specific learning disability are being educated in their local public schools. Others ask to be placed in private, special education schools, also known as Chapter 766 schools. Special educators are often at odds over these placements. Reporter Cathy Corman explores philosophical reasons behind the disputes.
In the interest of complete disclosure, a child in reporter Cathy Corman's family attended The Carroll School. The family did not seek public funding.




Friday November 6: Our Children, Our Challenge














Ellen Varnerin, Bourne Director of Student and SPED Services, and Edmond LaFleur, Bourne Superintendent of Schools

For the past two weeks we've brought you stories about special education -- a largely underfunded system inherent with conflict and struggle. They've been stories about the disabilities that are becoming more prevalent in our society, stories about laws and responsibility, and stories about humanity. But the story of the state's special education system is one that's also about money. Therapists, teachers, books and programs -- it all costs money. And, as reporter Sean Corcoran documents, paying for it is a struggle nearly all communities face.

Audio of each piece is available after 1pm on the day of broadcast.