SCHOOL FOR THOUGHT

Shooting Students in the Foot

You know the old joke about the man who murdered his parents and then begged for mercy on the grounds that he was an orphan? In a similar vein, ten Ontario school boards are begging for money on the grounds that they have more and more students with special needs. As it happens, by far the greatest increase in special education students is in the category of “communication disorders”, which is sort of code for “learning-disabled”. The majority of these students might more appropriately be labelled “never-been-taught” or “teaching-disabled” or “victims of dysteachia”. If school boards started using proven teaching methods and materials, like systematic phonics and sequential math, the number of their “learning-disabled” students would be drastically reduced. 

The Ontario government would be foolish to give away even more money for special education, thereby encouraging its educators to generate even more students with special needs. Perhaps the Ministry should look at changing its incentive structure so that school boards that generate the fewest special needs students are rewarded with additional funding!