The History of Special Education

A school is an educational establishment designed to offer learning environments and learning opportunities for students under the supervision of qualified teachers. Generally, all states have systems of public elementary or secondary education, which can be mandatory. In these systems, children progress through a sequence of primary schools. At each primary school, they are introduced to new social and academic activities as they complete pre-school training programs. Primary school children also undergo rigorous teacher-training sessions to enhance their critical thinking and to prepare them for school.

After graduating from primary school, children move on to junior high school, where they complete their secondary school education. In many cases, they repeat the process of going through junior high school again. If there are special educational needs associated with a child’s education at this point in his or her life, a child may be referred to a specialized teacher to assist in the education of such needs. For example, some young children who have vision problems may need to be placed in a special education class. Also, children with disabilities that otherwise would interfere with their performance in school may be referred to a special education teacher for these purposes.

In the United States, the term “special education” refers to a number of classes typically offered by schools to students with varying needs. They include art classes, physical education, speech therapy, nutrition, English, math, science, and special education (which refers to the work done by teachers in the special education field). Although the special education field started in the United States in the early nineteenth century, the first known edition of a standard textbook was published in 18th century German. Today, almost all schools in the US attend a school board meeting regularly where local education issues are discussed. At these meetings, parents and other concerned parties can present their ideas on how to improve the quality of education in their community.