The Special Education System

This semester I had the opportunity to interview a Special Needs Coordinator, my British Professor's Wife Janet, at one of the local primary schools here in Oxford. She gave us some great insight into the United Kingdom educational system. 

http://www.texaspolicy.com/center/education-freedom/reports/teachers-win-case-school-choice

First up was teachers. Teachers have a very different process to go through then in the United States. In the United States, a teacher needs to have a four year bachelor degree at least. Many states also require teachers to have a masters degree, though the undergraduate degree does not necessarily need to be in education. Teacher then have to pass tests in the area that they are trying to teach in. In the United Kingdom, there is a Teacher Education Program at many universities though teachers do not need to go through it. Schools instead are in charge of making sure their teachers have all the training they think is needed to teach. 

The next thing we talked about was disabilities and the process that students have to go through. In the United Kingdom, schools participate in what the United States would call a response to intervention (RtI). This is where all students receive interventions to help in the areas that they may not be performing up to par in. If students still need more help, they would go through the special education process. In the United Kingdom, the emphasis is more on making sure the child gets the care they need. In the United States, there is a large emphasis on the actual categorization of students before they can receive services. The United States also requires any child in the special education program to have an individual education plan (IEP). This IEP gives students spelled out accommodations to help the student meet grade level. In the United Kingdom, students are given an education health and care plan (EHCP) if their disability is seen as severe enough. At the school that Janet works at, Windmill, one student has an EHCP. Much less than what would be seen in an American school. The EHCP is also much more focused on the health aspects of the disability whereas the in the United States, the focus is on changing the teaching and instruction. 

https://hab2013.wordpress.com/dyslexia-the-hidden-sen/

The type of disabilities which take presence are also very different. In the United Kingdom there is a large focus on diagnosing dyslexia. All students are screened for dyslexia in year one. In the United States dyslexia is rarely given accommodations in the school system. A personal thought to this is the emphasis on literacy. Dyslexia has a huge effect on literacy which the United Kingdom puts a large emphasis on. The United States however puts a larger emphasis on maths and sciences in which there are not many straight forward ways to help those with dyslexia. The United States is also very big on testing and research based accommodations. There are no straightforward ways to  diagnosis and treat dyslexia which makes psychologists and doctors less likely to diagnosis it. 

While I learned a lot more from this session, it was mostly education standards where unless you understand the United States Special Education system, does not make a lot of sense. The biggest differences are the focus of dealing with disabilities. The United Kingdom on health and the United States instruction.