K-12 Special Education Data and What it May Mean for Adult Learners with Disabilities

ED Week recently published the infographic, U.S. Special Education Enrollment, which tracks the changes in K-12 special education over a period of 20 years, from 1994-2014, the most recent year for which this data is available from the U.S. Department of Education's Annual Reports to Congress on the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA).

These charts offer valuable information for adult educators to consider, as many of these students have, or will at some point in the future, been enrolled in adult education programs.

One fact that it illustrates is that over the past two years, there has been an increase in the overall numbers of identified students, driven largely by children identified as having autism or “other health impairments.” 

Questions: What, if anything, do you think this trend means for adult educators and programs in the future?  What other trends do you see in this data that may be relevant to the field?  

Mike Cruse

Disabilities in Adult Education Moderator

michaelcruse74@gmail.com