Full-Tilt Parenting: Strategies, Insights, and Connection for Parents Raising Neurodivergent Children TPP 528: Anya Kamenetz on the Fight for Special Education in America
Nov 3, 2026
Anya Kamenetz, award-winning education journalist and author, examines the fight for special education in America. She traces the journey from exclusion to IDEA’s civil rights protections, then explores underfunding, staffing shortages, federal oversight, and the pressures facing teachers and families. They also consider parent advocacy, accessible technology, and bold ideas for building truly inclusive schools.
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Special Education Is Far From A Niche Issue
- Special education serves roughly 17% of children, making it a central public-education issue rather than a marginal one.
- Growth is concentrated among less visible disabilities, including learning disabilities and ADHD accommodations through 504 plans.
Special Education Began As A Fight For Dignity
- Disability education rights emerged from families challenging laws that labeled children uneducable and excluded them from school.
- The movement sought human dignity as much as instruction, eventually producing IDEA in 1975.
IDEA Promised More Funding Than Schools Receive
- IDEA promised federal support equal to 40% of special-education costs, but federal funding has never exceeded 12%.
- Chronic underfunding turns legally guaranteed services into a continuing struggle among states, districts, and families.
