Is our education money well spent on "Special Ed"?

I don't think so. Instead we end up with the worst of all worlds -- for all concerned.

My son went to school with several developmentally disabled kids, all of whom required a full-time, one-on-one counselor, and two of whom had a personal counselor AND a full-time aid to assist with other needs. This occasionally two-on-one support was going on at a time when class sizes were averaging close to 35 kids and there was no support for talented and gifted kids, in spite of Oregon laws requiring such support.

What is most disturbing is the waste. I was always struck by the look of discomfort on the faces of the retarded kids as they were being "mainstreamed". They were being forced into all sorts of activities, including physical education and band, in spite of the fact that they had no interest in participating and would occasionally wander off. I remember watching TWO aids standing with one 200 pound 8th grade retarded kid, trying to get him to bang his instrument at the correct time... Why? Wouldn't the money have been better spent teaching him life-skills at the level he was capable of understanding? Wouldn't that be more useful AND more kind and compassionate? Why spend so much trying to force a square peg into a round hole?

It also seems like a REALLY bad deal for society. There is zero support for the brightest kids who are our best chance for a competitive future. Our brightest kids need to be challenged and stretched, but the top 30% of our kids can earn "A"s  without doing anything. Who will find the cure for cancer? Who will keep America competitive in computer science and aerospace? Who will earn the money to pay the taxes to pay for education in the future?

We've let our political correctness and social engineering evolve to the point where it punishes all of us, including the most vulnerable we're supposedly trying to help.

As a mother of an autistic/Asperger's daughter, who is now 14, I got her involved in every special education and Head Start program possible when she was only a mere 18 months old. Her behavior and tantrums were out of control and she had a severe reluctance to particpate in any activities at pre-school. Making her go would often result in her biting and kicking me as well as injuring herself in the process. I had no idea at the time that she was autistic,  I just knew she needed help and so did I. To make a long story short, even though she resisted with everything she had and I was reluctant to keep taking her out of embarassment over her actions and behaviors, I am so very glad that I stuck with it. I honestly didn't think it was doing any good at all at first, but after several months which turned into years, she started to get better. Today she is a thriving 14 year old who is now tutoring elementary school children through our local Boys and Girls Club. Yes our story is an exception... my daughter is not retarded, but I truly think that we do not know the capacity of the human brain and what specifically something, such as special education, music therapy, or the massive amounts of other therapies, might do in the long run to help improve the quality of life for those who are challenged. I think it would be unwise to limit services for those in need in order to offer more services to those who are already excelling academically. However, there definitely needs to be support for both ends of the spectrum and possibly a better balance.