Students With Disabilities

Read about the needs and experiences of students with disabilities in schools

Special Report

Silhouettes of diverse students, each growing a different type of plant. Neurodiversity represented by biodiversity.
Understanding Learning Differences
This special report explores neurodiversity and some key issues shaping the experiences of students with learning and thinking differences.
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Brain tree symbol composed of a vibrant spectrum of colors. This vividness represents the diversity of human minds and experiences.
iStock/Getty + Education Week
Student Well-Being & Movement Opinion What RFK Jr. Is Getting Wrong About ADHD
We research neurodiversity. Here’s what educators should know about Make America Healthy Again misinformation.
Keona J. Wynne, Andrew Kahn & Jennifer Spindler, September 12, 2025
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5 min read
A student works a problem in a second grade math class at Place Bridge Academy, May 20, 2025, in Denver.
A student works a problem in a 2nd grade math class at Place Bridge Academy, May 20, 2025, in Denver. The math instructional strategies that teachers employ can vary depending on whether they trained as general or special educators—a divide researchers say could hurt struggling students.
Rebecca Slezak/AP
Mathematics How Should We Teach Math? General and Special Ed. Researchers Don't Agree
The divide makes it less likely that students who struggle will get access to proven strategies, researchers argue in a new study.
Sarah Schwartz, August 21, 2025
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8 min read
Birch Academy Students Randy Gamez (cq), left, and Ashlee (cq) Garcia, third from left, walk from art class to gym class with Mt Pleasant High School students, sophomore Veronica Northup, second from left, and senior Deana Clerjuste at Mt. Pleasant High School in Providence, R.I., last week. The U.S. Justice department, in an investigation, found the former Birch Vocational School in violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act as the students were kept segregated and given small jobs. The entire program has been revamped to integrate students with intellectual disabilities into classrooms with typically developing peers. Currently, many of the ancillary classes are integrated.
Birch Academy Students Randy Gamez (cq), left, and Ashlee (cq) Garcia, third from left, walk from art class to gym class with Mt Pleasant High School students, sophomore Veronica Northup, second from left, and senior Deana Clerjuste at Mt. Pleasant High School in Providence, R.I., last week. The U.S. Justice department, in an investigation, found the former Birch Vocational School in violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act as the students were kept segregated and given small jobs. The entire program has been revamped to integrate students with intellectual disabilities into classrooms with typically developing peers. Currently, many of the ancillary classes are integrated.
Gretchen Ertl for Education Week
Special Education Professional Learning Guide Your Guide to Special Education
From understanding disabilities to applying effective teaching strategies, this guide helps you foster an inclusive learning environment.
August 12, 2025
School Climate & Safety Quiz Quiz Yourself: How Much Do You Know About Creating Inclusive Classrooms?
Answer 7 questions about creating inclusive classrooms for students.
August 5, 2025
Image of a $100 dollar bill that is cut into blocks for distribution.
E+/Getty
Education Funding Who Will Bear the Brunt of Trump's Hold on $6.8 Billion in School Funds?
The sudden absence of expected federal funds has already cost some educators their jobs.
Mark Lieberman, July 7, 2025
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12 min read
Students in the TerpsEXCEED program celebrate in their caps and gowns with a photo on McKeldin Mall at the University of Maryland in College Park, Md.
Students in the TerpsEXCEED program celebrate in their caps and gowns with a photo on McKeldin Mall at the University of Maryland in College Park. Inclusive postsecondary programs offer education and opportunities for students with intellectual disabilities, but uncertainties around federal funding threaten their growth.
Photo Credit: Feldy Suwito, Image of Life Photography
College & Workforce Readiness College for Students With Intellectual Disabilities Faces an Uncertain Future
Inclusive higher education programs benefit students with intellectual disabilities. But funding challenges are threatening their growth.
Elizabeth Heubeck, June 24, 2025
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8 min read
The Tharpe family, pictured outside the U.S. Supreme Court in Washington, D.C., on April 28, 2025.
The Tharpe family, pictured outside the U.S. Supreme Court in Washington, D.C., on April 28, 2025.
Mark Walsh/Education Week
Law & Courts Supreme Court Decision Lets Students Sue Schools More Easily for Disability Bias
The justices ruled unanimously that students with disabilities need not meet a more stringent standard when suing under two federal laws.
Mark Walsh, June 12, 2025
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5 min read
Inclusive education in action, a boy and girl with Down syndrome participate in classroom activities, working side by side at a table as they complete their individual projects.
Courtney Hale/E+
Special Education How Trump's Policies Are Already Upending Special Education
The special ed. field is watching anxiously as the administration cuts grants and research contracts while threatening further disruption.
Mark Lieberman, May 20, 2025
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11 min read
Thu., May 15, 2025, 2:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m. ET
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The Tharpe family, pictured outside the U.S. Supreme Court in Washington, on April 28, 2025.
Gina and Aaron Tharpe appear outside the U.S. Supreme Court on April 28 with their daughter Ava, who has a severe form of epilepsy. The court is weighing what liability standard should apply to the suit for damages they filed against their school district.
Mark Walsh/Education Week
Law & Courts Supreme Court Poised to Back Student in Key Disability-Rights Case
The U.S. Supreme Court considered what liability standard should apply for cases brought by students under two key federal disability laws.
Mark Walsh, April 28, 2025
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6 min read
The Supreme Court is seen on Capitol Hill in Washington, Dec. 17, 2024.
The U.S. Supreme Court as seen on Dec. 17, 2024. The court will hear arguments on April 28 in a case about the legal standard for discrimination for two federal disability-rights laws and how they play out in schools.
J. Scott Applewhite/AP
Law & Courts Supreme Court to Weigh Discrimination Standard for Some Special Education Cases
The U.S. Supreme Court will consider what legal standard must be met for proving discrimination against students with disabilities.
Mark Walsh, April 24, 2025
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9 min read
Vivien Henshall, a long-term substitute special education teacher, works with Scarlett Rasmussen separately as other classmates listen to instructions from their teacher at Parkside Elementary School on May 17, 2023, in Grants Pass, Ore.
Vivien Henshall, a long-term substitute special education teacher, works with Scarlett Rasmussen as other classmates listen to instructions from their teacher at Parkside Elementary School on May 17, 2023, in Grants Pass, Ore. Proposals to change Medicaid spending could impact the classroom, where special education services are often covered by the federal health insurance program.
Lindsey Wasson/AP
Student Well-Being & Movement How Medicaid Spending Cuts Could Harm Schools
Districts use Medicaid to cover costs of special education, student services. Cuts to the program would hurt, superintendents said.
Evie Blad, April 18, 2025
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4 min read
California principal and NASSP Advocacy Champion award winner Terri Daniels poses with NASSP President Raquel Martinez and NASSP CEO Ronn Nozo.
Terri Daniels, the principal of Folsom Middle School in California, poses with National Association of Secondary School Principals President Raquel Martinez and NASSP CEO Ronn Nozo. Daniels was named the 2025 NASSP Advocacy Champion of the Year and recognized in Washington, D.C., on April 11.
Courtesy of NASSP
School & District Management Q&A Speaking Up for Students Is Part of This Principal's Job
Terri Daniels, the National Advocacy Champion of the Year, says principals must advocate on behalf of their students.
Olina Banerji, April 18, 2025
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6 min read
Collaged image of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. with brightly colored classroom images in the background.
Vanessa Solis/Education Week + Rod Lamkey, Jr./AP + Getty Images
Special Education Opinion RFK Jr. Is the Last Person Who Should Be in Charge of Special Education
Here’s why President Trump’s recent announcement sent a chill down the spines of autistic individuals like me.
David Rivera, April 2, 2025
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3 min read
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