Increasing the dialogue among stakeholders in New Jersey’s special education system

Snapshot: Caregiver Stress in the US

Nearly 3,400 caregivers were asked about their responsibilities and their concerns. Here is what they said 95% said they were stressed out. Parents report spending, on average, 57 hours a week feeding, dressing, providing behavior support and managing finances as they...

Snapshot: Medicaid and Special Education

Medicaid covers one in five Americans. Medicaid is the nation’s largest health care provider. Medicaid covers 40% of America’s children – over 30 million children. Medicaid covers half of all births in America. One in five Medicaid dollars is spent on children. 2/3 of...

Snap Shot: Bullying In Schools

More than 5 million school children – 22% of students ages 12-18 – reported being bullied at school during the school year. 6% of students reported that they were pushed, shoved, tripped, or spit on. A higher percentage of females than of males ages 12–18...

Snapshot: Special Education: By The Numbers

Newly released data from UDOE show that the number of students receiving special education is increasing. Newly-released data from the U.S. Department of Education indicates that 6,050,725 students ages 6 to 21 across the country were served under the Individuals with...

Snap Shot: Children & Mental Health

Around 20% of the world’s children and adolescents have mental disorders or problems. (WHO) Neuropsychiatric disorders are among the leading causes of worldwide disability in young people. (WHO) Approximately 50% of students aged 14 and older with mental illness drop...

SnapShot: Schools and Special Education in NJ

There are 673 school districts in NJ There are 2508 public schools in NJ More than ½ (50.2%) of the students in NJ are minorities More than 1 in 3 students in NJ are eligible for free/reduced lunch 15.1% of the students in NJ are classified as eligible for special...

Snap Shot: Absent From School

In 2013, about ten percent of K-12 students in New Jersey were deemed “chronically absent,” missing more than 18 school days. Across the nation, an estimated 5 to 7.5 million students miss a month or more of school each year. In poor communities, truancy rates...

SNAP SHOT: Disability and Civil Rights

In 2014, the Office for Civil Rights (OCR) received a record-setting 9,989 complaints. In 2014, OCR initiated 38 compliance inquiries, up from 30 in 2013. While the number of OCR staff dropped from a high of 1,148 in 1980 to 544 in 2015, the number of complaints...

Snapshot: Out-of-School Suspensions

Nearly 1 in 5 students with disabilities were placed on out-of-school suspensions during the 2011-2012 school year, a rate two to three times that of typically developing students. In North Dakota, 5% of students with disabilities were suspended statewide, while in...