The question of special needs students being corralled in just one of the education system's "four tiers" is examined in an article by Robert Green in the Montreal Gazette.
Those of us who have been intimately involved with special needs education in recent years are acutely aware of the iniquities created by a system that allows admissions to three of the four types of schools that exist, to be governed by entrance exams. Therefore, 99 percent of all the special needs kids end up in the open-to-all public schools, which are then forced to bear the entire burden, and classroom consequences, of educating these students.
The article states that as much as 30% of the secondary students on the island of Montreal attend private schools, which are able to avoid the entire issue, including the diversity benefits, of special needs.
Green compares this system to that of Finland, where arguably better overall results are obtained while welcoming special needs kids into all classrooms in the country.
It should be mentioned that, contrary to what the article seems to suggest, there are definitely students with extreme behaviour issues in private schools. That, however, is a relatively small element of the overall special needs education picture.
One reason for hope is that the new PQ government's platform promised to “modify the funding of private schools so
that they are required, like public schools, to integrate and support
students with learning difficulties.” according to the Gazette article.
This will be something to follow carefully. Now that the door may be opened, the envelope should be pushed further towards the Finnish example.
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