Special Education Placement in Public SchoolsHistory of Public Schools Before 1840 the education system was available only to wealthy people. Individuals such as Horace Mann of Massachusetts and Henry Barnard of Connecticut believed that education for all would help individuals become productive citizens in society. Thanks to their efforts, free public education at the elementary level became accessible to all American children by the end of the 19th century. By 1918, all states passed laws requiring children to attend elementary school. Catholics were against this law, so they created their own private schools. In 1925, the Supreme Court passed a law allowing children to attend private school instead of public school (Watson, 2008). Facts about special education in public schools During the late 1980s and 1990s the number of children with learning disabilities receiving special education services grew rapidly, but during 1998 and 2007 the number of children classified as having DSA decreased by 7% (Cortiella, 2009). “In 2007, 59 percent of students with LD spent 80 percent or more of their school time in general education classrooms. In 2000 that figure was just 40%” (Cortiella, 2009). Additionally, students with disabilities spend more time with students in mainstream classrooms. According to the Department of Education, “approximately 6 million children (approximately 10% of all school-age children) receive special education services” (Pardini, 2011). Problem Statement Students are placed in special education classes solely on the basis of IQ. Purpose of the paper The study of IQ and its functioning in the field of education has been supported through various theories. Theorist as Howard Garner, R...... middle of paper...... January29, 2011 from http://otec.uoregon.edu/intelligence.htmPardini, P. (2011). Rethinking schools. The history of special education. Retrieved January 29, 2011, from http://www.rethinkingschools.org/restrict.asp?path=archive/16_03/Hist163.shtmlPresident's Commission on Excellence in Special Education. (2005). A new era: Revitalizing special education for children and their families. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Education.Watson, S. (2008). How public schools work. The history of public schools. Retrieved January 28, 2011, from http://people.howstuffworks.com/public-schools.htmYsseldyke, J., & Marston, D. (2009). Origins of categorical special education services in schools and rationale for changing them. Special education in transition: Functional assessment and noncategorical programming (pp. 1–18). Longmont, CO: Sopris West.