Special Education

Through preschool, Delia Smith's son mingled with other children and received the attention he needed for a disability that distorts his visual perception, making subjects such as mathematics difficult, and puts him at high risk of having a heart attack. When 7-year-old Daniel entered first grade, Smith feared he would be placed in a special education bungalow isolated from other children in mainstream classes.

The parents of four children with severe learning disabilities have sued three Orange County school districts, accusing them of providing inadequate instruction for students in need of special education.

Education Secretary-designate Arne Duncan's Senate confirmation hearing today was as much of a Kumbaya moment as any appointee to Barack Obama's Cabinet is likely to see.

Jonathan Else had looked forward to this day for years, so when he stepped up to the podium Friday at Village Glen School to receive his high school diploma, it was a "huge moment.

A federal judge is allowing the Los Angeles Unified School District to preserve 16 special education schools, prompted in part by protests from parents who want their disabled children in sheltered environments instead of integrated on regular campuses.

One in 10 high school seniors in the class of 2008 failed to pass California's exit exam by graduation, the lowest rate of passage since the test became mandatory to earn a diploma three years ago, according to data released Tuesday by the state Department of Education.