At a panel discussion hosted by ROI, Fred Buglione, CEO of  the New Jersey Coalition for Inclusive Education (NJCIE), dropped a bombshell: 

“New Jersey is last in the country when it comes to providing inclusive education for those with disabilities and special needs — as defined by the idea that those students should be a part of the general education program for 80% or more of the school day.”

All that “this talk” about New Jersey having the best K-12 education system in the country. says Buglione? It’s true on some metrics like funding, but not this one. He continues, “All those jokes about school districts in the South being in the race for the bottom — and that’s why companies should set up shop here? It’s true in many categories, but not this one.”

Sure, it’s tough in a state that has more school districts per square mile than any other in the country. Yet our inclusion rate hasn’t budged in two decades: according to Buglione, 20 years ago New Jersey’s inclusion rate was 45%. Today it’s 45%. Yet nationwide the inclusion rate has jumped to 67%:

“This national percentage goes up a half a point or a point every year, it has been doing so for the last 20 years, will probably do so for the next 20 years (and) New Jersey has sat still.” 

“We’re the only state in the country that includes less than 50% of our students with disabilities,” Buglione said. “We exclude more students with disabilities than we include.” (He is a former administrator from Berkeley Heights school district and the parent of a special needs child.)

Why is this important? NJCIE says including students with disabilities with neuro-typical peers is a “fundamental civil right” and inclusion is “a means to creating an equitable, socially-just democratic society.” After all, the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) was modeled after civil rights legislation. Yet time after time we default to segregation.

This model persists for adults with disabilities: according to U.S. Census data, NJ ranks #43 among all states for opportunity for employment. Sure, sometimes segregated education for students with special needs is appropriate. Many parents swear by these programs, either in-district or in private special education schools. Yet, according to  Buglione and the other panelists in the ROI forum, there’s a price to exclusion, not only for students with disabilities but for students without them.

See here for the full discussion.