Students with special needs are going to have special needs when it comes to their eduation. That is simply a fact based on the definition of the term special needs. The top special education schools understand that conventional ways to teach and evaluate special needs children will not work. The children will fall further behind because they are being held to standards they cannot reach in a conventional manner.

This by no means is to say that students with special needs cannot learn–far from it. What it does mean is that modifications and adjustments need to be made so they children can find and use their strengths to succeed in a world that is difficult for them to thrive in.

The Education for All Handicapped Children Act was passed in 1975 and, along with the other Special Education laws passed two years later, 81% more children have been served. The Education for All Handicapped Children Act was directed specifically at students with mental and physical disabilities and stated that public schools must provide children with special needs the same opportunities for education as other children.

Here are three things you should know about top special education school throughout the country.

1.) Students are to prepare early

Only 10% of students with learning disabilities enroll in a four-year college program within two years of their graduating from high school. According to the Individuals with Disabilities Education and Improvement Act (IDEA), students are to be prepared, as much as possible, during their early schooling for further continuing education and independent living. This is to be programmed into their curriculum.

2.) Smaller is better

One of the challenges to special needs education or a special education program in general in the public schools can often be class size. Even with an aide, a special needs student might not be able to receive the best education they might otherwise receive if they were able to attend a school with smaller class sizes.

Private schools for special needs children could be the answer for many students who struggle in the mainstream environment of public schools. Private schools traditionally have fewer students enrolled, giving the student greater access to the teacher and other staff. Of the private schools out there, 87% of them have fewer than 300 students. These numbers would be difficult to find in most public schools around the country.

3.) Special education teachers are better equipped and trained

In the top special education schools around the country, children are able to receive a better education simply because the teachers are better educated in the ways to teach children with special needs. In regular schools, teachers might have one student with a special need out of 25 or 30 per class. They are not trained to spot and handle every situation that might occur. One individual, whose aide might not be fully capable of communicating with the teacher the fact that the student is missing something, might easily fall through the cracks.

In the top special education schools, teachers are very knowledgeable in the latest teaching and learning methods. This gives children a much better opportunity to succeed.