Many of the students who go into the NMSU speech building are going in to earn special education degrees. One person came from Washington D.C. that has helped earn them more than $4,000,000 to continue that education.
“Too many parents of kids with disabilities are told…your kid can’t. Your kid won’t.”
He’s the Assistant Secretary for the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services at the U.S. Department of Education, Michael Yudin.
Frankly, that’s not the expectations parents want for their kids…. it’s not the wish…aspiration. That’s the expectation.”
The $4,000,000 comes from a federal grant. Four million more dollars to prepare teachers to teach children with autism and other special learning needs.
Assistant Secretary Yudin sat in with students on their way to a masters or PhD, but talked about the gap in education among people just graduating high school.
“We know that too many of our kids that go on and go graduate [high school] do so without the skills to be successful in post-secondary education. We know a majority of kids or youth that enter community college have to take at least one remedial class in reading or math.”
The money will go towards programs that will last several years. 1.5 million dollars will go to one called “special education leaders for a diverse society” that will last 5 years.
Even so, Yudin says it’s up to congress whether grants like this will continue next year.
It’s a difficult time in Washington…we know that there are about 600 million dollars in cuts to special education…spending on education is not spending…it’s an investment in our future.”