In this paper the author draws on his years of experience as a superintendent and special education consultant to offer a litany of field-tested practices for taming out-of-control special education spending while serving students better. He sketches ways for districts to do far better in four key areas. He explains how to squeeze costs and boost results by: (1) better integrating special education with general education classrooms; (2) smarter deployment of support staff; (3) the use of more sophisticated metrics to gauge effectiveness metrics; and (4) employing more strategic management structures. Such strategies, he argues, equip teachers and administrators to better meet student needs while also helping policymakers provide much-needed targeted support for cost-effective practices. As he notes, "Districts must tackle the twin challenges of controlling special education costs and improving student achievement. In short, we are asking districts to do more with less." (Contains 7 figures and 18 endnotes.)