The Council for Exceptional Children (CEC) recognizes the importance of special education teachers in the education of all children and youth. Special educators have always believed that children's individual learning needs should drive instruction; indeed, pedagogy is the heart of special education practice. One way to judge a special education…

The Council for Exceptional Children (CEC) vigorously supports educational reforms within the public schools which promote rigorous learning standards, strong educational outcomes, shared decision making, diverse educational offerings, and the removal of unnecessary administrative requirements. However, such schools must reflect a commitment to…

The Council for Exceptional Children (CEC) recognizes that children and youth with disabilities are entitled to equal access to the public education system and to all rights guaranteed by law. CEC advocates to ensure that children and youth with disabilities receive the equal access and opportunity that they deserve. By definition, vouchers…

The Council for Exceptional Children (CEC) recognizes access to the most effective educational strategies as the basic educational right of each child or youth with a disability. CEC believes that the least restrictive positive educational strategies should be always used to respect the child's or youth's dignity and that this especially pertains…

The Council for Exceptional Children (CEC) recognizes the important impact a safe and positive school climate has on the personal development and academic achievement of all students. Research has shown that schools implementing supportive and positive school climate strategies are more successful in creating environments conducive to learning. As…

The Council for Exceptional Children (CEC) recognizes the impact that Response to Intervention (RTI) can have on the education of all children, roles of special educators, and the special education system. The RTI process is designed to identify struggling learners early, to provide access to needed interventions, and to help identify children…

To ensure that exit exams are appropriately carried out regarding students with exceptionalities, it is the position of the Council for Exceptional Children (CEC) that: (1) No single test score should be used to make critical educational decisions for students with exceptionalities; (2) All students with exceptionalities must be given the…

As the largest professional organization of special educators, the Council for Exceptional Children (CEC) has taken seriously its professional responsibility for defining the criteria for a competent beginning special educator. As part of this responsibility, CEC has developed and continues to update and maintain professional standards for…