The Regular Education Initiative as Reagan-Bush Education Policy

Abstract

Proposals for radical reform or integration of special and general education, known as the Regular Education Initiative (REI), are consistent with the Reagan-Bush administration's agenda for education. Such proposals represesent a revolution in basic concepts related to the education of handicapped students that have provided the foundation of special education for over a century. As a political strategy, the REI is consistent with the Reagan-Bush tendency to focus on a small number of highly emotional issues that distract attention from deeper analysis-in this case, the issues of integration, nonlabeling, efficiency, and excellence. The REI is a flawed policy initiative that does not have the support of critical constituencies. Moreover, it rests on illogical premises, ignores the issue of specificity in proposed reforms, and reflects a cavalier attitude toward experimentation and research. Because the REI represents the policy preferences of a popular administration, it is not a dead issue. If meaningful reforms are to be achieved, however, several changes in direction are necessary: obtaining the support of critical constituencies, increasing attention to the effectiveness of educational strategies rather than the place in which they are implemented, and focusing efforts on incremental improvements in the current system.