Special education is a key component of all school systems that are working with a broad spectrum of students and families. Special education programs do vary greatly between school districts and sometimes even between schools within a district, so parents need to be aware of what is offered and how to evaluate if the program is the best match for their child. Finding the right special education program as well as the right teacher and support staff will really make a difference in the life of a child.

Special education programs need to be designed to meet the needs of the individual children in the program and virtually all programs will have some form or IEP or Individual Education Plan that the child is working on. In most areas the parents are actively involved in working with the school to develop the individual plan and this is often referred to as a wrap around plan. The term wrap around refers to the fact that the goals and objectives set out for the student literally wrap around their entire life and include goals that the family will be working on as well. This consistent approach to learning and training helps with continuity as well as student progress and achievement.

There are many different types of special education programs that range from separate classrooms or even schools for very specific types of learners through to fully integrated or mainstream programs that provide support for identified children within a traditional classroom. Often the separate programs are initially used to help the child learn the necessary skills to be successfully integrated back into the regular classroom, perhaps with assistance or perhaps on their own. This spectrum of services helps kids and families work at the best possible support level and allows for movement from special programs to mainstream classrooms at the student's own learning pace.

Resource room programs are a great option for many students that are having some challenges in one or two areas. These programs provide a teacher and support staff that work as tutors and mentors to a child that is having difficult in a particular subject area such as reading, math or English. ESL or English as a second language programs may be developed with this model in mind.

There are also special education programs for gifted learners. This provides the student that is advanced in their learning to be challenged but still allowed to stay with his or her peers for the age appropriate social interactions. Gifted Education programs, like other special education options can be run in a resource room model or though separate classrooms and teachers. Gifted programs also typically have students working on their own individual learning goals and objectives, again developed in collaboration with the parents and professionals from the school.