June 14, 2017, PA Trib Live: Pennsylvania's rural students missing out on some opportunities, report suggests http://triblive.com/news/education/12406744-74/pennsylvanias-rural-students-missing-out-on-some-opportunities-report-suggests
Nearly 50,000, or about 17.5 percent, of those students are enrolled in special education services. That's the second-highest percentage in the nation; the national average is 13.4 percent.
Massachusetts enrolls 17.8 percent of its rural student population in special education services, while Oklahoma and Rhode Island enroll slightly smaller percentages.
Childhood Lost
Children today are noticeably different from previous generations, and the proof is in the news coverage we see every day. This site shows you what’s happening in schools around the world. Children are increasingly disabled and chronically ill, and the education system has to accommodate them. Things we've long associated with autism, like sensory issues, repetitive behaviors, anxiety and lack of social skills, are now problems affecting mainstream students. Blame is predictably placed on bad parenting (otherwise known as trauma from home).
Addressing mental health needs is as important as academics for modern educators. This is an unrecognized disaster. The stories here are about children who can’t learn or behave like children have always been expected to. What childhood has become is a chilling portent for the future of mankind.