My experience both personally and via my children is it's little more than a few more worksheets during the week. There is very little actual teaching going on.

My experience both personally and via my children is it's little more than a few more worksheets during the week. There is very little actual teaching going on. Just segregation from peers and more busywork. I was personally distracted by new busywork for a while because it was at least different than what I was experiencing in class. But I didn't learn more because of it. The only real difference was in high school where you can take actual accredited college classes in place of class with the normies. Everything before that was just to distract us so we didn't interrupt "normal" classes with our boredom. After witnessing my wife work as a para-professional with special needs kids on a volunteer basis, the biggest thing anyone could do to improve overall educational achievements is to get them the fuck out of "normal" classrooms. There is very little reason for a non-verbal fourth grader to be taking classes with fourth grade "peers". While their presence may engender some empathy in fellow students, it is often the biggest distraction in the classroom and schools don't have the desire or resources to actually address special needs children in a way to not be disruptive. And I'd extend this further. It would be far better for everyone in this country if the bottom of the bottom was left behind (from an education, not a safety net standpoint) and the average could advance in pace with the more advanced students. And I say this as a flaming leftist. I have zero issues with additional funding being applied to help special needs children learn and adapt to the world as we have to experience it. But I have a major problem with the slowest of society dictating the educational attainment of the average (or above average) member of society. No Child Left Behind means we have to run at the pace of the biggest fucking moron in our class. It shouldn't just be exceptional children with engaged parents who are able to escape that.