How Can Missouri Support Students with Special Needs? Find Out.

Education |
By James V. Shuls | Read Time 2 minutes minutes

In November, the Show-Me Institute will host two events on Bryce’s Law.

Haven’t heard of it? Don’t worry, few have—and even fewer have benefitted from it.

Bryce’s Law was passed in 2013. It was intended to provide scholarships to students with special needs so they could get the educational services they need from specialized private institutions such as the Judevine Center for Autism. As Mike McShane, Susan Pendergrass, and I point out in our recent essay, “Bryce’s Law Revisited: Serving Missouri’s Neediest Students through Targeted Scholarships,” not a single student has benefited from Bryce’s Law.

Join Mike on November 13 in Kansas City or Susan in St. Louis on November 15 as they share how Bryce’s Law could be revised to do what it was meant to do—serve students with special needs.

If you have a child with special needs or know someone who does, or even if you just want to find out more, I highly recommend you attend one of these events. Unlike some political issues that generate millions of dollars in backing from organized interest groups, scholarships for students with special needs are not likely to receive that kind of substantial support. You won’t see any television adds. You won’t see yard signs. And if people are not educated on this issue, we won’t see any special needs students benefitting from Bryce’s Law.

About the Author

James V. Shuls is an associate professor of educational leadership and policy studies at the University of Missouri St. Louis. His work has been featured in numerous media outlets, including Phi Delta Kappan, Social Science Quarterly, Education Week, The Rural Educator, Educational Policy, the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, and the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. He earned his Ph.D. in education policy from the University of Arkansas. He holds a bachelors degree from Missouri Southern State University and a masters degree from Missouri State University, both in elementary education. Prior to pursuing his doctorate, James taught first grade and fifth grade in southwest Missouri.

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