Nothing creates as much uncertainty and consternation at school board meetings in New Hampshire and Vermont as special education. All agree that special education bears moral implications, but why is it so costly and so contentious? Officials at school district meetings regularly lament the increases special education imposes in their annual budgets, but school board members are hesitant to reduce or even criticize those allocations with the belief that they are “uncontrollable costs.” What’s so special about special education, and is it even educational? In this course, we’ll examine special education, its history and laws, its services and costs. We’ll look at students involved in special education and probe the reasons for the passage of legislation that gives those children special rights to special services. We will examine the complex world of assessment and testing for entry into this educational sector, the value and costs of its instruction and placements, and the explanations of the acronyms of special education like IEP, FAPE and LRE. This course is suited for those with questions about the operation and finances of schools in general as well as those with interests in children with disabilities and special needs. The course will include readings, presentations, and discussions, and its students will emerge with a better understanding of the justification for special education as well as its operations and costs.