Dive Brief:

• The D.C. Council's Education Committee is reviewing three bills Thursday aimed at improving special education services.   
• The bills were presented last month by Councilmember David Catania, who chairs the committee. He argued that the district's special education program is in crisis, with the achievement gap growing between special education students and their peers.
• The proposed bills speed up delivery of services, give more rights to parents challenging schools, and encourage charter schools to be more equipped to teach students with disabilities.  

Dive Insight:

Catania is also an independent candidate for mayor and some believe his political agenda may be the reasoning behind these bills. However, it is ultimately difficult to tell whether ulterior agendas really matter, as the bill raises some significant points on its own.

As Catania pointed out, D.C. special education students are struggling, and the numbers are highlighting this fact. According to city tests, 24% are proficient in math and 19% are proficient in reading.