PreK-12 Special Education Market Forecast 2010 is a new report from Simba Information that examines the business and market metrics for this dynamic segment of the school market.

The report offers Simba's trademark comprehensive analysis of the trends, opportunities and challenges in this market segment to guide publishers, service providers and marketers.

Topics include:

• Size and structure of the PreK-12 special education market segment,
• Pertinent state and federal policy guidelines,
• Funding resources,
• Decision-makers and the purchasing process,
• Critical instructional materials and assessments used in special education,
• How technology is impacting delivery of services and instruction.

PreK-12 Special Education Market Forecast 2010 is designed to provide usable market and business intelligence for publishing, editorial, marketing, business development and investment professionals responsible for creating strategies to succeed in this market segment.

Additional Information

Stamford, Conn. - June 9, 2010 - Spending on instructional materials for special education students and Response to Intervention services in U.S. schools is projected to increase 6.2% to $2.28 billion in 2010, according to new research from media industry forecast and analysis firm Simba Information.

Simba’s most recent strategic market report, PreK-12 Special Education Market Forecast 2010, examines the business and market metrics of the dynamic special education segment.

A key feature of this report is the results of a new survey of special education teachers and administrators jointly conducted in April 2010 by Simba Information and Market Data Retrieval. The survey provides insight into the special education practices in schools, the effectiveness of instructional materials and technology and schools’ future need.

“One of the important findings from the survey is the great interest in using technology and digital instructional materials for children with special needs and to provide intervention under Response to Intervention,” said Kathy Mickey, senior analyst and managing editor of the Education Group at Simba. “While manipulatives remain wildly popular as an instructional medium in elementary schools, digital textbooks are making headway in high schools.”

Another key finding of the report is how RtI—with its goal of catching learning difficulties early before children need to be classified as special needs—has helped blur the lines between general education and special education.

“Collaboration between special education and general education departments is the new norm and is accelerating in areas from teaching models to purchasing,” Mickey said.

The Simba report provides important guideposts for navigating the special education market including:

• Student enrollment patterns
• Trends in program delivery and demand for instructional materials and professional development
• Policy, legislation and funding initiatives
• A Who’s Who of significant providers of instructional materials, tools and services

Additional information about the report, and how to order it, can be found at www.simbainformation.com.

About Simba Information:
Simba Information is widely recognized as the leading authority for market intelligence in the media and publishing industry. Simba's extensive information network delivers top quality, independent perspective on the people, events and alliances shaping the media and information industry. Simba publishes newsletters and research reports that provide key decision-makers at more than 15,000 client companies around the globe with timely news, analysis, exclusive statistics and proprietary industry forecasts. For more information, please visit: www.simbainformation.com.

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From the June 7, 2010 issue of Educational Marketer: Growth in Special Education Instructional Materials Likely Will Be in Digital

Spending on instructional materials for special education students and Response to Intervention services in U.S. schools is projected to increase 6.2% to $2.28 billion in 2010, according to PreK-12 Special Education Market Forecast 2010, the most recent market intelligence report from Simba Information, EM’s parent. A slight rise in the segment is expected in 2011 with electronic materials leading the way.

Special education students use a mixture of instructional materials and assessments, some of which are targeted to the student body at large and some aimed toward special education specifically. In general, the blurring of the line between special and general education has created more overlap in the materials needed for both.

Because of RtI initiatives, districts are stepping up purchasing of supplemental materials, intervention programs and progress monitoring tools, as well as training for teachers. Since these materials are used in both general and special education, special education teachers and administrators are at the table when it comes to making purchases, serving as part of the decision-making team.

Manipulatives Are Widely Used

Specifically for this report, Simba Information teamed up with Market Data Retrieval to survey PreK-12 educators and administrators who are responsible for executing educational plans and instruction for children with special needs and children targeted for Response to Intervention assistance. The objective of the survey was to gain insight into special education practices in schools, the effectiveness of instructional materials and schools’ future needs.

Manipulatives were the instructional materials category used most frequently in elementary grades—80% of respondents said they were used most often in elementary grades, compared to 45% in middle school and 31% in high school.

While schools continue to cling to print as a primary medium in elementary grades, digital textbooks picked up some momentum for special education in middle schools and made their mark as the category used most often in high school for special education—selected for that segment by 54% of survey respondents.

Computer-Based Programs for Future

Looking ahead, respondents to the Simba/MDR survey indicated a strong preference to go digital, with computer-adapted programs heading the wish list, as indicated by nearly 96% of survey respondents. In close pursuit are free Web resources.

Survey respondents indicated that the shift to digital most likely would occur over the next two to five years, rather than in the next 12 months.