What Prevents Us From Practicing Prevention?

Among the current issues in learning and behavior problems in school is how to practice prevention, which is often assumed to mean early identification and early intervention. Prevention is usually lauded in principle, but it is often not practiced. Following are some of the reasons prevention may not be practiced:

1. It requires labeling. Many educators resist labeling a problem, which means that it cannot be addressed effectively simply because it cannot be named and talked about without a label.
2. It requires anticipating failure. Many educators believe that anticipating something makes it happen and are loath to predict failure, preferring to deal with problems after the fact.
3. It requires greater concern about missing problems than about false identification. Many educators prefer absolute certainty that a problem exists before addressing it. Their fear of being wrong in identifying a child as having problems keeps them from acting.
4. It requires rejection of a "new paradigm." Many educators seem to assume that science does not apply to education and that schools will change so that singling out those with special problems is not necessary.
5. It requires concluding that special education is effective. Many educators believe special education is ineffective, which keeps them from identifying students who need it.
6. It requires serving more students. Many educators feel that the special education category is already too large and includes too many students. But prevention involves serving more students, at least initially.
7. It requires spending more money now to save money later. Many educators feel that special education already consumes an exorbitant proportion of the education budget. But spending more money on early intervention is required if money is to be saved on services that will otherwise be needed later.