Minnesota public schools have made provisions for the education of mentally retarded students for over a
half century. However, the program has gained proportion and prominence only since the passage of the
"mandatory" special education law in 1957. Today there are more than three times as many classes for these
pupils as were in existence in the 1956-57 school year. This increase can be attributed not only to the 1957 law
but also to the growing awareness by community leaders of the need for furnishing appropriate services for
handicapped children.