What the Hell is going on in education????

I am writing, once again, to try to get someone to understand what is going on in the smaller and less noticeable areas of education. I have been involved with advocacy for special education students since I was eleven years old and have now been working in the field as an educator/leader for the past 21 years. There is a problem that has come up times too numerous to count throughout those years that I have been powerless to address, though I have written about it constantly.
Arbitrary requirements with regard to our special needs populations have been proposed in every district and every school with which I have been associated. The whole concept of which is absolutely in opposition to the concept behind the individualized nature of Special education. In fact, the idea that ALL students pass a certain requirement is against the "I" in the IEP that all special education students have to guide their education. I will not go into past problems as those are just that, but things are still going on that need to be addressed if we are to actually move on beyond the dark ages.
Right now we have schools that think they are allowed to tell the special education department that ALL students will pass a lesson with an 80% rate in order to move to the next. While this may be wonderful for an AP or Honors world, I am currently working in an "At-Risk" environment, AND with Special Education. I cannot abide by that nor should anyone think they have the right to do such a thing. I would love to say that some of my kids HAVE to pass something with an 80% before they can move on, but reality tells me that just getting a basic understanding of a concept may be the best I can get in some instances. I want these students to have a true fighting chance to move on in the world, but if we allow such ridiculous standards to be in place, we will ensure that they continue to drop out at the rates already happening.
I am sickened by the fact that I have had this same fight every year I have been in the field. I write to everyone I can think of a usually get lip service, but have never seen anyone really looking at what goes on in the classroom. I have seen people come in and look at the proverbial books and files, but never anything more than that. We need someone in every area to do "spot checks" to stop the complacency.
I realize that paperwork needs to be "clean" and up to date, but what happens specifically with the students is even more important yet more than likely overlooked. Personally, I can easily make my papers look wonderful and be in full compliance, if given the correct tools and personnel to do so, but do my students suffer while I do the books? Of course they do. Then, we have such things as mandatory passing rates. Come on! If we want education to truly change, we need to focus upon the students’ needs not the needs of the "system."
I need your help to make this happen, as I have obviously not been able to make that change myself.