Does full inclusion of students with special needs in regular classrooms benefit all students?
Yes. Studies show that students with and without disabilities benefit from inclusive learning environments. All students learn important life lessons about interdependence, tolerance for differences, and appreciation of the individual gifts that each person has to offer. All students enjoy solving "real-life" problems such as getting along, inventing physical accommodations, and finding new ways to communicate. They learn that all children belong.An inclusive education system goes beyond labels to recognize the diverse needs and contributions of each student. Such a system is student-centered, creative, and flexible. Educators can meet students' individual needs by structuring learning environments, matching teaching strategies to learning styles, and furnishing necessary supports and accommodations.For many, inclusion is not a black-and-white issue. They argue that while inclusion works for many students with disabilities, it is not appropriate for certain students. Some draw the line at students who have "severe disabilities"; others, at students who have "learning disabilities." Unfortunately, all too often, people draw these lines in ways that focus on labels and prejudice about capabilities, rather than on individual student abilities and creative possibilities.To me, inclusion of students with disabilities is as clear-cut an issue as the Brown v. Board of Education case. The only gray area concerns how educators can receive sufficient support to teach students with disabilities in regular classrooms.—Cherie Takemoto is the training coordinator at the Parent Educational Advocacy Training Center in Alexandria, Va. Her son, Peter, is fully included in his kindergarten class at McKinley Elementary School in Arlington, Va.
Not always. Each situation is different.At our school, we have had many thoroughly positive experiences placing children with cerebral palsy, blindness, deafness, and Down's syndrome in regular classrooms. These children functioned very well alongside their nondisabled classmates for all but a few hours each week, when they were "pulled out" for special support services. Purist inclusion advocates argue that these services should also be provided in the classroom, but I disagree for two reasons. Disabled children are often able to concentrate better on special assistance in more private tutorial settings, and this assistance can disrupt their classmates when it is offered in the regular classroom.Despite our inclusion successes, however, I can vividly recall emotionally disturbed children who were so disruptive in their self-contained special education classes that we could not mainstream them even for limited periods. Their violent outbursts interfered with their classmates' rights to an education on a daily basis. These children required so much supervision that their teacher was unable to give proper attention even to the few other children in the class.Full inclusion of disruptive children in larger, regular classrooms places unfair supervision demands upon the teacher, thereby depriving other children of their right to an education. When that happens, all children suffer and no one benefits from inclusion.—Allan Vann is principal of James H. Boyd Elementary School in Huntington, N.Y.
Yes. Including special needs students in the general classroom, with proper supports and services, can benefit all students. Inclusive classrooms do not disrupt regular education: studies show no decrease in the academic achievement of the so-called "regular" students. Moreover, several schools and districts have now documented advantages for all students.One district moving toward full inclusion has reported a 27 percent decrease in the number of students identified for special education, a 50 percent decrease in K–6 discipline referrals to the principal, and a substantial decrease in needed remediation. The district also reports fewer parent complaints, less paperwork, and less time wasted "pulling out" students for special instruction. In recent interviews we conducted, parents, teachers, and principals told us of the many social benefits for all students in inclusive settings, including learning about human differences and how to help those with disabilities.To create successful inclusive classrooms, educators should begin by creating environments that value and support all students. Teachers repeatedly report that after they adapt instruction to meet the needs of students with disabilities, they become more aware of the individual needs of their other students. When schools are restructured to become more developmentally appropriate and engaging, teachers report they are more likely to get support—and to seek training—to serve more students with special needs in the regular classroom. And, ultimately, all students are better served.—Virginia Roach is director of the Center on Teaching and Learning at the National Association of State Boards of Education in Alexandria, Va.
No. Just as placing all special needs students in a separate classroom is inappropriate, so is placing all special needs students in the regular classroom. Some just can't learn there.I have had professional and personal opportunities to observe students in diverse settings where full inclusion was being implemented. I have also worked with many parents whose children have been fully included. Based on these observations, I believe that some children just cannot be successful in a fully inclusive environment. Some need small-group, individual help in a classroom with minimal distractions to grow academically. Also, self-esteem suffers when bright students who need to learn through a different approach are placed in the regular classroom with students who "can" when they "can't."As advocates for children, we must be prudent in following the intent of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. Placement decisions must be made by a team of educators and parents. The focus should be on the unique needs of children. We must not neglect intellectual and academic needs to focus on social needs, thereby rendering some children unable to compete in this complex global environment.Inclusion has always been an option in the continuum of services that the law provides. Let's keep it in proper perspective, as just that—an option. However, to best serve our children, we must be assured that "pull-out" programs also remain an option.—Michele Montano Dowdy is an elementary guidance counselor in Roanoke, Va. She has served as parent coordinator for the Roanoke County Parent Resource Center.