INCLUSION OF SPECIAL EDUCATION STUDENTS 1

A Study of Inclusion of Special Education Students in General Education

Amanda Brightman-Uhl EDU 724 Laurel Ellis March 11th 2012

INCLUSION OF SPECIAL EDUCATION STUDENTS 2 Abstract: The primary intent of this program evaluation was to determine the degree of inclusion of students with disabilities in general education classes in four elementary and four secondary schools; the similarities and differences in how special education services were offered; and the ways in which students with disabilities were supported in the least restrictive environment. Staff perceptions of special education services were examined by conducting personal interviews with a large majority of the classroom teachers, special education teachers, instructional assistants, and principals in each school. The findings include descriptions of how far along each school was with inclusion, the amount of time students spent in general education, the roles of the special education teachers, the rates of student referrals for special education consideration, the attitudes of all staff toward inclusion and toward collaboration, and the skills of the teachers related to the inclusion of special education students. The findings also include descriptions of the impact of inclusion on other students, the performance of all students on a statewide test, and the qualitative responses of educators toward inclusion. Overall, educators were positive about educating students with disabilities in general education settings. They were conservative about how to best do this, with many of them preferring to have the included students accompanied by a special education teacher or instructional assistant or continuing to have resource room services. Nearly everyone favored using instructional assistants to help all students, not just the students with disabilities. Most educators reported feeling positive about working collaboratively and felt they had administrative support to offer inclusive education programs. INCLUSION OF SPECIAL EDUCATION STUDENTS 3 When I first become interested in the field of special education I always wondered why different schools had different philosophies on inclusion and which ones worked the best? As I gained more experience and insight I realized it is based on a number of different factors. Resources always seemed like the biggest reason against or

obstacle if you will for inclusion. In my mind I would picture a school with unlimited resources and think about what special education and inclusion would then look like. As I started taking graduate classes in inclusion studies I realized you dont need unlimited resources to successfully include all students. I was very interested to read Lorna Idols (2006) article on inclusion of special education students in general education because of my own philosophies on special education. Idol decided to research four elementary and four secondary schools to see how much, if any inclusion special education students were getting. It was also done to find out how each school was interpreting the least restrictive environment for their students in relation to inclusion. I found this the most interesting because my own school has been taking the first small steps towards inclusion in recent years. After reading chapters one and two in Marilyn Friends Co-Teach! (2008) I wanted to learn more about co-teaching and how it works for different types of schools. Idols (2006) research article seemed like a great follow up. Idol (2006) states that essentially, inclusion means that the student with special education needs is attending the general school program, enrolled in age appropriate classes 100% of the school day. Some schools think they are using the full inclusion model by mainstreaming their students for most of their school day. Idol (2006) reminds us that mainstreaming and INCLUSION OF SPECIAL EDUCATION STUDENTS 4 inclusion are in fact two different concepts. In full inclusion students with disabilities are supported in their classroom all day with no pull out, when a student is pulled out for special services they are not fully included. Idol (2006) includes the four most popular related forms of special education service delivery with brief explanations of each. The consulting teacher model, which is when the special education teacher and classroom teacher plan together, the special education teacher never directly teaches the student. The cooperative teacher model, special education and classroom teachers work together directly using co teaching arrangements that work with all students. Next, supportive resource programs is where students get to an alternative location other then the classroom to receives small group or individual instruction in an area of extra need. Lastly, instructional assistants are aids that stay

with the special education students to support them throughout the day in the classroom. The rational for this study is to describe what happens as schools move towards inclusive educational practices. I found this study to be very detailed taking many things into consideration like the types of disabilities, amount of time students spent in the general education classroom, the referral process at each school, attitudes of staff towards inclusion practices, attitudes of administration toward staff and staff towards administration and the overall ability of the school to accommodate for students with special needs among many other considerations. Administration, teachers and instructional assistants were interviewed at length for this study to get a true measure of the targeted research areas. Overall most educators agreed that more professional development opportunities are needed related to inclusion. Their attitudes towards INCLUSION OF SPECIAL EDUCATION STUDENTS 5 inclusion were generally positive and administrators were doing a good job of supporting their teachers in areas of need. The recommendations that came out of the study helped me to apply the knowledge I have about my school, I can see what areas we need to improve in when it comes to inclusion. The educators in this study for the most part want to feel supported in their efforts, they want to know they are doing the right thing for their students. I get the feeling that overall everyone thinks inclusion is a good idea and a step in the right direction but they need help with those first steps. Once a school moves closer and closer to inclusion it becomes very fluid and almost runs on its own with everyone having their specific duties. The goal of any educator is and should be to provide students with the least restrictive learning environment, with the shift towards inclusion this will be made easier for all.

INCLUSION OF SPECIAL EDUCATION STUDENTS 6 References Friend, M. (2008). Co-teach! A handbook for creating and sustaining successful classroom partnerships in inclusive schools. Greensboro, NC: MFI.

Idol, Lorna. Toward Inclusion of Special Education Student in General Education: A Program Evaluation of Eight Schools. Remedial and Special Education (March/April 2006). Volume 27, Number 2: 77 79