1. Inclusion in Special Education:
Is it effective?
By: Erica Parr
Edu 613
Fall 2012

2. I. Introduction

3. What is it?
●
“Inclusion is when a student with special learning and/or
behavioral needs is educated full time in the general
education program.” (Idol 2006)
●
“All students regardless of strengths and weakness part of
school community” (Obiakor 2012 )
●
“...students’ attending the same schools as siblings and
neighbors, being members in general education classrooms
with chronological age-appropriate classmates, having
individualized and relevant learning objectives, and being
provided with the support necessary to learn.”
– Teaching style “strengthened (though not
specifically required) by 'No Child Left Behind Act
of 2001' and 'Individuals With Disabilities Act
(2004)'” (Kimbrough 2012)

4. What is it?
●
To me as an educator:
– Modifying lessons to accommodate
students of all levels, abilities, and
learning styles
– Special education students
are in regular education
classroom the entire school
day

5. Challenges and Problems
●
Do students benefit from placement in regular
classrooms?
●
Often requires more than one teacher per
classroom
●
Teachers must undergo professional
development to reach special education
students
●
Individualized Education Programs (IEP) must be
well developed (Cromwell 2004)
●
Effectively teaching all students

6. Challenges and Problems
●
Time to collaborate with special
education teacher
●
Special education students disrupting
regular education students
●
Time spent by teacher assisting students
with disabilities vs. the rest of the class
(Kimbrough 2012)

7. Research Support,
Evidence, and Effect

8. Educator Perception of Inclusion
According to the article “Toward
Inclusion of Special Education Students...”
by Idol:
●
Eight schools evaluated (4 elementary,
4 secondary schools)
●
Each school had a well developed
special education program
●
Data collected regarding staff
perception and state test scores

9. ●
Findings 'strongly support' inclusion
according to interviews of staff
●
Teachers became more skilled at
delivering lessons that 'accommodate
students at various levels of learning and
performance'
●
(Idol 2006)

10. Social Effects
●
Students create long-term friendships that
would not be possible without inclusion.
●
Peers can act as role models for social skills
(Inclusion for Special, n.d.)
●
Teaches “respect, care, recognition, empathy”
(Obiakor 2012)
●
Special education students “happier, more
independent, and more motivated to go to
school [and] participate in class” (Kimbrough
2012)

11. Academic Effects
●
Class state test scores not affected (Idol 2006)
●
Improved post school outcomes, especially in
vocational programs
●
Teacher is “more apt to break instructions into
finer parts or repeat instructions”, thus
benefiting all students(Sharpe, n.d.)
●
Higher expectations for special education
students (Inclusion for Special Education, n.d.)

12. Discussion

13. Harbor Beach Middle School's Approach
●
Uses the inclusion model
●
All students attend the same regular education classes
(Math, ELA, Science, Social Studies, PE, Technology)
●
Special Education teacher team teaches with Math
and ELA teachers
●
Aides assist in Science and Social Studies classrooms
●
Teachers modify assignments based on students' IEPs
(less questions, more time, tests read aloud, etc)
●
Teachers differentiate instruction to accommodate
learning styles
●
Some professional development provided to assist in
understanding how to accommodate, modify, and
differentiate instruction

14. My Personal Approach
●
Willing to make necessary accommodations to
ensure student success
●
Instruction should be differentiated regardless;
all students learn differently
●
Training is absolutely necessary; I am
continuing to grow in my ability to reach all
students
●
Amount of success also depends on support
from administrators, special education
teachers, parents, and instructional aides
●
Not an easy task, but I feel the benefits
outweigh the difficulties

15. Strategies and Solutions to Challenges
●
Special Education students should be distributed
across all teachers
●
“Teachers use a variety of strategies, including
curriculum and instructional adaptations, peer
tutoring, cooperative learning, and layered
curriculum”
●
(Sharpe, n.d.)
●
Class size needs to be reduced according to
severity of special education students
●
Teachers need time to meet, plan, and evaluate
students' progress
●
IEP's must be well designed
●
(Cromwell, 2011)

16. Conclusion
●
Inclusion is an effective strategy for
teaching special education students.
●
Benefits outweigh negative
implications when strategy is used
properly
●
Though it requires intensive
preparation on the teacher's end,
helping students of all ability levels
succeed is one of the highlights of
teaching

17. References
Cromwell, S. (2011) Inclusion in the classroom: Has it gone too far? Retrieved from
http://www.educationworld.com/a_curr/curr034.shtml
Idol, L. (2006) Toward Inclusion of Special Education Students in General Education: Program
Evaluation of Eight Schools. Remedial and Special Education, , 77-94.
Inclusion for Special Education Students: Advantage and Benefits.(n.d.) Retrieved from
http://disabilitynetwork.org/education/inclusion-for-special-education-students-
advantages-and-benefits/
Kimbrough, R., & Mellen, K. (2012). Research summary: Perceptions of inclusion of students
with disabilities in the middle school. Retrieved from http://www.amle.org/portals/0
/pdf/research/Research_Summaries/Inclusion.pdf
Obiakor, F., Harris, M., Mutua, K., Rotatori, A., Algozzine, B., (2012) Making Inclusion Work in
General Education Classrooms. Education and Treatment of Children. , 477-490.
Sharpe, Wesley. Special Education Inclusion. (n.d.) Retrieved from
http://www.educationworld.com/a_curr /curr320.shtml