EDUL 6023
Pamela
Barnett

Special Education
Information for General Education Leaders
Activity
#1

Background on Effective Inclusive
Practices

Describe the three models of the article.

A.     Mainstreaming is placing special education students
in the regular education classrooms when they demonstrate their ability to
function within the bounds that the regular education teacher has established.

B.     Inclusion requires that the necessary support
services be provided to special education students in the normal classroom
setting when it is appropriate and feasible.  The expectation is that the special
education students will benefit from this placement with no requirements for
the students to keep up with the regular education students.

C.    Full inclusion differs from inclusion in that full
inclusion places special education students in the regular classroom without
consideration of their handicaps or level of severity.  All necessary services must be provided
in the regular classroom.

State the federal laws which relate to inclusive
practices in regular education and the implications of these laws for K-12
schools.

The Individuals With Disabilities Education Act
(IDEA) requires that students with disabilities be educated “to the
maximum extent appropriate” in the “least restrictive
environment” (LRE).  The IDEA
considers the LRE to be the regular education classroom unless other placement
is deemed necessary to meet the needs of the student with disabilities.

Section
504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 requires recipients of federal funds to
ensure that handicapped students are educated in the regular educational
environment to the greatest degree possible.

State the four implications across the case law
actions described in the article.

1.
The educational
benefits of placing the child in a full-time regular education program.

2.
The non-academic
benefits of such a placement.

3.
The effect the
child would have on the teacher and other students in the regular classroom.

4.
The costs
associated with this placement.

State the findings/implications of research
related to including students with disabilities in regular education
settings.

A reduced fear of
human differences accompanied by increased comfort and awareness.

Growth in social
cognitions.

Improvement in
sled-concept of non-disabled students.

Development of
personal principles and ability to assume an advocacy role towards their
peers and friends with disabilities.

Warm and caring
friendships.

Cost-effectiveness.

From the list of recommendations at the
conclusion of the article, state the ones which would most benefit
students in your school based on your observations as a teacher and/or an
instructional leader.

All placement
decisions should be based on a well-developed IEP with an emphasis on the
needs of the child, her/his peers and the reasonable provision of
services.

Before any new
programs are developed, the building staff must agree on a clearly
articulated philosophy f education (an education ethic).  Teachers and support staff must be
fully involved in the decision-making, planning and evaluation processes
for individual students and building-wide programs.

Extensive staff
development must be made available as a part of every teacher’s and
paraprofessional’s workday.
Areas of emphasis include:

i.
Emphasis on
higher-order thinking skills

ii.
Integrated
curricula

iii.
Interdisciplinary
teaching

iv.
Multicultural
curricula

v.
Life-centered
curricula

When developing
programs, consider multiple teaching/learning approaches like team
teaching, co-teaching, peer partners, cooperative learning, heterogeneous
grouping, study team planning, parallel teaching, station teaching, etc.

References

Stout, K. S. (2001).  Special
education inclusion.  Downloaded
3 January 2006 from

http://www.weac.org/Resource/june96/speced.htm.