Running Head: ISSUES WITH INCLUSION

IssueswithInclusion
RachelJones
UniversityofSt.Thomas

ISSUES WITH INCLUSION

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IssueswithInclusion

In2011,TheU.S.DepartmentofEducationfoundthatthirteenpercentofall
studentsenrolledinschoolwerereceivingspecialeducationservices.Thismeansina
classroomoftwentyfivestudentstherewouldbearoundthreetofourstudentswith
differingdisabilities.Thesedisabilitiesrangeinseverityandclassificationbutallincrease
thepressureonteachers.Theideaofinclusion,orintegratingallstudentswithspecial
needsintothegeneraleducationclassroom,hasseenanincreaseinimplementationinthe
last20years(Murphy,1996).Intheory,thespecialeducationstudentsinteractwiththeir
peers;whilethegeneraleducationstudentsgainempathyandunderstandingtowards
studentswithdisabilities(Wilson,Ellerbee,&Christian,2011).Althoughthe concept of
inclusion is honorable, in reality, it does not work for every students situation and
changes are needed in special education instruction.
Inclusion is a victory for social justice as it challenges the marginalization of a
subgroup, while promoting the idea that all students deserve the right to an equal
education (Obiakor, Harris, Mutua, Rotatori, & Algozzine, 2012). Supporters of inclusion
believe that all students are more alike than different and including all students will
promote a positive learning environment (Wilson, Ellerbee, & Christian, 2011). Also, if
special education students are held to nearly the same standards as the general education
students, higher academic achievement is assumed to occur. The goals of inclusion are
noble. There are no objections when it comes to promoting equality and fairness amongst
our nations students. However, is this method effective? Does it really provide the best
learning experience for each student?

ISSUES WITH INCLUSION

The theory of inclusion appeals to peoples emotions. The idea of educating all
students regardless of their disabilities within the same classroom, promoting equality
and compassion tugs on ones heartstrings. Disagreeing with an idea like that seems
callous. However, the reality of including students with disabilities plays out much
differently in our nations classrooms. Preparation for teachers is minimum. In Texas, a
teacher does not even have to be certified in special education to teach an inclusion class.
This means a general education teacher can take one or two courses about special
education in college and be expected to meet the needs of all his or her students. In order
to be effective, a teacher is expected to meet the needs of the weakest students while
also devoting time and concern to the strongest students (Mock & Kauffman, 2002, p.
205). Now a classroom could have students with learning disabilities, emotional
disturbances, ADHD, autism, or speech and hearing impairments as well as the general
education students (Mock & Kauffman, 2002). A singular teacher is expected to be an
expert in handling and instructing all of the students diverse disabilities. This is like
going to a medical doctor and expecting him or her to be an expert in all the varying
fields of medicine. Teachers are not prepared to deal with these demanding and varied
needs as students may exhibit disruptive behavior distracting the entire learning
environment or severe medical needs. Not only would these students be under the care of
one teacher, they are also expected to take a state assessment exam and pass. It is not fair
for teachers to be held accountable to this standard.
The key to special education is differentiation of instruction. This means that
teachers must diversify their goals, assessments, and instruction to accommodate and
meet the range of developmental and educational needs of students in their classrooms

ISSUES WITH INCLUSION

(Obiakor, Harris, Mutua, Rotatori, & Algozzine, 2012, p. 482). It is overwhelming trying
to prepare for the diverse needs of students in a classroom. Creating duplicate lesson
plans and accommodating each assignment requires a lot of extra, precious time. For
example, in a 5th grade classroom there might be a student reading on a 1st grade level, an
emotionally disturbed student and an autistic student. For every assignment and lesson,
the teacher will have to shorten, provide visuals, or give extra time to assist the students
(Obiakor, Harris, Mutua, Rotatori, & Algozzine, 2012). Meanwhile, are all expected to
learn the same things in order to all pass the state exam. With such high demands from
special education students, the needs of the general education students may go ignored
(Daniel & King, 1997). When teachers attempt to make learning appropriate, the general
student population may experience boredom, and special needs children may experience
frustration when trying to keep up with the average instructional pace (Daniel & King,
1997, p. 68) Therefore, test scores and academic achievement may suffer for all students
in an inclusion classroom. Not all students are going to succeed in an inclusion
classroom. It is nearly impossible for a single teacher to have expertise on the wide range
of disabilities that could potentially be in his or her classroom. With mediocre instruction,
all students will be negatively affected.
Inclusion in itself is not a bad concept. All students deserve a right to a fair
education no matter their disabilities. However, it is unfair to expect a teacher to be an
expert on all disabilities, as well as know the best strategies and intervention to use in a
classroom. With full inclusion, the special education students and general education
students are not reeving the attention they deserve.

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References

Daniel, L., & King, D. (1997). Impact of inclusion education on academic achievement,
student behavior and self-esteem, and parental attitudes. The Journal of
Educational Research, 91(2), 67-80.
Mock, D. R., & Kauffman, J. M. (2002). Preparing teachers for full inclusion: Is it
possible?. Teacher Educator, 37(3), 202-215.
Murphy,D.(1996).Implicationsofinclusionforgeneralandspecialeducation.The
ElementarySchoolJournal,96(5),469493.
Obiakor, F. E., Harris, M., Mutua, K., Rotatori, A., & Algozzine, B. (2012). Making
inclusion work in general education classrooms. Education And Treatment Of
Children, 35(3), 477-490.
U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics. (2013). Digest of
Education Statistics, 2012 (NCES 2014-015), Table 48.
Wilson, C. H., Ellerbee, K. L., & Christian, S. H. (2011). Best practices of inclusion at
the elementary level. Online Submission. (ED522452).