For years my son needed to be in a self-contained class. He suffered from debilitating anxiety. The smaller quieter class setting gave him a safe place to learn at his own pace. When he was forced into inclusion in middle school, he suffered terribly. I cringe every time an expert says everyone benefits from inclusion. Oh really? You haven't met my son. And the idea that special needs students aren't ostracized in an inclusion classroom is bunk. The minute the other kids realize yours is different, the feeding frenzy begins.

I teach in a school with over 30% students with IEPs. It's not possible to just sprinkle them around -- they are 1/3 of the kids. But..special needs is a very broad term, covering a very wide range of learning, attention, memory, writing, reading, and emotional struggles. Many students with IEPs are not that different than most of the other students, while others need constant additional support. Having one additional teacher in an ICT class of 30 students where 40% have an IEP is usually not enough.

Class size is really important, partly because no one can concentrate that well with 34 people in one room. Even if everyone is behaving and working, that's just a lot of people in not that big a space.

If anything, what the preceding article and all comments following indicate is that many of the most well-intentioned teachers, parents, students, and sometimes researchers are missing the point: read the polarized language that's used in so much of this discussion: "those students," "even the 'normal' kids," "the special needs kids," "inclusion classrooms," "THOSE kids." It wasn't too long ago in our country's checkered past that other minority populations (women, racial or ethnic minorities, members of the LGBT community) were spoken about as "others." What if your child was excluded based on another manifestation of difference? I think this letter recognizes the complexities of inclusive education (of COURSE teachers need to be prepared and trained, of COURSE class sizes should be smaller to benefit all kids, of COURSE finances have to be reorganized) but the point is: it's possible, it works, and the research proves it. Enough is enough.

The idea that inclusion is good is kind of like saying war is bad. It's true that in a utopian way, education should ALL be special, classes should be small enough to teach to everyone in them as individuals vs a median common denominator and teachers should be able to have enough tricks up their sleeves (and enough classroom support) to teach to every different learning need. It would also be awesome if children didn't tease other children who weren't learning in the same way that they learn. We are so far from this place, it would be laughable if it wasn't so sad.

Instead we have large, understaffed classrooms taught by teachers not employing multi-sensory teaching techniques in a system being defined by political leaders who think testing is the key to producing well-prepared citizens. Special ed is treated as one generalized mass of swept-under trash, at least in the NYC education system. I would rather fight the DOE every year to fund my kid's "restrictive" private school education (and it is an epic fight for middle class families like ours) at a place where his learning needs (so-called "disabilities") are supported, then have his confidence battered year after year in the public school system. Been there, done that.

I wish the public better understood the horror that is the current special education system. NY Times: if the issues aren't clear to taxpayers and the voting public, the system will never change. The media needs to do a better job of uncovering and explaining the multitudes of issues at play.

I find the comments here so negative it is sad and disheartening, this is a civil rights issue.
Inclusion is where you start; and students should be removed from general education classrooms only if it is deemed impossible to educate them in that environment.
My son has autism and he has always been "included". If he had been placed into one of our school districts segregated special education classrooms, he would not have progressed nearly as much as he has. Sadly, (and yes, there are exceptions) most special education classrooms do not have high expectations for the students, year-after-year the students are handed the same prek worksheets and rarely are the students exposed to anything close to grade-level curriculum.
The stories of "screaming" children "suffering" in classrooms miss the point, obviously the students being written about were not getting the support and help they needed in order to be included. It isn't that inclusion didn't work -- it's that school staff did not know how to include.

The reporter needs to look at bit more critically at the issue of
class size. Inclusion is great if all students can have their needs
addressed; unfortunately in most NYC schools the class sizes
are very high, even the inclusion classes, which the DOE has encouraged
schools to grow to their maximum levels. This means classes of 28, 30 or
more; few students especially those with special needs can reach their
full potential in classes this large. The other issue is the ratio of
special needs to gened kids; 40% or more is what DOE/SED is pushing for,
which most experts I've spoken to think is far too high.

As a successful learning disabled successful college students I have several thoughts on this article.I think that inclusion, whenever possible, is the best policy. Not all students are suited for inclusion classes but there should be an effort made whenever possible to include students. I think that it is harder to teach all students, regardless if they are learning disabled or not, if the class size is too big because results suffer when there are too many children within a classroom. I think it is also important to remember that all students, including those with learning disabilities, do have academic strengths. I think a conversation which isn't occurring with special education is how we can teach students in a way which helps them overcome their learning challenges while still teaching them at a level that is appropriate for their strengths and allowing students to excel in the areas which they have potential in.I do not think that currently we are focusing enough on students strengths doing a disservice to both students and the education system as a whole.

As a special ed teacher in the NYC DOE I can attest to the fact that saying "all children should be in inclusion" does a big disservice to all children. It is cheaper to just throw all students together and so policy makers are happy to ride the wave of the trend.
Inclusion is a great idea in theory but is far from working for all children in practice. In the same token we can say, "why segregate children by age?" If there is a child in kindergarten who reads on a 4th grade level, which I have seen happen, do we want to put him in the 4th grade? No, we want to create a gifted and talented environment for him. Each child's abilities and needs should be evaluated individually and we should maintain different classroom options. One size does not fit all, as the writer of this article claims.
In my current class there are 22 children, 8 of those with IEPs. All of them are doing great accept of one girl who has severe autism and mental retardation. She cannot follow any of the curriculum, as she is 7 and functions like a 3 year old. I am doing the best I can with little support from the administration, demands of curriculum and testing I have to fulfill. But being in this classroom is plain suffering for her and the other children. She throws tantrums, screaming at the top of her lunges, sometimes when the rest of the class is taking a test. The other student know by now to cover their ears and wait until the tantrum is over or until the para takes her out of the classroom. Is this how they should learn "tolerance" that will help them respect people with disabilities? I am not so sure.
The student put in this classroom based on testing that was done and not repeated since she was 2 years old. I have seen this kind of situation happen year after year in the NYC DOE. parents who know how to advocate for their children, like those who responded to this article, get their kids out of there to a private school. Those who do not end up waiting months and years for placement in smaller settings. The parents of the other students see what goes on in inclusion classes and refuse to put their own children who do not have IEPs there.

The person who wrote this article obviously has had no experience with educating a learning disabled child. My son was once placed in an inclusion class, for science, and failed miserably. The class size was to large & he didn't receive the attention he needed and with to much (and to many other students) it was way to distracting for him.

His school requires he takes electives (wood working, cooking etc) to receive enough credits to graduate from H.S. The amount of credits is the same for him as it would a "regular ed" student. Do you know that these teachers do not even take the time to read his IEP or chose not to follow it. I have to advocate for my son and make sure it is enforced. So what does that do? Single my son (or any other learning disabled child with the same issues) and have the "regular ed" kids snicker or make fun of him/them.

Author, spend a week/month in each of the classes, forget the "statistics" and you tell me the different teaching styles in each class. At the end of the week/month, you tell me which would benefit our learning disabled kids

I think this article is overly simplistic. Although well meaning in nature, I think across the board inclusion is detrimental to many students and often falls short. I am parent to two children on the autism spectrum. My daughter was able to be included fully in regular education only after attending a Montessori charter school after having bad experiences at local public schools. My son attended an academic special day class with meaningful opportunities for mainstreaming. He was thriving in every way, socially, and academically. We moved districts due to work and were moved into a full inclusion district. We have had endless problems. The middle school curriculum is far from anything he can begin to understand, it is taught in a way that even with modifications makes learning too difficult, and his behaviors have increased substantially. I am not the only parent who has this frustration with the inclusion system in our district but rather the majority. Furthermore, everyone sites socialization as a reason for inclusion, but don't take into account negative socialization. Typical middle school students are not always a shining example of appropriate social models, as I am sure most adults will remember. I think the push for full inclusion for all students is as dangerous as mandatory segregation. In many cases it produces children who cannot handle the inclusion model and are warehoused in makeshift rooms in the school instead of gaining access to a valuable special education program. What I would like to see are more schools that specialize in autism> I have seen great gains in social and academic progress in children with autism when their basic needs are adressed in these schools, such as sensory and learning differences, and add to that a staff that specializes in autism and you come up with some pretty cutting edge schools across the country. BTW, when my son was in a special day class over 50 percent of the day, he had a full turn out at his birthday parties, and he was regularly invited to parties and playdates. In his full inclusion school, he has had not one friend or invitation to anything. It has been a huge step down from the education we were recieving, and his social and academic skills have suffered so much we are considering transfering him to another district with a sizable communte.

I knew that my son would not learn to speak and communicate in a classroom full of kids who did neither of those things. I knew my kid would not learn to play in a classroom with kids who didn't know how to play.
Is inclusion difficult? Gosh yes. You need bullet-proof IEPS, you need to battle constantly for the supports your kid and your kids' teachers need. You need a school staff that values inclusion and teaches all students to not only to tolerate diversity, but to VALUE diversity. You need the school's administration to not tolerate unkindness and bullying towards kids with differences.
Many parents opt for segregated self-contained classrooms because they think their kids need a less chaotic small class, but believe me -- a special education class with 10 kids with autism and all the erratic behaviors that come with autism is far more chaotic, noisy and disruptive than a general education classroom of 32 students. The special education classrooms I have seen are all about crowd control, and very little "teaching" happens. I know there are exceptions.
Many parents opt for segregated self-contained classrooms because it is easier, they don't have to advocate as much and it is far less complicated, and I understand that, keeping on top of it all is a full time job and exhausting. It shouldn't be that way, but that is today's reality. The quality of a child's special education services should not be directly attributable to the parent's ability to advocate fr their child, that system creates all sorts of inequities.
Inclusion works when it is done properly and when kids and teachers get the support they need (and yes, accomplishing that is hard).

I would also like to say that if you folks substituted the term "minority kids" with "special ed kids" -- you'd realize how wrong and awful much of what you are writing sounds.

For the educational system to work in NYC,you have to remove the political folk!The mayor clearly should not be running the school system!

Inclusion done well creates community, better teachers and greater outcomes. My child is going to outlive me. Keeping her safe in a segregated environment is not going to give her the same opportunity to make friends who will become her natural support system when I am gone. I am fortunate because our district is committed to creating a culture of inclusion and the supports are in place to make it happen. Will my child learn algebra when the time comes? Who knows, but she certainly won't if she is not exposed to the curriculum. Will she have friends who understand her needs and care about her? Absolutely.

What a hot topic! We should all remember that students who have an IEP have just that: an INDIVIDUALIZED Education Plan.

One size cannot possibly fit all if we are creating a truly individualized approach.

When our son, Sean, was born with significant disabilities, my husband and I decided not to change (lower) our expectations for him. We wanted Sean to go to school with his friends, neighbors and sister. Our goals for Sean were that he would grow up, work at a job of his choosing, have friends, be happy, and be a good citizen and a kind and caring person. We knew that, while academics might be a struggle for Sean, he could not get ready for life in an inclusive society if he spent his school days in a segregated setting. Was it easy? No, but it was easier than the alternative, which for us would have meant giving our son the message that he did not have the right to be in the same classes as his peers with and without disabilities, telling him that some doors were closed to him – just because he had a disabilit;. For us, that was just not acceptable.
When Sean was getting ready to enter the 9th grade, we were asked if it made sense for him to be in a general education English class, learning about Shakespeare. We were asked what would be the point in Sean learning about Shakespeare. What is the point in any 9th grader learning about Shakespeare? We decided that if it was good enough for every other 9th grader, it was good enough for Sean. And, as it turned out, Sean truly enjoyed learning about Romeo and Juliet. With appropriate accommodations and some modifications, Sean enjoyed a broad array of academic and nonacademic activities in high school. He loved school dances and basketball games, and his academic skills increased every year. Sean learned from his classmates, modeling his their skills and behaviors, and they in turn learned a great deal from him. I am sure that because Sean’s disability is visible and it highlights some ways in which he is different, he was teased sometimes. Far more often, though, Sean was supported and welcomed by his classmates.
Did we make the right decision? Sean is an adult now. He is funny, kind and responsible. He has a job, friends, he travels, has fun, recycles and he always votes. Thank you to inclusive education!!!

Too frequently, special education students are included in general education classrooms without providing any support or training for the general education staff on how to change their practices to meet the needs of different learners. Inclusion can only be successful when paired with support and education for the staff involved on how to effectively plan for individual student needs. We believe that many more students can have access to learning when an investment is made in preparing the environment for inclusion first!

www.ramapoforchildren.org

Federal law requires that children with designated special needs be placed in the "least restricted environment" or LRE. That CAN mean inclusion, if it is done well with proper staffing and differentiated instruction. Some children have such overwhelming needs that they cannot be accommodated in an inclusion classroom. That is why, for instance, there are "therapeutic" environments, in which teachers and mental health professionals help students. For inclusion to be the "best approach" depends on the classification and needs of the student, the training of the professionals, and school culture. It is a costly solution -- that's the elephant in the room.

Polakow-Suransky is squarely (emphasis on square) within the increasingly discredited Test Test Test dogma of Arne Duncan, Michael Bloomberg, and others. This simplistic, ante-deluvian approach is doing last damage. It's astonishing that New York is more devoted to conservative teaching approaches than many more politically conservative regions.

The reporter should look into what is a successful model for inclusion in terms of class size and percent of special needs students; both figures are very high in NYC and far above where they should be according to most experts.

I have heard questions about whether class sizes are too high. I have also heard from people who question the ratios. They argue that the city's typical inclusion model of 40 percent special ed and 60 percent general education students in one classroom concentrates too many children with extra needs. The inclusion expert I interviewed in the story said a "full inclusion" model would sprinkle the special education students throughout a school, putting a few in every class with the proper support staff. Here's the problem: would that be too expensive for NYC? Or would it be cost effective (eventually) if the city found a way of deploying existing staffers in different ways?

Could you please respond to parent concerns that the class sizes and
the percentage of special needs students in NYC inclusion classes
are both very high, and work against the potential success of the model?
Many parents of children with disabilities say that class sizes of 28 and
above simply do not work for their children.

Allow me to play devil's advocate and say that not only does the inclusion model not work in many case but I think that we hinder the progress of all of our students by trying to make homogenous classrooms. We need to go back to the A/B/C classroom where the top students are in the A class and allowed to and encouraged to excel, the average students will be in the B class with their academic peers and not made to feel dumb for not being as smart as the nerds in the class and the last class would be reserved for the academically challenged. If part of that academic delay were due to a disability, then they should have a self contained class. Why should my children suffer because they are forced to be in a class with kids who just can't keep up? This is the problem with the US today-do your best, but don't be too good or everyone will hate you. PS-before you judge, I have family that were in MIS classes and I have done well enough becoming productive members of society despite their disabilities.
I could not imagine how disastrous a CTT class would have been. I know that they "screen" kids for inclusion, but when money is tight, I've seen kids get put in classes/schools that they really should not have been assigned to so that the parents wouldn't complain.

As a family member of a family with differing levels of ability as determined by others, the issue of inclusion is often discussed within the networks I work within or access to provide support at different levels. Inclusion as a way of thinking about issues of exclusion which still occur to children each day in schools needs to be considered within its own spectrum where people with disability are able themselves to measure the level of inclusion they have access to within their lives. One must consider that access and inclusion sit together within this argument and that access and inclusion also include time and space requirements for a person to lead a meaningful life, a life that is not dependent upon a determination of difference by people who do not play major roles in the lives of people with a disability. A friend of mine who was having a difficult time with a school her child attended asked a staff member this question. What would you buy my child as a gift for their birthday? What she achieved was to change the context of how her child was seen as an object instead of a person and to identify her child's capacity as a person and not an object. Measurable and accountable practice is required within the spectrum of inclusion for change to occur. Oh and given that this is New York close your institutions where you warehouse people with disability and deny them access to their communities of origin or is that the government response within the spectrum of inclusion for people with disability?

There can be no fair comparison of how a student
functions in segregated or general education
classrooms until each are provide equal access to
support services and accommodations and curriculum
adaptations for students.

NO, inclusion for all children with a disability is not the right choice. It was never the right choice for my child. It took getting out of denial and into a place of accepting her limitations before I was alright with a more restrictive placement.
Not only did she thrive, but she was safe. Her class size was small, her teachers were trained to address her needs, and she was still in a school setting with children in general education. Every day for the past 30 years I have watched my child grow and learn something new. I have learned to appreciate the smallest achievement. Will she ever be completely independent? No. Is she a part of our society? Yes. I give her a day filled with dignity and every opportunity to part of this world. Will every person she meets be nice to her? No. Will most people be touched by who she is? Yes. We do not live in a perfect world. The adult responsible to provide for a child with special needs must be their best advocate and provide for that child's specific needs. It is the responsibility of our school systems to help a family achieve what is best for each individual child. We cannot expect every teacher to be an expert in every disability. That is not fair and not good teaching. You would not expect every doctor to be an expert in every field. Get a large group of parents together that made a decision to keep their child in "special ed" and they will tell you it was the right choice for them.
Any child needs the support of their parents and family. No one should make decisions for ALL children. Walk a day in my shoes and you will know why I made the choices I made. I did the research, I asked for help from professionals and together We made the best choices available. Was it easy? No. Do we still need more changes and better choices? Yes. Can it be done? Absolutely. Ask me. I am a parent of a fantastic mentally retarded daughter. I am not ashamed of the "label". It helped me to find the right services. I am also a teacher for hearing impaired children. I have fought for their needs and have respected the choices of their parents. I have worked with each "individual" child as if they were the only one on earth. Special Education must be choice. General Education must be a choice. Public school and private school must be a choice. We must choose to work together for the best for each child.

The disconnect between theory and practice is growing. As an educator, I encourage everyone to remember that an IEP is individualized; the educational program is a team decision, not a system mandate or system-wide practice. First question the team should ask is: what is best for this individual student? I am not sure I want a college professor, federal agency, or advocacy group dictating best practice for a student receiving special education services. Remember, education is all about providing students with options- one of which could be inclusion. Special education is not a place, it is a service.

There is no "Best" approach. There is no one size fits all. I have two children that go out of district. For them and my family its the right thing to do. I don't like it when these articles come out and just give you one side of the story. Inclusion is not for every child, it doesn't work for every child or every family. The decision should come from the child study team and parents and no one else should decide for us.

Inclusion is the right long term goal, but not always the right short term strategy. Imagine a child reading at the 3rd grade level in 7th grade, sitting in a history class where he/she is always lost -- who is benefiting. At 3D Learner, we suggest the flexible approach, where the student is included where appropriate, and in special education classes where appropriate. The challenge is that special education classes need to be more geared towards catching students up.

Inclusion is the best option. It is beneficial to all students, those with and without disabilities. Students with disabilities will benefit educationally and socially by learning the same material as their classmates and making friends and gaining the social skills they need to succeed in life. The students without disabilities will benefit from becoming more accepting of others, they will learn that everyone has strengths and that even though someone is different, everyone is human and should be treated respectfully. I believe that teachers should work to know all of their students well enough to adapt every lesson to every student so that everyone learns the way that is best for them, not just the students who have disabilities.

I think this article does extreme justice to the importance of inclusice edcuation. It may not be the best for all children but having it be a priority option is a beneficial for children both with disabilities and without. We as people learn from eachother and with eachother, how can we do that if we aren't being taught together?

The positive effects mentioned by Cheryl are very inspiring. If inclusive education has these effects on all students, I think it would be extremely beneficial to implement in all schools. I do still believe that some students, with the severe needs they have, can also benefit immensely from being pulled out of the general education classroom to focus on and practice skills they need to develop, but inclusive education benefits students on many levels and I think it is something that is worth fighting for.

An inclusive setting for my deaf children is one where they can communicate freely with teachers, other professionals, and peers. They have attended a school for the deaf their entire school career, where they have had full opportunity to access academic information without barriers, participate in all activities, become school leaders, and interact with leaders who share the experience of being deaf. In a deaf school they are not "special," but equal members of the community. There is no question about how they will be able to access communication, as there would be in a hearing school. Research that claims that "inclusive" settings are best does not consider the needs of deaf students. Different students have different needs, and treating all children the same is misguided at best. There will always be children for whom a specialized setting is the least restrictive environment.

Our daughter currently attends a school where inclusive education is a part of the culture. She has Down syndrome, and she is included in a kindergarten classroom with all the support she needs. I can't describe the difference it has made to her development to be learning alongside her typically-developing peers, and I only wish that I (as a "typically-developing" kid) had had the opportunity to learn alongside students who had different strengths and weaknesses than I do. Thanks so much, Ms. Jorgensen, for this article, and for your advocacy for integration in our classrooms.

In philosophy, I agree with Dr. Jorgensen.
When done well, with teachers, administrators, and
parents working together in small class sizes, inclusion
can work. But all elements have to be there. Years ago,
I (I was a Special Ed teacher) was part of team to launch inclusion, my principal gave
me and a classroom teacher one semester to plan before
implementation. We did a smashing job. That luxury
today appears no where to be found. It takes careful
work, good IEP work as well as a good solid look into
the future, making sure there is a balance.

Although there are many challenges to overcome when implementing an
inclusive classroom, I believe that the benefits far out weight the
difficulties and that it is the best option for special education students.
When done correctly and with the right resources all students in the
classroom can benefit from inclusion. I have worked in a classroom
where inclusion is practiced and see that it can be very
successful. In an environment that is open to all types of
learners, more students can have their needs met and are
challenged and encouraged to accept their peers as they are, regardless of their disabilities. Inclusion is an idea that seems
ideal in theory, but financial and logical issues may get in the
way, these are valid reasons to not fully support the idea of
inclusion, but I don't believe they are good enough reasons to
completely abandon the model. For inclusion to be successful, a
school community needs to fully commit to the inclusion model. And
as educators we should always be trying to overcome any obstacles to
give all our students the best education possible.
disability.

I think this article does a great job addressing some of biggest reasons that one should consider inclusive education to be beneficial for all students. I thought it was great that they not only addressed how it would be beneficial to the students with disabilities, but also it would be beneficial for others. It made so much sense to me when they said, a society that separates children in education is likely to seep separations and barriers through all other aspects of life. This article brought up very valid points.

such a great letter - there are no more excuses. thanks!

I agree, inclusion is important. Our children need to see and be aware of children and adults with any type of disability. This is how children become accepting of differences. There is a social aspect to this. Without inclusion, children don't learn how to be accepting, instead they bully and tease and have no tolerence for people who are different. As parents it is our responsility to teach empathy - lead by example.

I have been a teacher of children with special needs in New York City since 2001. I've worked in inclusion and self-contained settings and I do believe it can work, but there is no way to do it on the cheap. Special needs means more staff, more intense PD, more time during school hours for teams of professionals to coordinate. It also takes enormously inspired leaders who believe that everyone learns in different ways and resist the crushing dominance of the test-driven mentality. I wish I could say that NYC's move towards inclusion on a greater scale meant a belief in moving our school cultures towards embracing neurodiversity and Universal Design for Learning. But I don't. I haven't seen evidence of it at all; instead I see jobs for special ed teachers dwindling and our integrity as professionals coming into question by uninformed bureaucrats who look at testing stats and don't see "progress." Get those kids out of the self-contained classrooms and into the place where "real challenges" are. Have you ever had a child melt down or burst into tears in front of you at the mere suggestion of testing? Have you ever tried to track the micro-levels of reading progress in a child with dyslexia from one year to the next? Have you ever had to protect children in your class from the aggressive outbursts of a child struggling with expressive language and debilitating anxiety? This is the work of special ed teachers and we love the constant problemsolving and out-of-the-box thinking it demands, but there is often little room for good teaching of children with special needs in the relentless pace of mainstream school. The world of special ed is just so much more nuanced than is indicated in the public debate. The issues are framed so that their many variables are collapsed into trite either/or scenarios. Here are my concerns, coming straight from the field: 1) Models for inclusion are only as effective as the schools in which the inclusion is happening. Anyone who knows how to teach children with special needs knows that it's an impossibility to deliver individualized instruction in the context of a rigid, test-driven curriculum mandated from outside. In such settings, teachers are not encouraged to think responsively and flexibly about the fit between task and child, and the child is expected to conform to the task, not the other way around. 2) The tests which measure the progress of typically developing children are inappropriate for many, though not all, children with special needs, because they don't accurately capture the learning that they are doing. Gains can be infinitesimal but significant for the child in question. 3) The costs of retraining the general ed teachers to work with a greater range of child, not to mention collaborate in an informed manner with related service professionals like occupational therapists, social workers and speech therapists is huge. I'm in favor of it, but will it happen? Or will such services be cut in service of the fantasy that being given academic challenges erases children's unique learning impediments?

As far back as I can remember to Graduate school, my professors always said, "Special education is a service not a location." I have always tried to live by that but after ten years and having had my own Early Intervention Agency in Westchester and returning back to the Public Schools to teach I heard my principal talk about this very same idea. Though I see this as great move I think we quickly forget the reasons as to why we separated kids by disabilities. But in this day in age educationally sound decisions are not made by educators but rather politicians and political interests groups. Need I remind you that we are living now with Special Education was as a result of hard faught battles for rights for our students. Now, in this rapid infusion of our Special Education kids into General education might completely sink an already sinking ship.

@Hugh Sansom: you are right. They talk the talk, use the buzz words (inclusion, responsive classrooms, Readers' and Writers' Workshop), but they actually want a 1950s style classroom environment: sit down, shut up, do your work.

It is completely irresponsible for Beth Fertig to focus on special ed for kindergarten students without acknowledging the radical changes in kindergarten. As I have personally informed her and WNYC and the New York Times via SchoolBook and Facebook, Kindergarten is now 6-7 hours of sitting and listening. It's completely inappropriate for the "normal" 4- and 5-year old student, let alone children with learning disabilities.
You need to include the information that kindergarten now has no play time, no rest time, no nap time, and no outdoor recess on half the days, let alone no daily gym as required by NY State Law.
Let us add that many special ed students barely know their names and the profoundly or severely disabled would be as good as neglected in a "regular" class.

Katy - I got your message, glanced at it, and then it disappeared and I can't figure out if you sent it through FB or gmail. Will you send again? Thanks, Cheryl

Students with special needs need special care with excellent teachers in a variety of levels of inclusion. Unfortunately, when we adopt new models it seems the new model is for everyone and decisions are NOT made specifically for the benefit of each student. They are made for the benefit of the school budget. I have experienced many students with special needs becoming a positive addition to a classroom, but I have experienced students who are a major distraction to other student's opportunity to learn. Nevertheless, these students, who are not benefiting from inclusion and who are not allowing others to learn, are forced into inclusion plans because time, programs, teachers, money, etc. are not available. Special needs students need REAL independent educational plan (IEP) that benefit each particular student in whichever levels of inclusion they can achieve academic success, without being detrimental to other students' learning. That's the answer.

I remember a time when the number of classes for 'special needs children' was extremely small. Most children were placed in learning appropriate classes by design, but most children were also considered capable of socialization and learning without the help of pharmaceuticals. Yes, those children were subject to some ridicule, but so were the children who were fat, skinny, late bloomers, wore glasses, or lived in a 'different' neighborhood.
We learned how to adjust to each other, to make friends across boundaries....in other words, we learned about a world that contained different people from different backgrounds with different needs....and in all of that, we learned how to care for each other and help each other through the rough times of life.
Now, there seems to be an extensive proliferation of children who are drugged into behaving properly, when a nice, stern, firm hand would do the honors quite well once upon a time.
We've segregated our society in such a way that the fragmentation has become detrimental and exclusionary.
But then, I remember a different America too....

Inclusion has to be done right to work! That is the key. Differential learning would help the child with anxiety.

Mine and my son's experience continues to be exhausting in public school. I feel there is such a degree of lip service--I attend IEPs regularly and find that strategies agreed by all tend to not land in print and/or get exercised. It gets to the point where I feel like withdrawing my son. Recently the supports in place to support my son's learning style are dropping at an alarming pace. It seems that my son's condition high-functioning ASD and spd are often treated as behavioral. He is presently still attending but I am researching options. He is seven and I want him to have a childhood to remember for the right reasons. The good news is he is mannerful, moral and progressing socially. We have two excellent therapists (private hires), who get him and give me additional support. Too much pressure for someone so young...

I wanted to add that the problems are not with his peers or the other children...so far he is largely embraced by them. The difficulties are with the lack of compassion and/or understanding by the adults involved in guiding him. I wish more educators would consider becoming more learned re: autism and Sensory processing disorder. Would help to recognize that my son and others 'can't' rather than 'won't'.

I believe inclusion is a excellent concept but it is not for everyone. I was student with a serious Learning Disablity/other challenges and was always included in all the classes. I receive Resource Room and had a notetaker. I think if the student is going to be Regular education they need to attended all classes and be willing to do what is excepted of them. I may require modifications such extended time or shorten assignments but they should be able to master the material. Sometimes it may require a strong work ethic.For example I was on the Regents track and use to spend 3hours a night on homework/reviewing materials because of how badly I wanted to be successful. Inclusion all work out for me and I received my BA from Curry college back in 09. However I don't like believe it is for everyone for example if you have a disablity such as mental retardation. Our school occasionally put them in regular edu with support of 1:1 aide, Resource Room twice a day, and remendial Reading Program. Although it is great to see them give a chance I don't believe is right that only took English, Reading, History and Business or vocational classes while being included in the Regular class.I don't believe this right as they asking to included but they can't achieve the academic program that is providing for inclusive classroom services they shouldn't be included. By being in special Education classes it could provide more academic and social growth rather than modifying the regular program.

Not necessarily. The students need to be recommended for inclusion based on indicators that they will do well in this setting.

As it is now, the 'inclusion for all' crowd has corrupted an essential component of special education- simply that it is an INDIVIDUALIZED educational plan. Too many kids are shoved into inclusion that cannot learn in this setting.

For some students, it is 100% beneficial to spend part, most or all of the day with their general ed peers. For some students, they need a more restrictive environment for a period of time while learning the necessary social and emotional skills to behave appropriately in general ed.

Simply, we like inclusion because it cost less.

Including special education students in the mainstream would work to enhanced the learning experience of the special education students.The students would get the opportunity to be exposed to a wider range of instructional materials.Learning along side their non-disabled peers, would allow them to develop relationships that they ordinarily wouldn't, and in turn, their nondisabled peers would get to know them and work with them, which would work to enhance their learning styles and allow them to achieve at a higher level. The special education students would feel more accepted, less isolated, and in turn, it would build their self esteem. This would spike a higher rate of achievement and a lower rate of behavior difficulties.

This is not about education its about money. Ask any teacher inclusion classes are a failure. I have witnessed classes with multiple banging their heads and rocking their chairs. They are a distraction for all the students in the class especially the borderline ones.
If this is such a great plan ask Walcott and the mayor to place their children or close relatives in this type of class

My 7 year old son has been in a self contained class for the last year for emotionally disturbed children. Prior to that he was in general ed at another school - terribly depressed, constantly harassed and bullied (I was a witness to this). While I do feel that he is missing out academically emotionally and behaviorally he is doing so much better. It makes me sad to say this but I don't want him going back to general ed....now I can tell how much the bullying was affecting him.

After 35 years of teaching high school English, I am completely radical on how inclusion should work in English and Language Arts courses. No assigned full-length novels for anyone. Instead, students should always be reading independently, and any specific reading that the whole class needs to do should be read together in class. I did this, and it meant that sped kids, along with everyone else, could choose reading appropriate for them--books they could succeed at reading and love. The model used now is that the whole class reads the same book, and the sped kids are tutored through it. It's terrible for the sped kids whose skills don't improve and in addition have the stigma of having to be tutored through a book. And it's not even good for most of the rest of the class, who all read and different levels and have very different interests.
http://teachloveofreading.blo...

Inclusion is of major importance in the elementary school, particularly in small districts, where acceptance of special needs kids is critical to their development. As students get older it is progressively less important.

Inclusion has worked for our son, who has a significant intellectual disability and experiences Down syndrome. He just entered high school and benefits each and every day he is educated alongside his nondisabled peers. During the few times that he has experienced congregated, segregated classrooms he has come home with new strategies to get attention learned from those he was with in class (strategies that bring him negative attention... not startegies that any of his nondisabled peers would choose). We all learn much of our social skills from those around us. When all kids with disabilities are grouped together, the social learning opportunities are not as rich or as socially valued as they are in the typical classroom. Bottom line? Segregation on the basis of disability is against the law for a reason. It harms nearly everyone and should not be tolerated in school or within the broader community.

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This letter quotes several studies. These studies focused almost exclusively on mild to moderate disabilities. I have 6 children. 5 have/had IEPs and 1 has a 504. I have one with profound learning disabilities who is in a fully inclusive program with the exception of his resource room time. . . which would be eliminated with the idea of full inclusion. How do you suppose the "reteaching" and individualized support be provided to my son if all access to support is removed. It's ludicrous to think that one size fits all. It's irresponsible to use inclusion as the only means to justify education. Social Justice is NOT an educational component. It is appropriate, but educating a profoundly disabled youngster in a typical 11th grade English class for the sake of "the regular ed" kids (to teach THEM how to be around disabled children), is completely missing the point of "individualized" education. I am truly appalled at the "inclusion" movement and the idea that they have ALL the answers and that those parents who do NOT want inclusion as a full time program for their children, are somehow doing a disservice. I find that offensive. I am a special education teacher with a degree in speech therapy as well as completing my Educational Administration program next year. I support the spectrum of services that allow for as much inclusion as a child can actually gain benefits from and then the extra support to allow for the actual gaining of skills that will foster independence and self-advocacy. Please don't insult those of us who have actually read the "studies" quoted and imply that somehow we remain uneducated on the benefits of inclusion, or that we are maintaining some sort of "barbaric" education system. Shame on those who claim to support education and children yet criticize and condemn those whose studies clearly point in a different direction.
Renee Curkendall