Although inclusive education has been increasing in frequency for students with disabilities in the United States, for many students, the opportunity to be educated with their peers without disabilities continues to be out of reach despite decades of efforts by those promoting the vision of inclusion. This exploratory case study used interviews…

This research article reports on the experience of a special needs unit within an Aotearoa/New Zealand high school during a period of inclusive change. The study of the special needs unit represented a case study within a larger year-long qualitative study of the school experience. Utilizing the Index for Inclusion: Developing learning and…

What would schools and classrooms look like if they truly mirrored our democratic ideals? In this issue of the Occasional Papers, five authors explore current and historical questions related to the inclusion of children with disabilities in public schools. The history of educating children with disabilities--an ongoing civil rights issue--has…

This study examines the impact of the inclusive environment on student performance. As schools work to comply with the Least Restrictive Environment requirement of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, including students into the general education environment has become the norm as opposed to the exception. The improvement in…

Over the past decades significant changes have occurred throughout all aspects of the field of Special Education in Spain. One of these changes is related to appropriate and effective instruction for students with disabilities and diverse educational needs in inclusive classroom placements. All of these change efforts have created the need to…

Data were collected for 2,752 students from 22 school districts in two states. In one state, approximately 30 percent of the graduates were placed in regular classrooms while in the other state, 16 percent were found in regular classrooms. Approximately 80 percent of severely disabled preschool graduates were placed in self-contained special…

Analyses of play suggested more sophisticated levels in segregated than integrated settings. There were no differences between the two settings in appropriateness of play, type of interaction, percentage of attending to teacher-directed learning activities, or quality or quantity of their language in the two settings. (Author/CL)

A study was made of six special units for children with special needs in secondary schools with emphasis on the relationship of the units to the main school and the organizational and curricular issues which arise in promoting integration. Staff and pupils benefit from the units, and students with varied disabilities are better integrated as a…

Reanalysis of data from a study of the activities of 59 regular elementary students vis-a-vis the Individualized Education Program process and mainstreaming of handicapped students examined practices in which nonhandicapped students were regularly sent to special education classrooms for reasons including instruction and social integration. (CL)

Among findings were that relative locations of special education classrooms are similar for both urban and suburban school systems and that the locations of special education classrooms tended to be closer to the mainstream rather than distant. (SW)

Analyses of 212 questionnaires completed by school districts with mainstreaming programs indicated that placement in the regular class did not enhance individualization of instruction for exceptional learners. Placement in the most restrictive educational environment was, however, a good predictor of individualized instruction. (CL)

Extensive observational data were gathered in high school classrooms for handicapped and nonhandicapped students to establish social norms for comparision purposes, and help determine integrated placement. Significant difference in two behaviors (reading and listening/participation) were noted between the handicapped and nonhandicapped students.…

The article traces the history of mass segregation of handicapped students in U.S. public schools, notes the advent of the concepts of mainstreaming and least restrictive environment, and analyzes such ramifications of mainstreaming as increased numbers of handicapped students in college and re-emergence of "tracking" or ability grouping. (CL)

One of the provisions of the law for special education in Cyprus is for children considered as having special needs to be educated in "special units". The purpose of this study is to investigate and observe the way that "special units" function in the educational environment in Cyprus, paying particular attention to one unit in…

The review of the "Rainbow Connection Instructional Guide" stresses the guide's purpose in assisting the development of model transitional services for preschool handicapped students moving into less restrictive educational environments. Noted is the guide's attention to preparation of parents, roles of training and collaboration, and…