Inclusion in the Public School Classroom

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Inclusion in the Public School Classroom What do we do with children with disabilities in the public school? Do we include them in the general education class with the “regular” learning population or do we separate them to learn in a special environment more suited to their needs? The problem is many people have argued what is most effective, full inclusion where students with all ranges of disabilities are included in regular education classes for the entire day, or partial inclusion where children spend part of their day in a regular education setting and the rest of the day in a special education or resource class for the opportunity to work in a smaller group setting on specific needs. The need for care for children with identified disabilities both physical and learning continues to grow and the controversy continues. What is inclusion? Inclusion learning is the idea that regardless of a child’s disability they are considered access to a regular education setting that will provide the learning aides needed for that child to learn successfully. The debate of inclusion learning has been on the table for many years. According to the U.S. Department of Education's report to congress in the 2006 school year there were 701,949 children between the ages of three and five years old being served for special needs under the Individuals with Disabilities Act (IDEA)(17). The IDEA was introduced in 1997 as an amendment to the 1975 Education for All Handicapped Children Act. This amendment was to “to ensure free and appropriate education for children of all learning and physical disabilities in the least restricted environment” (Individuals with DisabilitiesEducation Act Amendments of 1997). One of the purposes of the IDEA law was “... ... middle of paper ... ...09. ed.gov. 27 March 2011 . Fuchs, Douglas and Lynn S. "Inclusion vs. Full Inclusion." n.d. 27 March 2011 . National Center for Education Statistics. "Participation in Education." Web. 2000-2010. of, Individuals with Disabilities Act Amendments. "Individuals with DisabilitiesEducation Act Amendments of 1997." Washington, DC, 7 January 1997. Shapiro, Art. "Special Education Inclusion, Making it Work." 2005. Education World. 27 March 2011 . the, Senate and House of Representatives of. "Individuals with DisabilitiesEducation Act Amendments of 1997." Washington, DC, 7 January 1997. Welch, Tricia. Letter to Author Amy Cuthbertson. 22 March 2011.

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