Inclusion is an educational approach in which there is a commitment to educate each child in the classroom that he or she would normally attend. The inclusion approach to education is in contrast to the earlier practice in which children with learning disabilities were instructed in special classes separated from the mainstream classes. Federal law does not require inclusion at this point, but
. does strongly encourage this approach. There are opponents to inclusion, however, who argue that this approach is not in the best interest of student education.Inclusion opponents call attention to the potential problem of teacher availability in an inclusion classroom. Many teachers are not sufficiently trained to offer disabled students appropriate, specialized attention and care. Additionally, many teachers are already responsible for large classes of students and may not be able to devote extra time to one student without sacrificing instruction of the others. This could disrupt or hinder the education for the regular students, while at the same time failing to meet all of the learning needs of the inclusion student, thus resulting in a lower quality of education for all students involved. Inclusion opponents argue that it will be difficult to develop higher academic standards and improve the academic achievement of all students in such an environment and that educational quality may suffer.Another argument against inclusion is that the needs of some students may limit their ability to learn in a regular classroom environment. For example, students with attention disorders may not be able to properly focus on schoolwork and learning when the distraction of twenty-five classmates is constantly present. Students with hyperactivity disorders may be a distraction to other students if the teacher is not able to devote enough time and attention to the hyperactive student. Again, student performance and academic achievement may suffer for both the regular and inclusion students.More information concerning the inclusion approach, its benefits and its drawbacks can be obtained at these websites.More reference links: www.sedl.org http://www.weac.org/Issues_Advocacy/Resource_Pages_On_Issues_one/Special_Education/special_education_inclusion.aspx
