Running head: INCLUSION: THE REALITY

Inclusion: The Reality Kate Barnard

Running head: INCLUSION: THE REALITY

Inclusion: The Reality Inclusion, a much-contested educational reform movement, is a slippery slope where it is hard to take an absolute stance. The idea of being able to welcome and include all students regardless of ability, behavior, or cognition is a noble one that in the rhetoric sounds right. Unfortunately, though, we do not live in the rhetoric. In schools today, a successful entirely inclusive classroom is not a reality, but an idealistic fantasy. Schools are not prepared or equipped to handle the demands of an entirely inclusive classroom, but I wish that they were. In an ideal world where school budgets were not fraying as a result of being stretched far, wide, and thinly and resources were limitless, inclusion would be the best model. How can an educational model that is, Essentially about belonging, participating, and reaching ones full potential in a diverse society, not convince anybody otherwise? (Odom, Buysse, & Soukakou, 2011, p. 247) Key to this description of an inclusive classroom is the measurement upon which students success and achievements would be measured; in regards to reaching their own potential. Individualization, embedded into a wonderfully diverse classroom community, would be a crucial cornerstone to the inclusive classroom; and if effectively done an ideal attribute of it. A diverse classroom that would successfully be able to cater to all students, and make all students feel equally worthy and important to the community of the classroom would be the ultimate preparation for the real-world after school. Successfully inclusive classrooms would Promote

Running head: INCLUSION: THE REALITY tolerance, understanding and respect for diversity which may extend even beyond the confines of the school to the community at large (Mowat, 2010, p. 632). If schools were able to raise a community of citizens that respected, understood, and accepted each other the implications for adulthood would mirror similar mindsets and allow for much more acceptance and understanding of diversity.

Not only would successfully inclusive classrooms benefit children both with and without disabilities in regards to acceptance and understanding, but in order for schools to have successfully inclusive classrooms, the quality of instruction in schools would be incredible (Odom et al., 2011, p. 247). In theory, successfully inclusive schools would, Become particularly skillful at responding to the individual characteristics of learners and therefore particularly effective at promoting learning, (Farrell, Dyson, Polat, Hutcheson & Gallannaugh, 2007 p. 142). This deliverance of high-quality instruction and corresponding Accommodations to practice and the gradual assimilation of values in keeping with the promotion of inclusion [would] enhance teacher professionalism, [encourage] teachers to become more reflective in their practice, to the benefit of all childrens learning and personal and social development. (Mowat, 2010, p. 632) While the universal access and participation, acceptance of diversity, and higher quality teaching and assessing that would come with successfully inclusive classrooms all make a strong argument in favor of inclusion, the reality is, in general, schools right now do not have the tools, resources, training, or knowledge of how to make entirely inclusive classrooms successful.

Running head: INCLUSION: THE REALITY The reasons are plentiful why inclusion is not a reality currently for schools;

the strain on teachers, the misalignment of inclusion goals with state standards, and the lack of resources for some of the toughest students. Teachers are often not considered when the inclusion debate arises, but they are a valid concern worth considering as they will be on the front line, sometimes even by themselves. A teacher I currently work with, young and otherwise healthy, developed a mild heart condition a couple of years ago, which had never been present before. She was diagnosed with this condition in the midst of what she considers to be the most difficult year of her life, due to her classroom population that year. The emotional strain for teachers to find more time for instruction is real, especially when teachers often spend so much of their time managing the students in their classroom, preventing blowouts, and making sure all students are attending, engaged, included, and understanding (Long, p.26). When teachers are busy exerting most of their efforts to a handful of students in the classroom, without proper resources and supports, time and energy for the rest of the students and instruction is shaved away. In a study of inclusive schools in the UK, Farrell et al. found that Students in more inclusive schools tend to attain at marginally lower levels than students in less inclusive schools, which was assumed to be due to the lack of availability the classroom teacher has when juggling a lack of resources, and demanding students (2007, p. 137). With these demanding students and lack of resources, teachers of inclusive classrooms would be expected currently to be able to provide adequate instruction to all students as would be evidenced by the standardized assessments which

Running head: INCLUSION: THE REALITY directly reflect the state curriculum standards. Teachers would not be rated,

recognized, or held accountable for how well they nurtured, included, or engaged all students (including some of the most difficult), but only instead on what pieces of the state standards all students had absorbed. All principles of an inclusive educational system would not be reflected in standardized testing, and an additional assessment method would need to be looked into in order to track all aspects of achievement for all students in an inclusive classroom. (Long) Lastly, schools (generally speaking) are without resources, tools, and training to effectively include and instruct some of the most difficult students. In a study of social outcomes in a Hong Kong elementary mainstream school, it was found that students in the inclusive group, meaning the students with special needs who were lower achieving, were found to rate themselves lower in social acceptance, school achievement, and social integration and higher in social rejection than the normal students in the school. (Bick-Har & See-Wai, 2005). This study also cited that Teachers perceptions of inclusive students achievement and behavioral competence were a mediating factor in peers perception of the inclusive students, (Bick-Har & See-Wai, 2005, p. 146). Here lies an issue with schools that are not properly trained to be inclusive. When students with special needs are included but made to feel alienated, rejected, and underachieving in classrooms, they have not been properly included! Why include all students if it cannot be done in a way that promotes social acceptance and understanding? Teachers need to be properly trained with ongoing professional development in order for inclusion to be seamless and effective.

Running head: INCLUSION: THE REALITY While inclusion is a model to strive for, currently The public school cannot be all things to students, and as of right now, there are some students whose

social/emotional and academic needs far exceed the resources and talent of a public school (Long, p. 39). If school budgets were bottomless, if teachers could be provided with effective and proper training to manage inclusive classrooms to benefit students and themselves, and if standards could be realigned to account for achievement, growth, and personal bests for all students then inclusion could be a realistic consideration. However, until then, full and absolute inclusion will be an educational and unrealistic fantasy.

Running head: INCLUSION: THE REALITY

References Bick-Har, L., & See-Wai, Y. (2005). Inclusion or Exclusion?--A Study of Hong Kong Students' Affective and Social Outcomes in a Mainstream Classroom. Educational Research For Policy And Practice, 4(2-3), 145-167.

Farrell, P., Dyson, A., Polat, F., Hutcheson, G., & Gallannaugh, F. (2007). Inclusion and achievement in mainstream schools. European Journal of Special Needs Education, 22(2), 131-145.

Long, N. (n.d). Inclusion: Formula for failure?. The Education Digest, 60(9), 2628. Mowat, J. (2010). Inclusion of pupils perceived as experiencing social and emotional behavioural difficulties (SEBD): affordances and constraints. International Journal Of Inclusive Education, 14(6), 631-648. doi:10.1080/13603110802626599

Odom, S. L., Buysse, V., & Soukakou, E. (2011). Inclusion for Young Children with Disabilities: A Quarter Century of Research Perspectives. Journal Of Early Intervention, 33(4), 344-356.