Teacher s Attitudes Towards Inclusion - 1683 Words

Teacher’s Attitudes Towards Inclusion Cathy Ferraro Concordia University A Research Report Presented to The Graduate Program in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements For the Degree of Masters in Education Concordia University - Portland 2015 Teacher’s Attitudes Towards Inclusion Inclusive classrooms are being enforced and implemented in classrooms across our country. However, the idea of inclusion and incorporating students with special needs in to a general education classroom still remains to be a controversial and â€Å"hot topic† in the education world. The law requires that students with disabilities be educated in the â€Å"least restrictive environment† to meet their needs, which begins with a placement in a regular education†¦show more content†¦The U.S Department of Education’s 27th annual report to Congress on the implementation of The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (2005) indicates that the number of students with disabilities in general education classrooms has risen to almost 50 percent. This is about a 17 percent increase from the 1997 U.S Department of Education’s 19th annual report (U.S Department of Education, 2011). Schools have been making more efforts to increase educational opportunities for students with disabilities, and while there are many benefits to inclusion, there are also many challenges. Inclusion of special education students in a regular education classroom continues to be the center of debate amongst administrators and teachers. Everyone has their own ideas and attitudes towards inclusion, and research studies have revealed that there are many things that contribute to those positive or negative attitudes. Full vs. Partial Inclusion While some schools work towards full inclusion, some are only providing partial inclusion where students with disabilities engage in both general and special education classrooms. In the literature review, few teachers believed in full inclusion and that students with disabilities could not be fully accommodated in the general education setting to succeed socially, and academically without disrupting the flow of the class.