Preparing Preservice Teachers for Inclusion in Secondary Classrooms

In 1975, PL 94-142, The Education for all Handicapped Children Act paved the way for students with disabilities between the ages of 5 and 21 to be educated whenever possible with students without disabilities. The subsequent amendments to this law, the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act of 1990 and then of 1997, continued this mandate while making refinements in areas such as due process, categories served, and discipline. These pieces of legislation, together with the Regular Education Initiative (REI) movement of the 1980s, have resulted in the current programming model in many areas of the country--full inclusion of students with disabilities. In 1997, the U.S. Department of Education indicated that 95% of students with disabilities are educated in regular schools (cited in Lewis & Doorlag, 1999). The implications for practicing teachers have been vast. The role of special educators has changed dramatically, with a shift from direct provider of instruction to facilitator and consultant. This change has resulted in increasing concern among teachers in this group. A study by Schroth (1997) found high levels of concern among special educators in two districts moving toward inclusion regarding information issues, personal demands of inclusion, and also how inclusion would be managed. One district implemented a plan for training teachers, providing opportunities for visitations of inclusive schools, and sharing information; a post survey indicated that the levels of concern in this group had decreased while those of the control group remained the same. Similarly, the new, more direct role of the general education teacher has demanded an increased understanding of various types of disabilities, types of appropriate curricular and instructional modifications, and interactions with the students with disabilities in the classroom (Sabornie & deBettencourt, 1997). Collegial coaching and staff development programs in these areas are vital and must be implemented as secondary schools move to an inclusive model (Ruder, 2000). Teachers have a fight and a responsibility to be prepared for the task at hand. Teacher education programs are in a position to ensure that preservice teachers acquire the knowledge, dispositions, and performances required to succeed in educating students with disabilities before they get to the classroom. Moreover, special education standards of the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE) state that "professional education programs should prepare all school personnel to contribute to the education of exceptional learners" (cited in Connard, 1984, p. 1). This, together with the Regular Education Initiative, has resulted in "many states requiring introductory level special education coursework for all preservice teachers and inservice teacher recertification" (Powers, 1992, p. 1). However, requirements for coursework in special education for those planning to teach in general education varies by state, and sometimes within states for elementary vs. secondary programs. The good news is that even one required course appears to yield significant differences in attitudes and instructional competencies among preservice teachers (Powers, 1992). It cannot be concluded however, that these changes necessarily manifest in satisfactory instruction once the teacher is practicing. Hopefully, this caution can be avoided with a variety of teacher preparation models that are becoming more and more common. What are some of these models? In addition to enriched models alluded to above, where students take perhaps one course which introduces them to special education issues, there are several others. One option which has been developed in several areas of the country involves merging regular and special education into a unified program of study, such that issues discussed in courses focus on all children, including those with disabilities (Kemple, Hartle, Correa, & Fox, 1994). …