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##  What Does a Principal Need To Know about Inclusion? ERIC Digest.             

Inclusion is the meaningful participation of students with                      disabilities in general education classrooms. To practice inclusion             successfully the school principal and staff must understand the                 history, terms, and legal requirements involved as well as have the             necessary levels of support and commitment. HISTORY AND                       TERMSThe word inclusion is not a precise term, and it is often              confused with similar concepts such as least restrictive                        environment (LRE) and mainstreaming. Educating children in the least            restrictive environment has been mandated since the 1970s, when it              was a major provision of the Education for All Handicapped Children             Act (P.L. 94-142). The law states that:  To the maximum extent                  appropriate, children with disabilities...are educated with children            who are nondisabled; and that special classes, separate schooling,              or other removal of children from the regular educational                       environment occurs only if the nature or severity of the disability             is such that education in regular classes with the use of                       supplemental aids and services cannot be achieved satisfactorily (34            C.F.R. Section 300.550). 
Mainstreaming. 
As practiced in the                 1970s and early '80s, mainstreaming was an attempt to meet the LRE              requirement by moving students from separate schools and classes to             regular education classes for part or all of the school day. Often,             students received their academic instruction in special classes and             their time with nondisabled peers was spent in nonacademic                      activities such as lunch, recess, physical education, or perhaps art            and music. 
The Regular Education Initiative (REI). 
In the                   mid-80s, the Regular Education Initiative gave more responsibility              to general education teachers and staff in the education of students            with disabilities. The expectation was that the student would                   receive special education services, but would still participate in              the general education classroom with the general education teacher              assuming responsibility for at least part of the student's                      education. 
Inclusion. 
Inclusion implies that students will be               taught outside the regular education classroom only when all                    available methods have been tried and failed to meet their needs. If            a student is pulled out of the general education classroom for                  instruction in another placement, the intent is for the pullout to              be temporary and for the student to be reintegrated into the general            education classroom as soon as possible. REGULATIONS GOVERNING                INCLUSIONThe laws and regulations governing the placement of                students with disabilities do not imply that every student with a               disability must be included in the regular classroom all of the                 time. Rather, the law requires that a continuum of services (of                 differing types and at different levels of inclusivity) will be                 available for every student, and emphasizes that the student's                  individualized educational program (IEP) is to be based on the                  student's specific needs. The law also describes how to determine               the appropriate placement for a student. Information governing                  placement decisions can be found in the Individuals with                        Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), 34 C.F.R. Section                            300.552. 
Continuum of alternative placements. 
Federal                       regulations require that a continuum of placements be available and             include instruction in regular classes, special classes, special                schools, home instruction, and instruction in hospitals and                     institutions. Supplementary services (e.g., resource rooms,                     itinerant instruction) must be provided in conjunction with regular             class placement. In other words, students with disabilities must be             included in general education settings to the maximum extent                    possible, but they do not have to be included when inclusion does               not meet their particular needs. 
Determining the appropriate                  placement for a student. 
The IEP Team determines the child's                  program and the aids and services the child is to receive. The IEP              is the child's individualized program and includes a description of             the steps taken to delineate the child's needs. 
Considerations                about inclusion. 
Inclusion is preferred because the general                   education classroom is where other students of the child's age are              located, and students are usually in the same class as other                    children they know. Removing students from the general education                classroom creates a stigma. When students leave the general                     education classroom to receive support, they are losing valuable                instructional time. When inclusion is successful, all students-those            with and without disabilities-benefit. 
However, full inclusion is             not the best placement for all students. The general education                  classroom is typically not individualized. Special education                    classrooms are often more structured than general education                     classrooms, thereby improving the chances of success for students               who need more structure. General education teachers and staff often             are not trained to work with students who have significant needs,               and if appropriate supports are not provided, students may fall                 further behind their peers. Finally, not all services can be                    provided in general education classrooms. 
The Oberti test. 
Court            cases have produced guidelines that can be helpful in determining               the best placement for a student. One of these is Oberti v. Board of            Education (995 F.2d 1204 [3rd Cir.1993] 19 IDELR 908), which                    specified three considerations for determining placement: (1) the               steps taken by the school to try to include the child in the general            education classroom; (2) the comparison between the educational                 benefit the child would receive in a general education classroom,               including social and communication benefits, and the benefits the               child would receive in a segregated classroom, and (3) possible                 negative effects inclusion would have on the other children in the              general education class. PREPARING AND SUPPORTING STAFFIt is              up to the principal to prepare the school and the staff for                     inclusion and to provide the backing, in both resources and                     commitment, to make it succeed. There are specific steps a principal            can take to prepare staff: 
* Ensure that staff is aware of the                legal requirements and terms. Explain supplementary aids and                    services. 
* Make sure that staff and teachers know that most                  students with disabilities are already educated in general education            classrooms most of the time and are included in almost all of the               noncurricular activities. Point out that the majority of students               with disabilities have mild disabilities. 
* Reassure teachers that            while they will need to make changes in their instructional methods             and materials, support will be provided. 
* Explain that while many            students with disabilities have participated successfully in                    unstructured activities, they often do better in structured                     activities. 
* Be sure staff understand that decisions made                    regarding children with disabilities are individualized decisions.              Some students may have needs that must be addressed outside of the              general classroom, but they will be placed in outside settings only             after efforts to meet their needs in the general classroom with                 supplementary aids and services have failed. 
* Explain that large             numbers of students with disabilities will not be assigned to any               teacher (e.g., only one or two per class). 
Principals need to                 ensure that students with disabilities are assigned evenly among                classrooms and to provide the time and staff development teachers               will need. 
Time. 
Ongoing time throughout the year is needed for             planning, meetings, in-service training, and conferences. Regularly             scheduled meeting times should be built into the schedule so that               teachers can work, plan, and reflect on what has occurred. Reserved             time each day is ideal, but reserved time each week may be more                 feasible. The time can be as little as 20 to 30 minutes. 
When                 problems occur, special meetings may be necessary. Allow time and               support for staff to attend those meetings. Do not overburden the               same teacher with potential problems every semester. Plan with                  teachers who will work with specific students and discuss how                   teachers will work together to meet students' needs. 
Staff                    Development. 
In-service sessions should be planned around what                teachers say they need to learn about students with disabilities. It            is best if in-service providers are able to come back and answer                implementation questions within a month or two of their sessions. If            the in-service providers cannot offer the information needed, bring             together teachers and staff to help determine what additional                   information is necessary to solve problems. Provide opportunities               for teachers and staff to attend conferences related to students                with disabilities. 
Commitment. 
How can a principal demonstrate              commitment to all students in the school? There are a number of                 ways, including attending and participating in IEP meetings, asking             how students are doing, providing positive reinforcement for good               work, and providing positive reinforcement when teachers and other              staff are working together to meet the needs of students with                   disabilities. RESOURCESErickson, R. Ysseldyke, J., Thurlow,               M. & Elliot, J. (1998). Inclusive assessments and accountability                systems. Teaching Exceptional Children, 31(2), 24-29. 
Kerns, J.               F., Kleinert, H., Clayton, J. Burdge, M. & Williams, R. (1998).                 Principal supports for inclusive assessment. Teaching Exceptional               Children, 31(2), 16-23. 
Oberti v. Board of Education (995 F.2d                1204 [3rd Cir.1993] 19 IDELR 908). 
Vaughn, S., Bos, C. S., &                  Schumm, J. S. (2000). Teaching exceptional, diverse, and at-risk                students in the general education classroom. Boston: Allyn &                    Bacon. 
Walther-Thomas, C., Korinek, L., McLaughlin, V. L., &                  Williams, B. T. (2000). Collaboration for inclusive education:                  Developing successful programs. Boston: Allyn & Bacon. 
The                    Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, 34CFR Section                      300.550 (1997). 
The Education for All Handicapped Children Act,               34CFR Section 300.552 (1975). 
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Excerpted from Bateman, D. &            Bateman, C. F. (2001). What does inclusion mean and what does a                 principal need to know about it? In A principal's guide to special              education. Available from the Council for Exceptional Children,                 Arlington, VA. Order Number P5356, 888.232.7733. 
ERIC Digests are             in the public domain and may be freely reproduced and disseminated,             but please acknowledge your source. This digest was prepared with               funding from the Office of Educational Research and                             Improvement (OERI), U.S. Department of Education, under Contract No.            ED-99-C0-0026. The opinions expressed in this publication do not                necessarily reflect the positions of OERI or the Department of                  Education.                                                                   **Title:** What Does a Principal Need To Know about Inclusion? ERIC Digest.             **Note:** Digest number E635.                                                          **Document Type:** Information Analyses---ERIC Information Analysis Products (IAPs) (071); Information Analyses---ERIC Digests (Selected) in Full Text (073); **Target Audience:** Administrators, Practitioners                                                **Available From:** ERIC Clearinghouse on Disabilities and Gifted Education, Council for            Exceptional Children, 1110 North Glebe Rd., Arlington, VA 22201.                Tel: 800-328-0272 (Toll Free); Fax: 703-620-4334; e-mail:                       [email protected]. For full text: http://www.ericec.org.                   **Descriptors:**  Administrator Role,  Change Strategies, Compliance (Legal),                    Decision Making,  Disabilities, Educational Change, Educational                 History, Educational Trends, Elementary Secondary Education,                     Inclusive Schools, Mainstreaming, Principals,  Student Placement            **Identifiers:** ERIC Digests                                                                 
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