Inclusion Practices in Education
Special Education Inclusion What is OnWEAC?
Welcome to OnWEAC, the Web site of the Wisconsin Education Association Council.
WEAC represents 98,000
K-12 public school teachers and education support professionals, faculty and support staff in the Wisconsin Technical College System, education and information professionals employed by the state, retired members, and university students studying to become educators.
OnWEAC provides services to members and non-members, including a database of research materials, online access to classroom resources, education news and feature articles, and background on education materials.
Visit the OnWEAC Home Page at www.weac.org to see the latest news, services and educational resources. This article was updated March 15, 2007
Inclusion remains a controversial concept in education because it relates to educational and social values, as well as to our sense of individual worth.
Any discussion about inclusion should address several important questions:
Do we value all children equally?
What do we mean by "inclusion"?
Are there some children for whom "inclusion" is inappropriate?
There are advocates on both sides of the issue. James Kauffman of the University of Virginia views inclusion as a policy driven by an unrealistic expectation that money will be saved. Furthermore, he argues that trying to force all students into the inclusion mold is just as coercive and discriminatory as trying to force all students into the mold of a special education class or residential institution.
On the other side are those who believe that all students belong in the regular education classroom, and that "good" teachers are those who can meet the needs of all the students, regardless of what those needs may be.
Between the two extremes are large groups of educators and parents who are confused by the concept itself. They wonder whether inclusion is legally required and wonder what is best for children.
Welcome to OnWEAC, the Web site of the Wisconsin Education Association Council.
WEAC represents 98,000
K-12 public school teachers and education support professionals, faculty and support staff in the Wisconsin Technical College System, education and information professionals employed by the state, retired members, and university students studying to become educators.
OnWEAC provides services to members and non-members, including a database of research materials, online access to classroom resources, education news and feature articles, and background on education materials.
Visit the OnWEAC Home Page at www.weac.org to see the latest news, services and educational resources. This article was updated March 15, 2007
Inclusion remains a controversial concept in education because it relates to educational and social values, as well as to our sense of individual worth.
Any discussion about inclusion should address several important questions:
Do we value all children equally?
What do we mean by "inclusion"?
Are there some children for whom "inclusion" is inappropriate?
There are advocates on both sides of the issue. James Kauffman of the University of Virginia views inclusion as a policy driven by an unrealistic expectation that money will be saved. Furthermore, he argues that trying to force all students into the inclusion mold is just as coercive and discriminatory as trying to force all students into the mold of a special education class or residential institution.
On the other side are those who believe that all students belong in the regular education classroom, and that "good" teachers are those who can meet the needs of all the students, regardless of what those needs may be.
Between the two extremes are large groups of educators and parents who are confused by the concept itself. They wonder whether inclusion is legally required and wonder what is best for children.