What to examine when inclusion is not yet working well across a school community.
# Is Your School Failing at Inclusion?
If you think your school is failing at inclusion, it does not mean that inclusion does not work. It actually means that your school is failing to successfully create an inclusive educational environment. There is an important distinction, and understanding it is the first step toward making things better.
The Right Attitude
Inclusion succeeds when stakeholders such as administrators, teachers, parents, and community members all believe that, as a society, we are better together than we are apart. The priority for social justice drives a belief that all students deserve equal educational opportunities that are meaningful and purposeful. In addition, there is trust in years of empirical research, which has found no benefit to educating the majority of students with special needs in self-contained classrooms.
Intentional Inclusive Behavior
Successful inclusion does not just stem from a desire to do what is best. Inclusion relies on an intentional, well-informed, properly prepared infrastructure. Inclusive schools use resources from a variety of sources within the district and community to provide appropriate learning supports to the student in the classroom. These supports include instructional strategies, Individual Education Plans, paraprofessionals, health professionals, and assistive devices.
Appropriate Teacher Training
Inclusion is successful when teachers are trained and prepared to teach in classrooms that are inclusive. Before entering the classroom, they are equipped with knowledge and tools to cultivate a welcoming environment, identify student needs, use research-based instructional strategies to teach diverse learners, and assess individual progress. Professional development is ongoing through collaboration with school staff, workshops, conferences, and access to teaching resources.
Once there is a belief, a commitment to a standard of education, and appropriate training, it is possible for inclusion to come to life. We need to stop blaming the failure of inclusion on the concept itself and start looking honestly at the school's failure to create inclusive environments. The good news is that every one of these barriers can be addressed.