Inclusion+vs.+Exclusion

=**Exclusion vs. Inclusion**= Description/Overview:** In this country, Schools have made dramatic changes in their beliefs and principles of education. In the early days of education, schools were for a very small margin of society and left much of the population out of contention to even attend school let alone succeed. In Present day, schools have become much more diverse allowing just about anyone who wants an education to attend. One of the biggest battles in education has been that of students with special needs to be included in mainstream education. However, education has evolved and began to understand exactly what these students are capable of. During1960’s and 70’s the government decided to step in and create Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, governing and keeping a close watch on education systems who receive federal funds. In the years since there has been a number of federal laws and philosophies limiting exclusion such as [|IDEA 2004], [|FAPE], [|ADA], [|LRE], and [|IEP]. Court cases have also set guidelines for interpreting these laws most notably Oberti vs. Board of Education of the Borough of Clementon School District and Poolaw vs. Parker Unified School District. This is an ongoing struggle that has been emended several times, but the school system is moving in the right direction as far as getting students with special needs into regular education classrooms.
 * (Late 1900’s)**
 * [[image:http://www.dors.state.md.us/NR/rdonlyres/C3691862-3673-4FAC-B0AA-8D0BC89A1A21/0/Classroom6web.jpg width="234" height="175"]]

Before the idea of inclusion was introduced into mainstream education systems the belief was that students with special needs should be in completely different systems sometimes even different buildings. Students were often sent to a completely different school than they would normally attend just to try to find a school that could handle their needs. Before inclusion became a widely held philosophy students with special needs were treated like completely incapable people who needed help just surviving let alone succeeding in an education system. We also believed that students with special needs should be kept in special education classrooms for their entire academic career because that was the only place they could succeed as a student. However after some experimenting with inclusion our philosophies have shifted to that we are now realizing that maybe these students can benefit from being in classrooms with other students and with teachers that understand why a student might be having a hard time with something.
 * What We Believed Before:**

Now after much study on the matter and observing students reactions to being placed in regular education classrooms we have concluded that most students can be successful in a public education classroom and can actually benefit more from modeling their peers and being educated by them as far as social interactions. We’ve also began to learn that students usually prefer to be in a regular education classroom as apposed to a special education classroom. Being placed in a regular education classroom makes students feel included rather than excluded, it also makes them feel like they belong which does wonders for a child’s self esteem. For many students who are placed in special education, special ed is not a way of helping them it is a way of hindering them. Most believe it is not a challenge and that having to sit through it is a waste of their time. After listening to these students and observing them, we ourselves have developed the philosophy that perhaps it is a better idea to place students in a regular education classroom as much as possible and now we have our current beliefs towards inclusion.
 * What We Believe After:**

There are times in schools today where we do not place students in a least restrictive environment, there are also times where we feel that we shouldn’t challenge certain students because they will become frustrated and give up. Court cases involving inclusion has also made it obvious that there is room for interpretation as to who should be included and who shouldn’t and who has made reasonable accommodations and who hasn’t. There is evidence to support both sides of the argument, but if a student wants to learn who are we to deny that? The school system is here to help students achieve personal and academic goals, and if a student wants to challenge themselves that the school system should be there to help them meet that challenge. There are those who believe inclusion is a bad thing, and that we are just putting unnecessary challenges on students who have enough to deal with, but that should be the students choice, if they want to be placed in a regular education class that they can succeed in they should be allowed to.
 * How do Schools Act as if They Still Believe the “Old” Belief:**

//Special Education Inclusion// http://www.weac.org/resource/june96/speced.htm
 * Resources:**

//IDEA 2004 information// http://www.ed.gov/policy/speced/guid/idea/idea2004.html

Keefe, E., Moore, V., & Duff, F. (2006). //Listening to the experts//. Baltimore, MD: Paul H. Brookes Publishing Co., Inc.