The author of this opinion piece provides what he believes to be a definition of the present special education system at it's worst. Special education is described as a team of professionals gathered to plan for the individual. They assess, interpret, break down deficiencies into categories and divide those deficiencies to distribute among a…

Inclusion is generally recognised as an ongoing, active process which reflects shifts in policies, practice and values as well as political choices made over long periods of time. Drawing upon research visits set 10 years apart, this study aims to examine how two schools with clear inclusive aspirations and intentions have weathered the last…

In this paper, I critically examine the discourse surrounding response to intervention (RTI), a US-based education reform that has garnered a considerable amount of attention (as well as controversy) in a very short amount of time. A multi-pronged reform effort, RTI is a tiered approach to delivering instructional intervention to students at risk,…

SWIFT is a national center whose mission is to help educators provide academic and behavioral support resulting in excellence in education for all students, including boys and young men of color. This mission presumes all educators, school and district staff, family members, and the local community have shared responsibility for the teaching and…

The purpose of this paper is to describe a process for teachers, administrators, and families to examine existing structures that support inclusion in their schools and in their children's schools. This research study used Appreciative Inquiry to show how stakeholders can take a more active role to support education reform. History has proven that…

This newsletter theme issue focuses on issues in including students with disabilities in regular education. The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act calls for students to be placed in the least restrictive environment, which is presumed by some educators to be the regular classroom. The drawbacks of separate programs are not felt to be…

This article presents reconstructionism (the process of critique and reformulation of practice) as a useful way to design curriculum in inclusive schools. Theoretical foundations and the use of learner-centered, process-oriented, and communication-based instructional approaches are proposed as promising practices in curriculum design for diverse…

This article looks at curriculum for students with learning difficulties from a British perspective and urges the replacement of behavioral approaches to the curriculum by a process model which emphasizes personal and social development rather than the National Curriculum. (Author/DB)

This paper examines the concept of "outcomes-based education" (OBE), how it was developed, how it relates to other current reforms that encompass the notion of outcomes, and how it relates to students with disabilities in theory and in practice. Outcomes-based education holds that all children can learn and succeed and that schools are…

This research bulletin on inclusion of students with disabilities in general education settings first outlines distinctions among mainstreaming, inclusion, and full inclusion. It explores whether federal law requires inclusion, the "down side" of inclusion, the impact of inclusion on classmates, supplementary aids and services, the…

This digest contains three articles which consider ways to enhance the effectiveness of special education programs. The first article offers guidelines for more fully including special education in the school community, in the context of broader educational reform and restructuring efforts. First the need for reform is addressed. Next, indicators…

This pamphlet provides an overview of the philosophical, legal, and research bases of responsible inclusion of students with disabilities in regular classes. Educators are urged to not disregard the continuum of service placement, which is legally required, but to recognize that most students with disabilities can be educated in regular classes in…

This paper reports on a multiple case study of building administrators in a suburban school district in Oklahoma which implemented a unitary system of inclusion of students with disabilities in age-appropriate regular classrooms. The study focused particularly on how administrators developed shared meanings during the change process. Data were…

This review of performance assessment and special education considers forces influencing assessment changes, performance-based assessment as an alternative to traditional assessment, current use of performance assessment, a critique of performance assessment, the future of performance assessment, and the role of curriculum and teachers. An action…

Emphasizing the constructivist principles of voice, collaboration, and inclusion, this paper discusses the influence of constructivism across the interrelated levels of reform: structural reforms in school organization, pedagogical reforms in classrooms, and development of school-linked human service systems. It concludes with a political-economic…