Inclusion of students with disabilities in general education classes is at the forefront of policy and practice; however, many general educators do not feel prepared to provide meaningful education to students with disabilities. It is critical, therefore, that administrators determine the specific professional development needs of their teaching…

Since the passage of PL 94-142, also known as the Education of All Handicapped Children Act, in 1975, special and general educators have been urged to work together to improve the education of children with disabilities through increased access to the general education curriculum. Over the years, the evolution of a collaborative approach to…

This study investigated the beliefs and practices of 28 teachers of the deaf about their practices. The teachers were all working in oral settings either as visiting teachers or teachers in a mainstream school facility supporting groups of students with hearing loss. Teachers who used an Auditory Verbal approach largely adopted a positivist…

This qualitative case study research design investigated puppetry as a holistic constructivist instructional practice for children with learning disabilities that included puppeteers and special education teachers as coresearchers. The purpose of the study was to investigate how puppetry can be an effective instructional practice for children with…

Over the past decades significant changes have occurred throughout all aspects of the field of Special Education in Spain. One of these changes is related to appropriate and effective instruction for students with disabilities and diverse educational needs in inclusive classroom placements. All of these change efforts have created the need to…

The number of pupils with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) who receive their education in mainstream schools in the UK has increased considerably over the last 10 years. Despite this increase, teachers and other support staff face a number of challenges in order to ensure that these inclusive arrangements bring maximum benefits to the children…

Public policy and current educational reforms have challenged schools to close the achievement gap for all students, including those with disabilities as required under the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) of 2001. As schools seek to implement sound instructional practices for students, technology has become a dominant force in schools and society.…

Inclusive education is defined as educating students with disabilities in general education programmes with their non-disabled peers. In order to create a successful learning environment for all children, general and special educators must be responsive to all students' needs. Although inclusive education practices were developed over 15 years…

The practical difficulties of including students with disabilities and diverse educational needs into regular classrooms are apparent in all countries around the world. Successful implementation of the policy of inclusion depends largely on teachers having the knowledge, skills, and competency necessary to make it work. This article presents the…

Inclusion in general education and attention to belonging are the first steps toward greater achievement for all students. This must be followed by improving the core teaching and curriculum to enhance learning of all students through differentiation, and teaching to multiple modalities and learning preferences. For these changes to occur,…

In today's inclusive classrooms, general and even many special education teachers often do not feel confident that they know or are using methods and strategies that researchers have shown to be effective in the general education setting for students who struggle with grade-level reading regardless of whether educators have identified them as…

This study examines the collaborative practices between three sets of special education and English/Language Arts teachers involved in the co-teaching of inclusive classrooms--classrooms consisting of both general education and special education students (SWDs). The study took place in two middle schools in two different school districts in New…

A growing body of evidence suggests teachers first experiences in the classroom have an impact on their effectiveness, their students' achievement, and the teaching practices they will use for many years. New special educators experience many of the same challenges as other new teachers. Both general and special educators struggle with addressing …

Teachers in rural areas are finding that more and more special needs children are being included in their K-12 classrooms to comply with the mandate for a free and appropriate public education even in isolated small school systems. For students with mild intellectual disabilities (MID) this placement is meant to accomplish both the academic and…

The process of organizational socialization sheds light on the difficulty of a university program to effectively socialize its special education teacher candidates into believing and acting on theories of inclusion for students with disabilities in public schools. In general, people are socialized by prior experiences, then the university, then…