creating an inclusive school

[...]... Is an Inclusive School? Mary A Falvey and Christine C Givner There is only one child in the world and that child’s name is ALL children —Carl Sandburg An Inclusive Classroom in Action What does an inclusive school look and sound like? The following scenario describes a typical day in freshman language arts class for 32 students attending an ordinary, yet extraordinary, high school in a large urban school. .. students prepare 2 What Is an Inclusive School? bilingual presentations in their languages: one pair in Cantonese and English and the other pair in Spanish and English All visual aids are also presented in both languages The composition of Mr Rice’s class reflects the diversity in most classrooms in the United States At one time, many students in such a class would have been labeled and forced into separate... Mr Rice’s language arts class is not just about accommodations and supports; it is about an attitude and a disposition that a school intentionally teaches by example Once adopted by a school or school district, an inclusive vision drives all decisions and actions by those who subscribe to it People no longer ask, “Why inclusion?” They ask, “How do we successfully include all students?” Inclusive Education... include and effectively educate all students Inclusion benefits not only students with disabilities, but also all students, educators, parents, and community members Experience tells us that as communities and schools embrace the true meaning of inclusion, they become better able to change a segregated special education system into an inclusive service delivery system and to change a society and world... high school classrooms Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications 25 C R E AT I N G A N I N C L U S I V E S C H O O L Strully, J (1986) Our children and the regular education classroom, or why settle for anything less than the best? Paper presented at the 1986 annual conference of the Association for Persons with Severe Handicaps, San Francisco Strully, J., & Strully, C (1985) Teach your children Canadian... segregation and isolation Segregated education creates a permanent underclass of students and conveys a strong message to those students that they do not measure up, fit in, or belong Segregationist thinking assumes that the right to belong is an earned rather than an unconditional human right Norman Kunc (2000) speaks of the casualties of exclusion, or “conditional acceptance.” He suggests that many of... N I N C L U S I V E S C H O O L Inclusive Education: School Restructuring The call for restructuring of American education to establish meaningful educational standards (i.e., student outcomes) and to hold schools accountable for accomplishing those outcomes with every student requires great individual and collective commitment and effort All restructuring efforts in schools require, at the minimum,... • School staff members are facilitating students’ social skills as students interact, relate to one another, and develop relationships and friendships (Delpit, 1995; Noddings, 1992) As the characteristics of the school restructuring movement take hold in more and more schools, inclusion of students with disabilities does not become a separate and distinct action; instead, it occurs simultaneously and... the school restructuring movement and the building of inclusive schools are the same: all students must experience quality education that meets their specific educational needs in the context of political and social justice Summary We have offered a number of ways to define inclusive schools We do not subscribe to any one definition However, we believe that we must create, cherish, and nurture schools... justice occurring in Mr Rice’s class inclusive education—is not the responsibility of schools However, if inclusive education is not the schools’ responsibility, then whose is it? Our country’s systems and institutions teach by example what a country, state, or community values: either inclusion, or segregation and exclusion Inclusive education demands that schools create and provide whatever is necessary . facing children and youth at risk (e.g., gangs, suicide, and dropping out of school) are the casualties of an inflexible, What Is an Inclusive School? 5 13 ASCD Creating an Inclusive School Final. services, and supplemen - tary aids. The standard for denying inclusive education to a student with dis - abilities is very high. CREATING AN INCLUSIVE SCHOOL 4 12 ASCD Creating an Inclusive School. delivery system and to change a society and world intolerant and fearful of What Is an Inclusive School? 9 17 ASCD Creating an Inclusive School Final 4 Print 1-18-04a.vp Tuesday, January 18, 2005 1:06:20 PM Color