Special Education: Mainstreaming and Inclusion

At the heart of the public education system in an institution so simple and so logical that is comes as a shock to many that it raises such constant debate - special education. While the term typically evokes the image of impoverished children with mild learning or mental disabilities, special education refers to an entire spectrum of students who require specific modified instruction, from severely mentally challenged children to exceptionally gifted children.

Regardless of the type of special education, some people believe that special and regular education classes should be combined and all students should be able to learn together in the same environment. This idea is absurd and special needs students should be given the specific attention they need in order to provide the most conducive environment for every student.

The idea of integrating special needs students comes in three stages - mainstreaming, inclusion, and full inclusion (IDEA, 2004). Mainstreaming is the practice of introducing special needs students into a small number of regular education classes to be determined by each students individual potential in each subject and takes place in most public school districts in America, though it is not mandated by the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) (2004). Many districts use mainstreaming as a means of introducing special needs students to the outside world in an attempt to prepare them for the 'real' world that awaits them after high school.

Inclusion refers to placing special needs students in regular education classes along with an aide focused in special education. The idea is to allow the special education students the chance to learn together with regular education children while still having the added attention from the aide thus giving the students the added instruction they require. Many schools have experimented with this idea with mixed results.

Full inclusion is the act of eliminating special education altogether and instructing all students, no matter their disability, in the same classroom at the same time and with the same material. The purpose behind full inclusion is to show that all children are equally worthy and should be treated as such.

While good in theory, integration of special needs students into regular education classrooms is absurd. Placing special needs students in regular classrooms creates a greater distraction from learning and hinders the education of every student. Because of the special needs students, excessive time and resources must be spent in order to teach the same ideas that can be put across much more easily for regular education students. Because of this, the regular education students fall behind and because of the lack of expertise in the special education field on the part of the teachers, the special needs students do not learn much at all.

By keeping special needs students in special needs classes, regular education students learn at a regular pace and special education students get the extra attention they need in order to maximize their learning. Mixing the two hinders everyone's education, while keeping them separated is most conducive to each and every student.

Inclusion is a bad attempt to make people feel important rather than a real solution to the issue of special needs students entering the outside world. While many people would agree that it is best to wean the students into the 'real' world, the fact of the matter is that they will always require special attention. No matter what, special needs students will still have special, making inclusion essentially futile.

Special needs students are defined as such for a reason. They require extra help and attention and a modified course of instruction in order to maximize their learning potential. Special education is a teaching subject of its own and special education teachers have the skills and knowledge required to help special need students make the most of their potential and maximize their learning capabilities (Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2007).

Although mainstreaming and inclusion may seem like a good idea and an effective way to incorporate special needs students into society, it is a far better idea to ignore the notion altogether. Teaching special needs students to function normally in society is one of the main focal points in special education, and no matter what kind of education is provided, people with special needs will always have those needs, so it is far more beneficial to keep special education students in special education classes.