ERIC ED350802: Teachers' Opinions on the Implementation and Effects of Mainstreaming.

41 Pages·1992·0.45 MB·English

by  ERIC

DOCUMENT RESUME
ED 350 802
EC 301 616
AUTHOR
Barton, Michele L.
TITLE
Teachers' Opinions on the Implementation and Effects
of Mainstreaming.
PUB DATE
[92]
NOTE
46p.
PUB TYPE
Information Analyses (070)
Reports
Research /Technical (143)
EDRS PRICE
MF01/PCO2 Plus Postage.
DESCRIPTORS
*Disabilities; Elementary Education; *Inservice
Teacher Education; Literature Reviews;
*Mainstreaming; Questionnaires; *Regular and Special
Education Relationship; Surveys; *Teacher
Attitudes
IDENTIFIERS
Chicago Public Schools IL
ABSTRACT
This paper presents a review of the literature and
results of a study on regular teacher attitudes toward mainstreaming
of students with disabilities in regular classes. Emphasis is on
mainstreaming experiences in Illinois, especially Chicago, public
schools. These efforts are related to concepts of the least
restrictive environment and the regular education initiative. The
study queried 31 Chicago elementary teachers about their attitudes
toward mainstreaming. Reported positive attitudes were not supported
by a small pilot study. Both the literature and the study indicate a
basic support for mainstreaming but also the critical need for
regular class teachers to be provided with inservice training,
supportive assistance from special education teachers, and
administrative support. The questionnaire (and tabulated results) and
graphs are attached. (Contains 22 references.) (DB)
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Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made
from the original document.
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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
Olitce of Educational Rematch and Impravegrnt
EDUCVIONALRESOURCESINFORMATION
CENTER (ERIC)
This document has been reproduced as
received from the person or organisation
originating
Mmor changes have been made to improve
reproduction Quality
Teachers' Opinions on the Implementation
Points of new or °gluons stated inthis CIOCu-
and Effects of Mainstreaming
merit do not necesaardy represent official
OERI position or policy
Michele L. Barton
The purpose of this study is to investigate teacher's opinions of
mainstreaming and the regular education initiative.
In Illinois, the
R.E.I. has two main focuses: 1.
To provide those students already
identified as eligible for Special Education, their services in the general
education classrooms, with supports and aids.
To reduce the number of
2.
students requiring Special Education through pre-referral interventions.
The goals of the R.E.I. are to merge the two separate systems of General
and Special Education.
An immediate solution to a practical problem is needed.
Results
of this study can be used by administrators and special educators for
purposes of applying and developing practical mainstreaming programs within
their schools.
In some cases, this study could be used for improving
programs already existing.
Examination of the pro's and con's of
mainstreaming will be discussed.
The impact on regular classroom teachers
and special educators, their concerns and recommendations will be included
in this study.
THIS
PERMISSION TO REPRODUCE
GRANTED BY
MATERIAL HAS BEEN
Michele L. Barton
RESOURCES
TO .-4E EDUCATIONAL
INFORMATION CENTER (ERICI
BEST COPY PARABLE
2
Brief History and Developmental Background
"There are widely divergent opinions and interpretations regardiTg the
implementation of the least restrictive environment (LRE) mandates and the
The primary purpose of
programs that promote full integration of students.
the Education of All Handicapped Children's Act is to provide children with
The determination of
handicaps with a 'free appropriate public education'.
the least restrictive environment must be made individually and annually
for each child, and the process must be documented in the child's
When the school district proposes, because of the
handicapping condition.
IEP, to remove a child from the regular education environment and to place
and
that child in a segregated facility, the decision must be justified
(Semis, No. 141, Feb., 1991).
documented."
The Regular Education Initiative (REI) is not a mandate but a concept,
1. Students
according to Lieberman (1990), which focuses on two issues:
classroom will not be
with learning problems in the regular education
automatically referred to special education and consequently be identified
2. Students with a handicapping condition will not
as handicapped.
automatically be taken from the regular education classroom or environment
The REI concept is based on the
and placed into a separate environment.
of
belief that children with mild handicaps can appropriately receive most
REI
their education in the regular classroom with supplemental services.
3
is not specified by state or federal law, but is does provide opportunity
for teachers and administrators to this about better ways to organize and
Many schools in Illinois,
provide services to special needs children.
including some schools in Chicago, have implemented instructional
strategies that support REI.
With Public Law 94-142, Section 612 states: Least Restrictive
Environment--The state agency must demonstrate that the state has
established procedures to assure that to the maximum extent appropriate,
handicapped children, including children in public or private institutions
or other special classes, separate schooling, or other removal of
handicapped children from the regular educational environment occurs only
when the nature or severity of the handicap is that education in regular
classes with the use of supplementary aids and services cannot be achieved
(Chicago Board of Education, Dept. of Spec. Ed, 1990).
satisfactorily.
in reaard to Payment and Withholding-
According to Section 614
(B)
whenever a state educational agency, after reasonable notice and
opportunity for a hearing, finds that a local educational agency or an
intermediate educational unit, in the administration of an application
approved by the state educational agency has failed to comply with any
requirements set forth in such application, the state agency shall make no
further payments to such intermediate educational unit under section 620
4
until the state educational agency is satisfied that there is no longer any
(Semis, March, 1990).
failure to comply with the requirement involved.
Issues and Opinions
The essay "Rethinking the Regular Education Initiative: Focus on the
(Gersten & WoodwaL7d, 1990) reviews the forces that
Classroom Teacher",
Special Education has been largely unsuccessful in its mandate to provide
In many cases, pull out
instructions in the least restrictive environment.
services have failed to meet the educational needs of these students and
(Gersten & Woodward,
have created barriers to their successful education.
Iliterpreting the Regular Education Initiative as a directive to
p.7)
return all special education students to the classroom is a overstatement
The increased number of minority students placed
of its original intent.
In
in special education has caused a "tracking system" to be in effect.
addition to this, another major fear discussed is that once students are
Gersten &
place in pull-out special education programs they rarely leave.
Woodward (1990), investigated special education services in three urban
schools and found that only 4% of students served in special education
programs left the program.
Ysseldyke in 1989 (Gersten & Woodward,
Through a study perfDrmed
1990) it was determined that the quality of instruction provided in pull-
the
out settings was not significantly better than instruction provided in
5
However, teachers in both areas felt that since special
general classroom.
The
education classes are smaller, the curriculum is more skills oriented.
pace is slower and there exists larger amounts of one-to-one instruction.
Some argued that these features were a mixed blessing for those with
Due to the fact that some students are
relatively minor learning problems.
serviced in a resource setting, there is a tendency by some regular
It was
classroom teachers to feel less responsible for their learning.
noted that many special educators feel "a genuine concern that regular
education still is not ready, in either attitude or instructional
capabilities to adequately meet the needs of students with special needs".
(Gersten & Woodward, p. 9).
Teachers in the regular classroom tend to feel overburdened with not
Observations
enough resources, rewards, or incentives being offered.
showed that teachers are natural emulators and are receptive to feedback on
Suggestions to
new practices when delivered by an experienced teacher.
Cruickshank, in his study
teachers should be clear and must be achievable.
1990) found that when
as investigated by the authors (Gersten & Woodward,
teachers carefully and systematically analyzed their use of new teaching
strategies, they gained new insights into their roles as teachers and
student learning increased significantly.
6
Patti Ralabate (1989), in her role as chairperson of the Connecticut
Education Association Special Education Caucus, hears frDm a number of
Some of their
regular and special education teachers in her home state.
With REI, more students with learning problems are remaining
concerns are:
in regular education classes and are being provided'with minimal
"consultation: services from special education specialists; special
education teachers and specialists are being asked to maintain their
present class/caseload sizes plus serve as consultants to numerous other
students in the regular classrooms; special education teachers and regular
education teachers are not being provided with additional time in their
schedules to consult with one another; there are no special education class
size/caseload maximums in Connecticut to protect students from being placed
In some districts, teachers are being discouraged
in overcrowded programs.
The mainstreaming component of
from making special education referrals.
the IEP is not clearly defined and is often left to the discretion of the
According to Ms. Ralabate (1989), "This leaves
special education teacher.
the special education teacher in the position of negotiating with the
building administrator about which class or environment is deemed
appropriate for both academic and/or social integration purposes."
Special education began as a commitment to meet students' needs on an
In "Integrating Students with Disabilities: Questions
individual basis.
7
and Answers for Chicago Public Schools: a spokesperson for the Dept. of
Special Education & Pupil Support Services (1991) stated, "Unfortunately,
some of the outcomes of the special education system have not been
As children reach adulthood, there are too few employment
successful.
Separate education has resulted in
opportunities available to them.
In the city of Chicago, one in every nine or ten
unequal opportunities."
children has a disability; about one in a hundred has a disability that
It has taken special educators
impacts them severely in daily life.
fifteen years to develop the methodologies to support meaningful
integration in the local schools to benefit all children.
The Chicago Board of Education continues to advocate maximum inclusion
of special needs populations while teachers and other special education
advocates continue to seed the best educational opportunities for students
Dr. Thomas Hehir,
(1991)
regardless of the social ideals of mainstreaming.
Assistant Superintendent for Special Education and Pupil Support Services
He believes every principal
advocates a cross-categorical resource room.
should take responsibility for serving the 7 to 8% of students with mild-
to-moderate behavior problems and mild-to=moderate leaning disabilities.
Dr. Hehir stated there would be no wholesale transfer of children into
It will be a gradual change.
regular classes.
8
BEST COPY AVAILABLE
Chicago Teachers Union members disputed the effectiveness of broad
Carldell Cade, Union District Supervisor (Chicago Union
mainstreaming.
Teacher, June, 1992), argued that the practice of adding non-disabled
students to classes achieves the social goals of inclusion, but it does not
These changes are the
consider needs and abilities of individual children.
foundation for the CTU's opposition to this type of mainstreaming.
Teachers are complaining of having to teach different curriculum to such a
The union is insisting that the boa::d follow
broad spectrum of levels.
Teachers feel
policies which will result in the best educational outcomes.
Inclusion is occurring whether a child can
accountable to these students.
The unions's view is that inclusion should occur
benefit from it or not.
when the members of the multi-disciplinary team feel the child can benefit
from the change.
In the past, educating students in the least restrictive environment
meant self-contained classes for students requiring special attention.
According to the union, Dr. Hehir has reinterpreted LRE to mean that self
The CTU is not aware of any in-
contained classes ar "too restrictive."
services planned for teachers or any new programs to address teachers'
Teachers present at the forum later commented that they feel
concerns.
pressure to change directions in writing IEP's and specifying fewer
9
specific services to make them appear as if the needs of the children are
moderate rather than severe.
During the past three years, The Churchill Center for Learning
Disabilities in New York City has been asked by several independent schools
to offer specific recommendations for developing more effective services
and instructional techniques for learning disabled students who are trying
The Churchill Consultancy Team, comprised of
to cope with mainstreaming.
Churchill staff members, spends approximately 2 weeks interviewing
administrative staff, observing and speaking with classroom teachers, LD
specialists, and the school psychologist; and meeting with students and
The Churchill Team (Fagin, 1988) strongly recommends regular
parents.
training workshops to help sensitize teachers to the problems and need of
The classroom
the learning disabled child in the regular classroom.
teacher would then understand whether they can work effectively with the
natural range of learning styles and abilities.
The National Joint Committee on Learning Disabilities (1991) developed
a paper based on an investigation of what teachers felt was needed for
The list as summarized, included providing in-
effective mainstreaming.
service programs for those school personnel who have not previously had
such training in the following areas: child and adolescent development;
individual differences; spoken and written language development and