ERIC EJ966512: Inclusion: A Catalyst for School Reform

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by  ERIC

Inclusion: A Catalyst for School Reform

Keith J. Hyatt
Ana Christina DaSilva Iddings
Scott Ober

A Case Study Published in

TEACHING Exceptional Children Plus

Volume 1, Issue 3, January. 2005

Copyright © 2005 by the author. This work is licensed to the public under the Creative Commons Attribution
License.
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Inclusion: A Catalyst for School Reform

Keith J. Hyatt
Ana Christina DaSilva Iddings
Scott Ober

Abstract

This article tells the story of one elementary school faculty who responded to the call for
accountability by adopting an inclusive view and implementing educational practices where all
students were welcomed and considered valuable, contributing members of the school
community. The inclusion of students with disabilities in the general education setting did not
negatively impact the accountability measures for the school; in fact, the school received a U.S.
Department of Education Blue Ribbon Award. This article briefly describes the process and
challenges faced by the faculty, parents, and students as the school began a restructuring plan
focused on the inclusion of all students in a supportive school setting.

SUGGESTED CITATION:
Hyatt, K.J., DaSilva Iddings, A.C., & Ober, S. (2005) Inclusion: A catalyst for school reform.
TEACHING Exceptional Children Plus, 1(3) Article 2. Retrieved [date] from
http://escholarship.bc.edu/education/tecplus/vol1/iss3/2
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Introduction included two early childhood special
The purpose of this article is to education teachers and two assistants, two
describe the process undertaken by the special education teachers and assistants,
faculty and staff of an elementary school to and one self-contained special education
transform the school from one that offered teacher and assistant.
the traditional, pull-out special education The school was located in one of the
services to one that provided special largest school districts in the nation. The
education supports in an inclusive manner. vast majority of students with disabilities in
The process took several years, and we the district received their special education
describe that process along with the services through the traditional pullout
challenges undertaken and the successes model, and the district operated four
achieved. A brief description of the school segregated, special education schools along
prior to the change is provided followed by a with a plethora of self-contained special
description of activities undertaken each education classrooms located on general
year as the school became more inclusive. education campuses. So the idea of
Hopefully, our story will help others realize developing an inclusive school was met with
that schools can change and become skepticism from a variety of sources
inclusive institutions that value all children including parents, teachers, and district
who walk through the front doors. personnel.

The School Year One – A Reason for Change
The elementary school was located The year began as usual, with the
in a large metropolitan area in the two special education teachers and their
southwestern United States and had an assistants providing pullout special
enrollment of approximately 850 students education services in the resource room and
from preschool through fifth grade, having relatively little contact with the
gradually growing to over 1000 students. general education teachers or curriculum.
To accommodate the large number of The self-contained classroom was
students, the school operated on a year- designated as a program for students with
round schedule, where approximately 20% severe learning disabilities and only one of
of the students and teachers were on break at the eight students was in our attendance
any given time; this ensured that there were zone, so the others were bussed in from their
enough classrooms available to home schools. The teacher in the self-
accommodate the students. While between contained classroom and her assistant
8 and 10 students were bussed in from other provided instruction in the self-contained
school attendance areas to attend a self- classroom.
contained special education program, the During the first part of the year, a
majority of students came from the local parent of a kindergarten child with a
neighborhood, which included families in degenerative disability inquired about
the middle and lower-middle class enrolling her child in an inclusive classroom
socioeconomic status. The school had an at this because it was the home school. She
ethnic mix of approximately 12% African- explained that the prognosis for her child
American, 18% Hispanic, 3% Asian, and was poor and the doctor had predicted a
67% White. Students spoke twelve different relatively short lifespan, and she did not
languages. The transience rate was want him to be bussed to a special education
approximately 35%. Special education staff kindergarten to be educated only with
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children with disabilities. The him and thought he belonged somewhere
administrators and parent discussed the else. In fact, his death really helped the
child’s needs, and the principal told the entire school staff realize that they had done
parent that they needed to review the IEP to the right thing for this young boy and his
determine what services the child needed, family. Shortly after his death an area of the
and then ensured the parent that her child kindergarten playground was dedicated in
was welcome at the school and the IEP team his memory.
would develop a plan to ensure that he This tragic death combined with the
would receive his special education support training from the University of Vermont
in the general kindergarten setting. One helped the team realize that they should
thing that was done almost immediately was work with the faculty and staff to re-
the purchase of supportive playground evaluate the provision of special education
equipment, so the child could participate in services. Shortly after returning from
recess activities with his peers. Vermont, the principal and other team
Since the child had intensive needs, members shared the information with all
the principal contacted professors at the faculty and staff at the regularly scheduled
special education department in the local staff meetings. There was some faculty
university. As a result, a partnership resistance to suggestions that we implement
between the school and the university was an inclusive education model. Five major
developed with the goal of providing areas of concern expressed by general
training and consultative support to ensure educators included: 1) lack of training
that children, particularly those with more necessary to work with children with
severe disabilities, who attended this school, disabilities, 2) unfamiliarity regarding
were provided with supports in an inclusive educational expectations, 3) potential impact
setting. As part of the partnership, a team children with disabilities would have on the
from the school consisting of the principal, classroom, 4) the extent to which teachers
kindergarten teacher, and the parent joined a would have to change current practices to
team from the university and received accommodate these children, and 5) whether
training on inclusive programming at the children with significant disabilities really
University of Vermont. During the training, belonged in the general education
when the team was in Vermont, the child classroom. Additionally, special education
who was the catalyst for this whole process teachers expressed some concern regarding
died. This certainly impacted the team and the different role and function they would
helped the school team realize that the serve in the school.
inclusive process was the best model of The idea of developing an inclusive
schooling and could serve to help transform school was presented at an ideal time,
their school. What they had noted was that because staff had already been discussing
during the child’s last few months, he was the idea of implementing a shared
with other children without disabilities, governance process that would include input
engaging in activities with his typically from parents and other community
developing peers (with supports), and was constituents. This process provided an
provided the opportunity to attend his opportunity for faculty to fully discuss
neighborhood school just like every other concerns and brainstorm solutions.
kindergarten child in his neighborhood. He Part of that discussion included
was not bussed off to a distant program revisiting the school mission and developing
because the home school refused to serve a motto. Included in the discussion was the
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question of whether we really believed that educational needs of a particular child.
“all children could learn” or just repeated However, as a team, the faculty could
the phrase without really considering the identify and provide supports that would
real meaning. After several discussions and enable them to work effectively with all
small group meetings, the following motto children.
was selected, “We Celebrate All Children.” Before the beginning of the next
Prior to accepting this motto, the staff school year, the name of the resource room
discussed what the motto meant and whether was changed to the Creative Learning
it really embraced the beliefs at the school. Center, and it became a place where any
While this may seem simplistic, we had to child could go for assistance. Additionally,
discuss what it really meant to celebrate all the administrators and self-contained teacher
children and clarify to whom “all” referred. met to discuss including those children in a
In particular, did all mean only those general education classroom. This teacher
children who spoke English, only those who strongly supported including her students
acquired academic skills easily, only those and volunteered to be the first special
who didn’t have disabilities, or all children education teacher to co-teach on a regular
who attended our school. The staff basis. Two general education teachers were
determined that it really meant that as a identified and they volunteered to be the
school, we would celebrate the learning of general education teacher for these children.
each child, the culture of each child, and the Parents of the students were then
humanity of each child, regardless of ability. called and IEP meetings were re-convened.
This discussion and clarification of values We reviewed the progress each child had
naturally invited a discussion of living up to made on his IEP and then discussed the idea
those beliefs and beginning the process of of providing special education and supports
transforming the school to an inclusive in the general education setting. Several
school where all were valued and celebrated parents were concerned with the proposal.
– a difficult thing to do when children are This is probably understandable, because
segregated and placed in special education others had recently told these same parents
classrooms. that their children needed self-contained
In addition, to in-house discussions, special education services due to the severity
other professionals from the local university of their disabilities. To help alleviate any
and the school district were invited to concerns, the parents were assured that if
faculty meetings to discuss inclusive their children were not making progress,
practices. The university faculty, in they could be moved back to a self-
particular, provided a degree of credibility to contained setting.
the idea of inclusive education. They spoke
about trends, best practices, benefits for Year Two – Closing the Self-Contained
children with and without disabilities, and Classroom
provided information regarding curricular The students from the self-contained
adaptations and modifications. The range of program began their school year in general
speakers helped demystify the process and education classrooms with supports
ensured faculty that they did have the skills provided by the self-contained teacher and
needed to develop an inclusive school. In her assistant. Other students continued to
addition, the faculty realized that inclusion participate in the pullout resource room
was a process and no one would be expected (Creative Learning Center) as they had in
to know all the answers regarding the the past. This year allowed one special
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education teacher to demonstrate that the two weeks of unreturned phone calls and
supports could be provided to children in the haggling with transportation, we let the
general education setting without disrupting students leave 3 minutes early. We agreed
the educational environment. In fact, as the on three minutes, because little actual
staff talked among themselves, they heard instruction occurs during the last three
that the special education teacher and her minutes of school and there was no other
assistant were actually providing supports to way we could fit all the busses into our bus
other students in the classroom who were turnaround. It seems that, to settle our
having difficulties, thus the teachers were dispute, the transportation department went
able to successfully teach more children. to a different school and picked up their
Those who still had doubts began to children 15 minutes early before coming to
understand that the children with and our school. It is just too bad that some kids
without disabilities were able to learn within had to lose 45 hours of instruction.
the context of the general education setting. During that year, as part of the self-
These children did not have to be self- governance plan, the staff development
contained to learn. In fact, the children committee had provided training to the
began interacting more with their peers entire staff on special education issues,
without disabilities than they had when they effective instructional strategies, and
only saw them at recess or were those changing the school culture regarding the
“special kids” who came to art or PE but education of children with disabilities. The
really weren’t part of the class. At the cultural change included expectations that
beginning of the year, the self-contained teachers would take responsibility for the
teacher told the administrator that learning of all students in their classrooms
transportation wanted to pick the students up coupled with the assurance that teachers
15 minutes before the end of the day so they would be provided with supports necessary
could get to another school to pick up to ensure that they could succeed at this
students (remember most of these students task. As a whole, faculty accepted the
were bussed to our school). Considering responsibility of working together to ensure
that 15 minutes per day times 180 school that all children received an equitable
days = 45 hours of instructional time, this education. This was done in anticipation of
was an arrangement that would not be the changes that would be implemented in
acceptable. When considering the school the following year.
motto of “We Celebrate All Children” At the end of the year, the district
letting children who have difficulty learning notified us that they would be moving the
due to their disabilities leave 15 minutes self-contained classroom to another school
early and lose 45 hours of instructional time, but would allow us, after some serious
would be in conflict with that motto. It negotiating, to keep the self-contained
would really be a demonstration that we teacher and her assistant for one more year.
valued their education less than that of When parents of the children heard about
children without disabilities - we certainly the program move, some came to talk with
wouldn’t have let parents of children us. Interestingly, those parents who had
without disabilities pickup their children 15 been most nervous about the inclusive
minutes early every day. Now, the programming were now vocalizing their
transportation department was not entirely concern that the next school might try to
thrilled with our unwillingness to let the self-contain their children. They noted that
children leave early. So after approximately their children had developed friendships,
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increased their self-esteem, liked going to major changes during that year, except the
school, and had been learning. remaining resource room was shut down for
half the day; thereby, freeing up that teacher
Year Three – Changes for the Resource and her assistant to provide supports and
Room services in the general education settings.
During the third year of our school’s
transformation, we closed one resource Year Five– No More K-5 Resource Rooms
room, but there was still one resource room Following a remodeling of the
providing pull-out support throughout the building, the resource teachers were each
day. The teacher and her assistant from the provided with an office, but no classroom.
closed classroom were now responsible for The expectations at the school had gradually
providing special education and supports in changed during this process and it was a
the general education setting or in alternate natural occurrence for the special education
settings. This required a professional stretch teachers to work directly with the general
for all involved. Teachers were not education teachers. Thus, the Creative
necessarily accustomed to team teaching Learning Center no longer existed.
and/or consulting, but the special education However, any student who required
teacher and her assistant were provided with additional assistance was still able to receive
the freedom to develop their own schedules that from one of the special education
so they could visit with classroom teachers, teachers if necessary.
identify curricular adaptations or Some Final Stories and Thoughts
modifications, determine the supports that During this time, we did have two
would be provided for different instructional students with severe disabilities who
units and schedule when the services would required additional adult assistance. The
be provided. assistants were trained and were expected to
The special education teacher and provide support to other students whenever
her assistant did not provide all supports in they could without depriving the child with
the general education classroom. They did a disability of the service he or she required.
hold small group reading and math One year, we had a child enroll who
instruction with children from multiple used a wheelchair. The thresholds of the
classrooms; however, the groups did not entry doors were high and she was not
necessarily consist only of children with strong enough to wheel herself over the
disabilities. In many cases, children who hump. Since we wanted to encourage
were falling behind, children who had independence and let her enter the building
missed content due to illness, or children herself, we contacted the maintenance
who were English Language Learners were department and asked that a small incline be
incorporated into the small instruction placed in front of the doors to make then
groups. accessible.
Since our school was operating so
Year Four – Continued Change differently than others in the district, we
We began this year with one less frequently found re-writing IEPs and
special education teacher and assistant, ourselves reviewing when students came to
because the district reassigned the self- our school. Two cases stick out. One was
contained teacher and her assistant. an intermediate student who came from
However, we still had two special education another school in the district where he
teachers and two assistants. There were no received pull-out resource support in
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academic areas. He read at a pre-primer he responded that they had the equipment at
level, and his mother stated that he really the school and had a full time teacher. The
disliked school. We talked with them and administrator noted that we had full time
described how we would be able to meet his teachers at our school and if the child
needs in the general education classroom needed the equipment, it needed to come to
with supports rather than pulling him out of the school. Consequently, no equipment
class. He reluctantly agreed, but two came (because the child didn’t need it) and
months later, his mother reported that he the district employee could not justify why
liked school, was learning to read, and the child should be moved. We later found
readily got up for school in the morning. out that the self-contained classroom was
That was quite a change for this young man short on students – only three students and
who was not accepted and valued as an one teacher. Makes you wonder about
individual and not stigmatized by his people’s motivations.
removals to the special education class. The
other student came to us from out-of-state In closing, we firmly believe that the
where he received special education in a inclusive program developed at the school
self-contained classroom. After reviewing was superior to the traditional model. While
his IEP, we were confident that we could this school reform was conducted prior to
meet his needs in the general education the passage of No Child Left Behind
classroom after we made some adjustments (NCLB), there is nothing in NCLB that
for supervision. When he transferred to would have directly impacted the changes
another school, his foster mother stated that implemented. This process of restructuring
this was the first time he had been in a with an emphasis on inclusion really did
general education classroom and that he had help transform a school, and it is difficult,
really looked forward to coming to school. probably impossible, to know if the change
He even began to develop a friendship with in philosophy drove the change in behavior
one of his typically developing peers. or if the demonstrated success of inclusive
When the administrators assigned programming changed the beliefs and
students to different teachers, they attempted philosophy. We think there was probably a
to balance the classes by gender, ethnicity, little of both.
achievement, primary language, and In our school, children were referred
disability. This was done to ensure that each to as children. You just simply did not hear
classroom was representative of the the phrase “special ed” kids at the school.
diversity that made up our community. Faculty and staff developed a common
Attention was paid to ensure that a student ownership of all children and we hoped that
who spoke only Spanish was in a class with all children felt that they were valued
other Spanish-speakers. members of the school. Another phrase or
During this time, the administrators two you never heard was “see him? He is an
battled advocates who tried to place children inclusion student” or “Mr. Smith is our
in self-contained settings as well as school fourth grade inclusion teacher.” Those
district personnel who wanted restrictive phrases imply that it is still acceptable to
placements. On one occasion, a district exclude students, but since students were
employee asked if the administration would evenly spread across classrooms, they were
support moving a child with a visual our students and that type of useless labeling
impairment to a self-contained classroom did not occur.
several miles away. When asked the reason,
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Of course, inclusion is a process, community to promote inclusive
and we still had work to do. Two things that practices. www.inclusion.com
were a priority were developing an inclusive 3) Family Village – This site provides a
early childhood special education program wealth of information on inclusive
and improving services to our growing practices from a global perspective
number of English Language Learners. and has numerous links to disability
Since we left the school for other positions, sites. www.familyvillage.wisc.edu
we can only hope that those were priorities 4) Center on Human Policy – The
for the new administration. Center, located at Syracuse
University, provides resources for
Resources for Additional Information inclusion and community based
1) Circle of Inclusion – This site practices including training, research
provides information about effective information, and policy statements.
inclusive practices for children from 5) Center on Disability and Community
B through 8 years of age. Inclusion – The Center, located at
www.circleofinclusion.org the University of Vermont, provides
2) Inclusion.com – This site provides information regarding person-
information on person-centered centered training and other inclusive
planning and working with the practices. www.uvm.edu/~cdci/

About the authors: Keith J. Hyatt is Assistant Professor, Dept. of Special Education, Western
Washington University. Ana Christina DaSilva Iddings is Assistant Clinical Professor, Teaching
and Learning Dept., Peabody College, Vanderbilt University. Scott Ober is Principal, D’Vorre
and Hal Ober Elementary School, Las Vegas, NV.

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