| With schools working to "close the achievement gap" and meet national mandate requirements, providing a quality education for special education students is more important today than ever before. Yet, deciding how to meet the needs of these students is often trying for school leaders. In an effort to choose an inclusion implementation method that would be most successful in meeting my student, teacher, and school needs, I conducted an in-depth investigation on the history of special education, both nationally and locally. I then researched findings and opinions regarding inclusion from experts in the field as well as information on various inclusive methods. As I began to compile this research in order to focus on the future of inclusion at my school, I set goals and collected specific data relevant to the study. My key study group consisted of the 17 special education students who attended Concord High School in both 9th and 10th grades, however, staff, parent, and regular education student data was also gathered. Data collected and analyzed consisted of surveys, interviews, course grades, test scores, extracurricular involvement, absentee information, and behavior/discipline statistics. Through the dissection of both qualitative and quantitative data, I have made school-wide inclusive decisions that I believe will benefit the entire school community.;At the onset, I intended to determine which of two inclusion models we would use; co-teaching or teacher as a resource. In the end, it became apparent that choosing just one model wasn't the best option. By combining the two and blending the strongest aspects of both, I could most effectively increase student achievement, more adequately allocate resources, and maintain a positive, prepared staff. This is significant because normally only one model is used within a building. With this decision made and the formal research detailed, enclosed, and complete, I clearly see that although the initial study is at an end, my real work is only beginning. |
