De Palma, Adrienne Marie

Understanding inclusive practices at the elementary level: A look back at the history of one school, five years into implementation

Abstract

For the purpose of this Major Research Paper, the researcher chose to explore the issue of inclusion - how it was implemented and how it is currently practiced in a fairly new elementary school. This particular topic was chosen as the background of the researcher includes extensive work with students with special needs; in addition, she is currently pursuing a career as a Special Education teacher, and hopes to learn more about one specific type of Special Education delivery model. The study attempts to answer the research question: How has an inclusion model for special education been implemented over the past five years in a public elementary school that is committed to an inclusive delivery model. Participants from this study were drawn from the staff at this local elementary school, and included several significant members of the education team including the Principal, a special education resource teacher, and a classroom teacher. Participants were chosen based on their experience working in the school in these specific roles, and their experience practicing inclusion. Preliminary analysis of the qualitative data suggests that inclusion has been implemented successfully; however, there are significant differences between each participant’s attitudes and beliefs toward inclusionary practices, and how they view the benefits of it for students with special needs.