Is full inclusion always the answer?

Abstract

In this article the author presents inclusive education as a policy, which in recent decades has often been viewed as a moral imperative. She presents this issue in a dichotomous choice: either full inclusion or special education. This chapter joins other voices in arguing for a more nuanced approach to inclusive practice. One that demands better quality research on which to base decisions and puts student needs and goals above blanket policies that are applied indiscriminately. The author oncludes future research also needs to remediate current limitations of research of the efficacy and effectiveness of inclusive education including: limited comparison or control groups, weak research designs, no measures of treatment fidelity, lack of clarity in the outcome measures (academic, behavioral, adaptive, etc.), limited attention to what the benefits and detriments of inclusion are, variable impact across populations, and to implement more randomized control trials.