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Runninghead:ARTICLECRITIQUE#2:INCLUSIVEEDUCATIONINPUBLIC SCHOOLS
ArticleCritique#2:InclusiveEducationinPublicSchools
Amanda Price
EDUC735:IssuesandTrendsinCurriculumandInstruction Dr.
Karla Swafford
November24,2019
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ArticleCritique#2:InclusiveEducationinPublicSchools
Introduction
Regardless of the challenges a student may have, federal law requires students receive
their education alongside their nondisabled peers when appropriate. Legislation requires that
special education students are not removed from regular classes unless they cannot satisfactorily
meet the demands of the course. How the requirements of Least Restrictive Environment (LRE)
are met is different for each individual student’s goals as outlined through their Individual
Education Plan (IEP). Most commonly student’s primary placement is in the mainstream
classroom. This is known as full inclusion, or the total integration of a student with disabilities
into the regular education program with special support as outlined in their IEP.Although a
member of regular education class does not mean they cannot be pulled to receive services such
asspeechorphysicaltherapy(InformationonLeastRestrictiveEnvironment,n.d.).However,the
inclusion classroom has become an issue in public schools because educators are still unclear as
to what successful inclusion of students with disabilities requires. The article, Not My
Responsibility: The Impact of Separate Special Education Systems on Educators’Attitudes
Toward Inclusion, Gregory (2018) investigated the attitudes of educators towards the inclusive
classroom, and how their dispositions influence the success of children with mild to moderate
disabilities.Gregory(2018),providesinsight onhowimportantit isforeducators toremove any
barriers, such as lack of teacher preparation and providing educational development concerning
children with disabilities, or biases that may have an overall effect on student engagement and
learning. By having an accepting and willing attitude toward the instruction of all learners and
removing barriers are crucial to the success of inclusion education (Gregory, 2018).
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ArticleCritique#2:InclusiveEducationinPublicSchools
Summary
Inclusive education is successful when both schools and educators can ensure that all
students can access the curriculum. This is not only by being physically included into the
educational setting, but also, ensuring that classroom materials are being appropriately modified
as specified in the student’s IEPand implemented to allow all children to access them (Gregory,
2018, p. 128).However, it is important for educators to believe that students with disabilities
have the capability to achieve. Secondly, educators must possess a strong level of self-efficacy
for teaching children with disabilities. Educators with these characteristics arethe mosteffective
at differentiating instruction and making the curriculum accessible to all students. Educator’s
must be self-reflective and willing to grow professionally with the purpose of reaching all
students. They must believe that all students belong in the classroom and can contribute to the
overalllearningenvironment.ItistheseattitudestowardinclusiveeducationthatGregory(2018)
investigated. Gregory (2018), investigated inclusive education of students with mild to moderate
disabilities vary between the nations ofAustralia, Barbados,Turkey, and the United States, even
when these countries have differing systems of special education.
Inthisstudy,Gregory(2018)investigatedwhetherthereisasignificantdifferenceinthe overall
education towards teaching children with mild to moderate disabilities, as well as, whether or not
there is any significance differences in the subscales that measure the three dimensions of
educator’s attitude towards teaching students in the inclusion setting (cognitive, affective, and
behavioral). Through this investigation, data was collected from three sites in nations without
formal special education systems and ten sites in nations with formal special
educationalsystemsandcomparedtheeducatorattitudestowardsinclusion.Datawascollected
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ArticleCritique#2:InclusiveEducationinPublicSchools
from urban, suburban and rural sites, as well as, comparing traditions of a separate system of
special education and relatively parallel histories of inclusion efforts.All data was collected by
independent researchers at the various sites, and used the same instrument to analyze educators’
attitudes,theAttitudesTowardsTeachingAllStudents(ATTAS-mm)scale.TheATTAS-mmisa valid
and reliable tool that measures attitudes of educators toward the inclusion of students with mild to
moderate disabilities (Gregory & Noto, 2012).
In this study 13 sites were used to collect 1679 responses.Out of the 13 sites, ten sites
and54%oftheresponsescamefromtheUnitedStatesandAustraliathathaveseparatesystems for
special education. The analysis of the data included comparing demographics to determine
whether there were any differences between the groups of educators beyond the measured
dimensions of attitudes (Gregory, 2018). The results of this study concluded that there were
significant differences of teacher’s attitude toward inclusive education between nations having
highlyseparatesystemsofspecialeducationandthosethatdidnot.Thatisbecauseestablished
educational preparation programs increased the awareness of inclusive education. These
programs provided educators a more positive attitude toward students with disabilities.
Unfortunately, countries without these programs face different issues concerning inclusive
education including a limited number of certified teachers, teacher preparation programs and
special education resources.These factors contributed to the negative attitudes of teachers
towardinclusion.Thesenegativeattitudescouldbecontributedtobothdemographicfactorsand
internalpressuresonthenations’educationalsystem.Thesefindingsindicatetheimportanceof
educational preparation programs that prepare educators for teaching inclusion courses and
provide equity within the classroom setting (Gregory, 2018).
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ArticleCritique#2:InclusiveEducationinPublicSchools
CriticalAnalysis
The results from this research supports the importance of educational preparation
programs in the area of special education and positive affect they have on educator’s attitudes
towardinclusion.Notonlydoestablishedinclusiveeducationprograms,improveandeffectively
educate teachers, but also decrease the stress and negative attitudes towards inclusion.
Overall, Gregory (2018), provided an extensive review of literature on the internal and
external pressures that direct the amount of attention inclusion receives as well as the role the
economy plays in supporting the training and educating teachers. In asimilar study, Gregory and
Noto, (2012), also researched the impact of pre-service training for inclusion teachers and
analyzed teachers’attitudes toward inclusion by using theAttitudes Towards TeachingAll
Students (ATTAS-mm). Their research built a foundation and awareness of the impact of
teacher’sattitudestowardsinclusiveeducation.Theyconcludethatthegeneraleducationteacher has
the greatest influence on student success, and the teacher’s attitude towards inclusion plays a
major role in determining whether the student with disabilities will be successful in the
mainstream classroom.
However, by making generalized recommendations on the data which was collected at
each collection site presented a limitation in this study.Due to the different attitudes and
backgrounds of each educator that took part in this study, a one-size-fits all plan to improve
educators’attitudesisnotagoodsolution.Additional,qualitativeresearchisrequiredtodevelop and
implement differentiated plans of professional developmentto bestunderstand and improve
theattitudesofeducatorstowardsinclusion.Anotherlimitationpresentedbythisstudyistheuse of the
self-reported nature of theATTAS-mm scales.While translation was required for some educators,
it was unclear whether the responses were authentic and accurate reflections.Due to
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ArticleCritique#2:InclusiveEducationinPublicSchools
translation error, this instrument might not have been an effective tool for the non-English-
speaking educators.Therefore, due to these limitations, consideration for further research of the
attitudesofteachersandinclusiveeducation isrequired(Gregory, 2018).However, despitethese
limitations,thereviewofliteraturepresentstheimplicationofinclusiveeducationtrainingonthe overall
attitude of the general educator and the role the teacher’s attitude has on student success.
On the other hand, this study presented conclusive data that there are differences in
teacher attitudes depending on the nation’s level of separate special education systems. This
study concluded that educators in nations with less established special education systems
demonstrated lower scores on the cognitive domain of attitude.However, nations with long
historiesofseparatespecialeducationsystemsimplythatthecognitivedomainofattitudeisnot
necessarily connected to the affective and behavioral domains. Therefore, the low scores
associated with the affective and behavioral domains are also consistent with the structures of
education in established special education systems that parallel the general education system.
Thissuggeststhattheimprovementofboththeaffectiveandbehavioraldomainsofeducator’s attitudes,
as well as, the behavioral intentions is linked to the deconstructing of the parallel system
(Gregory, 2018). This data suggests that inclusion positively impacts the educational experience
of students with mild to moderate disabilities.
Conclusion
Regardless of exceptionality, every student deserves to have a teacher that not only has a
positiveattitudetowardshisorhersuccess,butalsoisdedicatedtoassistthestudentinachieving
success.Whileeducationalleadersandpolicymakersmayusetheresultsofthisstudytoprovide tailored
professional development and relevant policy recommendations that respect varying
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contexts that supports the improvement of teachers’attitudes toward inclusion. However, it is
imperative that before implementing such programs and policies that a careful consideration is
made regarding the historical, internal, and external pressures of that location. Gregory (2018),
stressestheimportanceofteachers’attitudestowardsinclusionandthedirectimpactithasonthe overall
success of students in the mainstream classroom. Consequently, this research suggests that
professional development and pre-service training are beneficial in removing barriers and
biases.Throughthesecoursesnegativeattitudesarereplacedwithsignificantlearningstrategies, and
methods for differentiation. This ensures that teachers are well equipped and are more effective
in the inclusive classroom.
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ArticleCritique#2:InclusiveEducationinPublicSchools
References
Gregory, J. (2018). Not my responsibility: The impact of separate special education systems on
educationsystemsoneducator’attitudetowardinclusion.EducationalPolicyAnalysisand
Strategic Research, 13(1), 127-143. doi: 10.29329/epasr.2018.137.8
Gregory, J.L. & Noto, L.A. (2012). Technical manual for attitudes towards teaching all students
(ATTAS-mm)instrument(ATTAS-mm)instrument.EducationalPolicyAnalysisandStrategic
Research,34, 1-17. Retrieved from https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED537530.pdf
InformationonLeastRestrictiveEnvironment.(n.d.).Specialeducationrightsandresponsibilities.
Retrieved from https://www.disabilityrightsca.org/system/files?file=file-
attachments/504001Ch07.pdf
