Attitudes of Principals and Special Education Teachers Toward the Inclusion of Students with Mild Disabilities

Attitudes of 49 principals and 64 special education teachers regarding the inclusion of students with mild disabilities were investigated. Results of a discriminant analysis indicated that principals and special educators were separated into groups with 76% accuracy according to their responses to items drawn from the Regular Education Initiative Teacher Survey (Semmel, Abernathy, Butera, & Lesar, 1991). items measuring attitudes toward the efficacy of included placements with consultative services, the academic outcomes associated with included placements, and the protection of resources devoted to students with mild disabilities correlated most highly with the discriminant function. Findings are discussed in relation to their implications for the implementation of inclusion reforms and the educational opportunities of students with mild disabilities.

Teacher and Administrator Perceptions of Heterogeneous Education

Perceptions of 680 licensed general and special education teachers and administrators related to the full inclusion of all students, including students with moderate and severe disabilities, were assessed using the Heterogeneous Education Teacher Survey and the Regular Education Initiative Teacher Survey-Revised. Respondents were from 32 school sites judged as providing heterogeneous educational opportunities for all children. Results favored the education of children with disabilities in general education through collaborative relationships among all educators—contradicting previous results suggesting that educators prefer pullout programs. For both general and special educators, administrative support and collaboration were powerful predictors of positive attitudes toward full inclusion.

Is Integration of Students with Disabilities Happening?

This Study Analyzed National Program Record Data to Determine the Extent to which Students with Various Disabilities have been Integrated into General Public Schools, Since 1977, and General Education Classrooms, Since 1985. The Least Restrictive Environment (LRE) Mandate, Historical Origins of LRE, Recent LRE Initiatives, Including the Regular Education Initiative, and Relevant Research are Discussed. The Utility and Reliability of the Data are also Examined. Results Indicate that, Overall, Increases in Placements within General Public Schools have Occurred for Most Students with Disabilities. Increased Placements in General Education Classrooms have also Occurred and have been Even More Pronounced. Integration Patterns, However, have Varied Substantially Across Disabilities; Possible Reasons for these Differences are Presented.

Service Delivery Models for Adolescents With Language Disorders

Adolescents with communication disorders have a legal right to speech-language services, and speech-language pathologists in the public schools have a moral and ethical responsibility to provide those services. This article summarizes current service delivery options available to clinicians at the secondary level and explains why the prototype service delivery model (Larson & McKinley, 1987) should be chosen for adolescents. To implement appropriate speech-language services for adolescents, administrative support is critical. The successful school clinician (a) must know counterarguments to administrators' concerns about "what can be done in speech-language intervention past the elementary grades," (b) must understand the impact of the Regular Education Initiative (REI) on service delivery options, and (c) must solicit assistance during program planning from decision makers.