With the new No Child Left Behind regulations, special education students will be mainstreamed into regular classrooms taught by special ed teachers and regular teachers. What impact will this have on the all the children in this type of classroom setting?
Research indicates no harmful effects to non-disabled peers and increases in social awareness/ability. When done well, the student with a disability can do just as well if not better than in a pull-out program.
I will be honest, I have not read a lot of the the studies myself, but in a class last year at Eastern Michigan, the professor said the research that has been done on mainstreaming has used very subjective measurements (ie did you like it? do you feel it was good? etc) and not any objective measurements (scores on standardized tests or better grades, etc.)
I think that this is the key, if a student is simply brought into a classroom without the proper supports then it can be a negative experience for everyone. However, when done right then everyone can benefit.:up:
