Social policies can be well-intentioned but ineffective in achieving what is intended. They can be undermined or destroyed by their exaggerated or oversimplified caricatures with a single, narrow focus. Caricatures may result in the opposite of the original intent of more carefully crafted variants. Institutionalization and deinstitutionalization…

We acknowledge that some students with severe disabilities are not being taught in general education. We do not agree that inclusion in general education is inherently better, nor do we think it is always appropriate, and we provide some reasons that a full continuum of alternative placements is not only legally mandated but appropriate. We are…

Including students with disabilities in general education when appropriate is an important goal of special education. However, inclusion is not as important as effective instruction, which must be the first concern of education, general or special. "Full" inclusion, the claim that "all" students with disabilities are best…

The decades-long assault on principles of special education--some knowingly, such as the regular education initiative, and some unknowingly, such as certain presumptions and practices of full inclusion--have consequences that may negatively affect the future of the field. Protracted criticisms on the character, role, and legitimacy of traditional…

A sociometric rating scale was administered to 46 mainstreamed learning disabled (LD) students. LD and nonhandicapped (NH) students did not differ significantly in regular classroom sociometric status. In addition, LD pupils were as well known as their matched peers and rated fellow LD students in the same classes higher than did NH raters.…

The authors, asserting that proponents of integration have often built their arguments on mistaken assumptions, proceed to discuss these assumptions with regard to emotionally disturbed/behavior disordered children and present arguments for segregation and an appropriate procedure for reintegration. (Author)

Basic assumptions of the Regular Education Initiative (which encourages closer coordination of regular and special education) were examined. The authors assert that students are not overidentified for special education, that student failure is not due only to teacher shortcomings, and that variability in student performance will increase not…

Evaluation of sociometric ratings assigned by and to 27 educable mentally retarded high school students partially mainstreamed found that retarded students rated their peers more negatively and received more negative ratings than matched (for race, grade, sex, socioeconomic status, participation in extracurricular activities) controls. (DB)

Among findings of the study of characteristics of 249 seriously emotionally disturbed students (aged 7-19 years) were that half were placed for part of the day in regular classes, that behavior problem scores were related to reading achievement; and that Intelligent Quotient (IQ) was not predictive of amount or kind of behavior problem. (Author/DB)

The Regular Education Initiative is presented as a flawed policy initiative that focuses on highly emotional issues (integration, nonlabeling, efficiency, and excellence), thereby distracting attention from deeper analysis; lacks the support of critical constituencies; rests on illogical premises; and reflects a cavalier attitude toward…

Argues that full inclusion capitalizes on emotions, and differences among students are very real. Some students need very structured environments not provided by full inclusion. Referring to the history of U.S. special education, the paper expresses concern that full inclusion would undo previous progress and concludes that it is impossible to…

This concluding article summarizes the findings in previous articles on the inclusion of children with emotional and behavior disorders in general education. Findings indicate that there exists a population of students with emotional or behavioral disorders for whom a general education classroom or school is not the least restrictive environment.…

This paper reviews research on observational learning, including model characteristics and observers' responses, vicarious reinforcement as implicit punishment, vicarious effects on students with problem behavior, observers' other characteristics and vicarious effects, and aggression and vicarious processes. Regular class placement of students…

The paper discusses the Regular Education Initiative as a conceptual revolution, as a political strategy, and as a flawed policy initiative. It argues that the REI focuses on a small number of highly emotional issues, such as integration, nonlabeling, efficiency, and excellence, which distract attention from deeper analysis. (Author/JDD)

This article sees the inclusion movement as leading to the rapid erosion of placement options for students with disabilities and notes that no single classroom can be appropriately, habilitatively restrictive for all children. It suggests that advocates of full inclusion deny realities, rights, and responsibilities involved in constructing the…