Education of Students with Disabilities in the USA: Is Inclusion the Answer?

Abstract

American society has continued to question what the most appropriate way is to educate students with disabilities. Whether teaching students with and without disabilities in the same classroom is a best practice has become the most controversial topic in education. The present study attempted to examine the present state of inclusive education through a comprehensive review of the literature from 30 years of practice and current teacher preparation programs. Results showed that although quantitative physical inclusion in the United States has doubled, new general education teachers were not prepared enough to teach students with disabilities confidently and have held the similar perceptions, concerns, and perceived barriers regarding the success of inclusion to the ones since the beginning of the inclusion movement. Accountability for the academic and social success in the inclusive classroom did not result in a more effective system than the dual educational systems of general education and special education.