Educators are constantly striving to focus on student’s individual characteristics and strengths, however a successful inclusive teacher requires classroom support and innovative strategies. The term inclusion lacks common definition and varies in nature among school districts. For some districts the term inclusion is the physical presence of students with disabilities in the general education setting while in other districts it means active medication of academic content. The article explains effective inclusion practices based off interviews of nationally well-known leaders in the field of inclusive education. Effective implementation and support of inclusive teaching requires the five following practices: Connection with other organizational best practices, visionary leadership and …show more content…
This message conveys that inclusion is an extension of research based education practices. Visionary leaders know that for inclusive education to succeed they must openly communicate a new vision with ongoing attention towards building and inclusive vision. Schools must redefine their roles and stop using terms such as “These are my students and those are your students.” Schools must clarify new roles and make general education teachers conscious of their legal responsibilities to insure ownership. Educators need to be provided with training, coaching and include implementation of IEP required activities as part of ongoing district evaluation procedures. Collaboration is a key variable to successfully implement an inclusive school. This should include planning teams, with scheduled planning times, using teachers as problem solvers and collaborating with colleagues as well as parents. Paraprofessionals should be presented to students as members of the teaching team. Teaching models that involve the general educator and support personnel working together include the following models: consultation, parallel teaching, supportive teaching, complementary teaching and