Most Resonant Argument For Inclusive Education In The United States

Inclusive Schooling The practice of inclusive schooling, or lack-thereof, is a hotly debated topic in today’s society. Upon delving deeper into the topic one would find that while many individuals hold a polarized opinion on the topic of inclusive schooling, it is not necessarily as black and white as it seems. Inclusive schooling is a broad term, so it may help to define it as it will be used here. Inclusive schooling is the practice which stresses the importance of collaboration and interdependence rather than independence; this system believes that all students are equally capable and values the inclusion of all students together rather than segregating them based on intellectual abilities and handicaps. Another way to think about is it that inclusive schooling is about embracing everyone, and rests on the assumption

Because the United States of America was founded on the values of equality and opportunity, it makes philosophical and ethical sense that classrooms should provide the equal opportunity for all students to have access to the same education, as well as learn together (Tomkins & Deloney, 1995). In fact, the opposite of inclusive schooling, tracking, is being regarded as a form of modern-day segregation, thereby violating children’s constitutional rights to an equal and high quality education. Along the same moral argument, proponents of inclusion tend to view the labeling and segregation of students with disabilities as immoral- arguing that all students have their varying strengths and weaknesses, and that this is not an appropriate reason that they should not learn together (Heubert, 1994). In fact, some argue that, in many cases, students who are labeled with a “disability” are not actually disabled at all, but are rather being labeled as such as an easy solution for the failure of the educational system in meeting their