In this comprehensive resource on inclusive schooling, administrators, general and special educators, and parents explore how inclusive education can support a diverse student body at all grade levels. They show how schools can meet standards and provide a "least restrictive environment" for students with disabilities by using cooperative learning, teaming, multi-age grouping, multicultural education, social skills training, and educational technology applications. And they explain how to facilitate change by using universal design principles and other curricular, instructional, assessment, and organizational practices. The authors examine the prevailing myths and the most frequently asked questions about inclusive education, and they provide an extensive list of resources. Woven through the book are the personal stories of people with disabilities and the educators and parents who work with them. As their voices make clear, inclusion is more than an educational buzzword; inclusion is a way of life, based on the belief that each individual is valued and belongs.

With the proclamation of human rights and impact of the philosophy of humanism, there has been a worldwide call for providing humane treatment to the disabled and putting an end to their isolation. Written in the same context, the book developed as per the issued directives of NCTE equips its readers with the knowledge, understanding, skills, interests and attitude needed for working in the inclusive schools. It acquaints them with all the essentials related to the nature of the different types of disabilities or impairments, diversities and exceptionalities of the children belonging to an inclusive school, the need and means of introducing the required adaptations in the environmental conditions, curriculum, teaching-learning strategies, teaching-learning aids and equipment, methods of assessing the progress of the diverse children, and likewise so many other things and requirements for fulfilling their responsibilities towards the diverse children in the inclusive set-up of the school. It is primarily designed for the students of secondary and elementary teacher education (B.Ed., B.El. Ed., D.Ed.) of the teacher training institutes. KEY FEATURES • Full coverage of the current syllabi prescribed for B. Ed., B. El. Ed. and D. Ed. in a user-friendly language • Comprehensive description of the various aspects of inclusive education and children with special needs (CWSN) such as historical perspectives to disability and inclusive education, needed pedagogical and assessment approaches for CWSN, educational provisions for the disabled at national and international levels, and so forth • Inclusion of recent topics such as learning styles in the context of different types of disabilities and CWSN, forms of exclusions on various grounds including disabilities in Indian education, approaches and models of inclusion, individual education programme, assistive and adaptive technologies, and so on • Comprises chapter-end summary for quick glance of the concepts TARGET AUDIENCE • B.Ed. • B. El. Ed. • D.Ed.

For any school undertaking an inclusion program, here's an opportunity to find out what works and explore a 10-step plan that can achieve positive academic and social outcomes for all students -- with and without disabilities.

Richard A. Villa and Jacqueline S. Thousand provide an in-depth, research-based guide for ensuring that your school provides the federally guaranteed "least restrictive environment" for students no matter the severity of the challenges they face. Leading an Inclusive School: Access and Success for ALL Students offers administrators, teachers, and other educators working to promote inclusion a wealth of information about • the history and research base of inclusive education in the United States, including pivotal amendments to and reauthorizations of the EHCA, landmark court cases, and the philosophical underpinnings of the movement; • essential curricular and instructional practices for inclusive schools, such as heterogeneous grouping, creative problem solving, and co-teaching; • powerful organizational structures such as Multitiered System of Support and Schoolwide Positive Behavior Supports to help optimize the benefits of differentiation for all students; and • a conceptual framework for coordinating educational initiatives and best practices for educating all students in general education. Also included are vivid personal stories of students with disabilities that illustrate how these students flourish when they learn alongside their general education peers. Educators who are serious about committing to the success of learners at all levels of perceived physical, intellectual, communication, and social/emotional ability will find the examples, advice, and tools in this book indispensable for planning, implementing, and promoting inclusion in their schools.

To create truly inclusive school and classroom environments, educators must be prepared to include all students--including students with intellectual disabilities, who are not always given the opportunity to be full participants in the classroom. This book provides an overview of the history of inclusion, the philosophy underlying inclusion, and the role that curriculum accommodations and modifications play in making inclusion possible. The author discusses four ways to modify curriculum for students working well below grade level: altering content, conceptual difficulty, educational goals, or instructional methods. She then provides 40 curriculum modification strategies, based on Robert Marzano's New Taxonomy of Educational Objectives, with directions for implementation and samples of student work.

How do schools sustain a collaborative, inclusive culture in these times of high-stakes testing and standardization? Through the story of a progressively minded public elementary school, the author shows how committed educators can collaborate to maintain a creative, inclusive educational environment and still rise to the demands of state-imposed standards. This timely volume explores the evolution of a school in chaos to a highly regarded school serving a diverse student population.