I have heard people argue on both sides of this topic and I think the key word in this question is ‘always’. I do not think that a regular classroom is always the best place for students with special needs. Using this case as an example, it was shared that Darlene was causing disruptions in the class because she “just cant control her emotions”, to the point where other students and the teacher felt like they were “treading on eggshells”. Despite the efforts of the teacher and support staff to provide support and strategies for the benefit of Darlene, she still struggled to In this scenario, Darlene is not getting the education she needs because of her outbursts and needing to be removed from the class, the other students are not getting the education they need because the teacher does not have the resources to support the needs of all of his students. I understand the reason for allowing special needs students in standard classrooms, but it can become very disruptive to the learning of the rest of the students, especially without the right support and resources (which is not always available). I have been in multiple classes with classmates of different special needs and sometimes it was a good fit, while other times it was not. I do not think that students who require special accommodations that go beyond what most public schools are able to offer should be placed in schools that can not meet their educational and additional needs. DI and UDL are part of every lesson plan we make and I think it is important to recognize that there is only so much teachers and schools can do, and a different learning environment might be a better approach for some students with special needs.
EDEF 3200