Concerns about and Effective Strategies for Inclusion: Focus Group Interview Findings from Virginia Teachers

This monograph describes results of focus group interviews with 28 regular and special education teachers in Virginia concerning their experience with inclusion of students with disabilities in regular education classrooms. An introduction notes the trend toward greater inclusion of these students while providing needed special educational support services. Among teacher concerns were lack of a continuum of services, discipline policies, transition of inclusion services, and increasing teacher workload. Obstacles and barriers that teachers identified concerned teacher and parent resistance; lack of staff, training, funding, and administrative support; and class size and composition. Essential supports identified included administrative support, peer support, parent support, continuum of services, adequate staff, and staff development. Effective strategies were categorized as planning, classroom/behavior management, instruction, and assessment strategies. Participants also shared positive and negative effects of inclusion on both students and teachers and reported that the most common inservice was informal discussion among teachers. Teachers felt that preservice programs should require courses about special education and expose students to a variety of school-based experiences. Ten recommendations are offered, including developing a plan to win teacher and parent support, providing significant training, and celebrating successes. The interview protocol is appended. (DB)