Perceptions of special education professionals in regards to self-contained vs. inclusive classroom settings

The purpose of this research is to aid special education professionals in better understanding the use of self-contained and inclusive classrooms. In the case of Abbott vs. Commissioner Burke, the issue of education equality was addressed and it was found that inadequate and unequal funding denied students an efficient education (NJEA, 2008). This study explores self-contained and inclusive classrooms in different districts to show how special education services can be improved. Qualitative methods were used through interviews and focus groups because this method is especially advantageous for eliciting the perceptions of participants (Creswell, 2003). This study found that professional urban districts had very inadequate funding in comparison to surrounding districts especially in regards to special education. This disparity often results in less attention being directed to the needs of individual students. Therefore, special education systems can better serve students by giving individual student evaluations more consideration in determining whether students are placed in self-contained or inclusive classrooms. An interview protocol was administered to 18 special education teachers and professionals The findings from both the interviews and the focus group indicated that smaller numbers of students in classrooms tend to enhance educational quality and that both inclusive and self-contained classrooms have advantages depending upon the needs of the students. Creative usage of the IEP and parental involvement was also deemed to be important.;Key words. self-contained, inclusive, curriculum, modified, special needs...