Mainstreaming

Abstract

Twenty-five years ago, the treatment of choice for children with special needs was the special class or special school. Today, more and more programs have sought to “mainstream” even severely disabled students. But does “mainstreaming” work? And if it works, why does it work and how does it work? At Syracuse University. a group of colleagues spent four arduous years studying mainstreaming. This commentary by Professor Douglas Biklen speaks to the common concerns raised when the question is discussed. I can't conceive of a more timely topic than this contribution to Dialectic—Burton Blatt, Associate Editor.