Zigmond and Baker's (this issue) case studies of students with learning disabilities, teachers, and instructional arrangements in five select schools engaged in inclusive practices (e.g., collaborative instruction) raise alarming questions about the educational program of students with learning disabilities and the future of special education. The case studies are discussed in the context of a theory of tolerance as a function of enduring cognitive, affective, and economic constraints on instructional practice. Despite differences in approach, the effect of implementing “inclusion” in each of these schools was to diminish and subordinate the role of the special education teacher, reduce the potential effectiveness of special education as a program of specialized instructional cffort, and remove the academic press for achievement by students with learning disabilities.
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