A Look Back: The ongoing special education debate in Kappan

Abstract

The conversation about how schools can best serve children with disabilities stretches back for decades, long before the passage of IDEA. Teresa Preston traces how Kappan authors deliberated over where and how students should receive special education services. Although authors have generally supported educating students with disabilities alongside their nondisabled peers, many have expressed skepticism about the benefits of full inclusion for every child. Others have noted that many of the strategies employed in special education might also benefit all students and suggested that special education expand its reach.