Organizing for Inclusion: Exploring the Routines That Shape Student Supports

• In Event: 69.015 - School Organization and Educational Opportunity

Abstract

The inclusion of students with disabilities in general education classes is increasingly prominent. However, students regularly receive inadequate support, particularly at the secondary level, where organizational challenges are more complex. This study explores the ways in which secondary schools organize their program models and engage in routines to support inclusion through a comparative case study of two inclusive high schools utilizing qualitative analysis. Schools used program models featuring common approaches to inclusion: consultation and co-teaching. While program models provided structure for teacher practice, different organizational routines offered fundamentally different instructional opportunities for students with disabilities. Findings suggest that routines for inclusion at the secondary level may negate the collective responsibility of educators for the achievement of students with disabilities.

Authors

• Laura Stelitano, University of Pittsburgh

• Jennifer L. Russell, University of Pittsburgh

• Laura E. Bray, University of Pittsburgh