Should We Refine Least Restrictive Environment?

I think that if it's at all possible all kids should be mainstreamed. Each child has some need that could be addressed too. I have seen kids put in special ed classes and fail to thrive because they were above the others in that class but the teacher could not work with them to up their education because they were changing diapers or spoon feeding the kids that needed help.

I do think that kids respond to being with their peers. Both in a physical and educational way. So I would have to say that if it's at all possible this child needs to be in a regular classroom where they either have an aid to help them with their work and toileting/feeding issues if needed and have their different therapy's offered to them out of the classroom when it's time for those things.

I believe in the "most restrictive environment." It is so hard to be in an inclusion class. Special Ed kids just do not get what they need. My daughter was in a restricted environment and it was the best thing I ever did for her. She went into a regular class with support services in 5th grade!
She is now 30yo, surgical tech in OR, EMT and volunteer firefighter. So for us it was the best decision.

As a teacher (high school level) it was really really tough having an integrated classroom I had six groups of thirty kids move through my room each day (that is 180 kids I taught everyday).

I had kids who were autistic that barely spoke, autistic kids who acted out physically/sometimes violently (I was given an emergency number to call, that aide covered three high schools), autistic kids who you would never know they were on the spectrum until you got their paperwork, kids with physical disabilities, a child with Tourette's, extreme ADHD/ADD (medicated and non-medicated, the special ed kids who just needed more time on projects or not taking off for spelling, etc, typical kids who were below average, but didn't qualify for special education, totally typical kids, above average kids but not gifted, gifted & talented, and those that pushed the level of G&T (they went to Mensa meetings). I never had an actual aide that stayed with any of the children ages (14-18). The majority of the boys were bigger than me.

Now plan lessons that meet the needs of all those students and teach them, find a way to adequately and fairly grade each of those lessons, wash, rinse, repeat. Oh and make sure to keep up with all the paperwork on everyone and specific needs on all the IEPs. And whatever you do don't make a mistake by counting off for grammar or spelling on the wrong child, because their parent instead of contacting you and reminding you of their child's IEP (I had probably close to 30 of them) so you could simply fix the grade...would pull you in front of your administrator and want you dressed down.

I have to say I loved loved loved the kids I taught and tried so hard to keep everything straight for each of them to get the best out of my class and the most of their education. I worked very very hard to give each kid the very best from me.

It was the hardest job I have ever done...the best but the hardest...I loved it, but I came home exhausted every night, I worked 10 to 12 hours days and sometimes weekends too.

I know that it brought the students who struggled up to a higher level of performance...but I know there were times where the advanced/G&T students were held back from what I could give them.

I have pondered this question many times...and I think from a teacher's point of view it is different than a parent's or an administrators's or policy maker's because we are trying to give everyone our very best...and sometimes our very best isn't always good enough for all, and we want it to be, and it makes us feel defeated.

I think in general it is a great idea. However, it doesn't always work. In my son's Montessori kindergarten last year there was one special needs child (with a full time aid) who despite all best efforts simply disrupted the ability of the other kids in the classroom to learn. He actually learned a huge amount and his social skills improved greatly. The developmentally appropriate (or whatever the current PC term is) kids learned a lot about differences and empathy. However it made it very difficult for the kids to learn their actual works when S would periodically fly across the room knocking over everything in his path. He was not asked back for the next year. I did feel bad for his parents. At the same time I feel like my son's education should not be held back by disruptive kids.

I'm kind of torn on the issue. Let me preface by saying that my ten year old niece is MR so it's not like I don't have a personal connection to someone who is special needs. On the other hand, I used to be a 2nd grade teacher before having my own kids and deciding to stay at home. I taught in Kissimmee, FL in a school that had more English as a second launguage kids than first language English . I would average between 24-28 kids depending on who moved (it was a very transitional community). Anyway, trying to teach an English curriculum to children with language barriers was stressful enough but throw in a very high need special education student and the two hours each day I had her was as close to educational hell as I could imagine. I had zero help so when she came at the last two hours of every day, the entire atmosphere of the classroom changed. Make no mistake, she was a lovely little girl but her needs were more than I could handle and by the end of the year I felt very resentful of the "system", not her. I don't want to say she didn't belong in my class but she absolutely needed a paraprofessional to help her with the assignments and work because I just couldn't neglect 25 other kids to literally walk her through every single word on a piece of paper. Sadly, she probably got neglected way too much because I just didn't have the time to give her.
So, in a perfect world where a child has that extra adult to help them so the regular classroom teacher can take care of the majority then I could probably be ok with it. But the way I initially described, that's not fair to anyone...student or teacher.

In theory, I think this is wonderful. I am opposed to segregation on principle, and I think this teaches compassion and respect for diversity. It creates opportunities for children to be role models, it makes the culture less competitive, and it reduces the stigma and bigotry that were formerly directed toward special education classes. And it prompts the next generation of business leaders, etc., to make space for people with special needs in the workforce.

That said, I think this sometimes works well and other times less well in practice. If there are a few special education kids in a general classroom, those kids GET role models, but they don't necessarily get to BE role models -- and kids need both. I've also heard of schools where there are kids with severe behavioral issues who just can't function in general classrooms, but they force those kids to "fail down" to a restricted classroom rather than recognizing their issues outright. This is just demoralizing to everyone.

So, I generally think this is a wonderful development, but nothing is an across-the-board panacea. There are a lot of kids -- particularly kids with autism, physical disabilities, and milder developmental delays -- who should absolutely be in integrated classrooms. There are kids who optimally should spend part of their time in one type of classroom and part of their time in another. And there are kids for whom this is a ridiculous charade that will never work. Really, I'm in favor of flexibility. I'm opposed to rigid, categorical thinking in most things, and in education especially.

It's not so much a matter of segregation as it is getting the instruction and supervision that is needed for those who need more of both.
Maximum class size of 12?
In the public schools my son has attended, 25 to 30 in a general education classroom is typical.
Class size is held to no more than 26 if the class is held in portable trailer classrooms.
With a class that size - it's hard enough getting attention from the teacher no matter what your needs are.
I have no idea what the class sizes are for special education.
With a max class size of 12 - count your blessings rather than worry about what you might be missing.
Some people would LOVE to have a class size of 12!
Main streaming / inclusion are not always what they are cracked up to be.

Our school, due to the way they chose to allocate their budget this year, didn't have enough to provide a sped teacher for each classroom. So they threw all the sped kids in one class and balanced out the numbers by picking other 'challenged' but not technically sped students in that classroom. Apparently they thought it would be a great idea to have 13 out of 25 kids be either LD or CD in one room. Yah, it's a huge disaster. NO ONE is getting what they need. I'm in discussions with the school right now about what they are going to do to give my child extra help next year as he is woefully unprepared to be promoted. Socially, emotionally, and academically he has regressed to the point we'd been better off to take a year off.

I'm all for integration, but there has to be limits. No more than 1 CD and 2-3 LD kids in a class of 25. Anything beyond that and all children suffer.

Depends on the needs of the children and their ages/grades. One of my children is on an IEP for learning disabilities and received accommodations for his LDs. In grades 4-6, he was pulled from the general education classroom here and there for OT or extra help with reading. Any classroom that has him in it is, by definition, an inclusion classroom with an extra aide either in the classroom all the time or just in there for tests and small group work. I think every class that my other kids is in is considered "inclusion" as well and don't know if there are any classes in our elementary schools that are not "inclusion" classes. In grades 7-12, when the kids switch classes every period, SPED kids get one period in the resource room each day and this covers their SPED services extended test time or alternative testing methods, OT, reading help, etc.

In my school district there is a separate program for children who are very disabled - Down Syndrome, Cerebral Palsy, non-verbal Autism etc. - who will likely not go through the same educational progression as other children their age. I believe that the resources for that program are limited to the elementary grades and then in the upper grades, the most severely disabled students are best served by programs outside of our district.

A student like my son, whose LD's are pretty mild, does just fine in a full inclusion class with a little extra help and accommodations. He had friends at all academic levels, from SPED kids like him up to kids who take all honors classes. In this model, he can take honors classes (he was recommended for one for 10th grade, much to my shock) and still receive the support he needs. But I can easily see how for a students with more severe disabilities, inclusion classes would be a total nightmare and they would benefit from a more restrictive environment.

FWIW, I do think that up to a certain grade, even advanced students benefit from an inclusion classroom. It's fine to have honors students get a faster, more intense level of instruction in the upper grades (which usually does not involve having many SPED kids, if any, in class) but in the lower grades, I think it's great to have kids of different levels and learning styles working together, which teaches compassion, patience, and perhaps some appreciation for the kid who doesn't make honor roll but contributes a lot to class discussions or is really creative or helpful.

Private schools and public schools vary on this.

Per my kids' public school, the "sped" kids are in the classroom along with all the other kids. But, the "sped" child has an aide, in class, who works one on one with the child. The Teacher of the classroom, is not the "sped" aide.
These classrooms typically have about 25 kids. There is the classroom Teacher, and/or an Aide, for the "sped" child. And the "sped" child, also.... goes to their own specialized classroom, as well. In conjunction with being in the "mainstream" class. They are not segregated.

To be a "sped" Teacher/Aide, they have specialized degrees or certifications, which they must have, to be one.
It is NOT the same, as for a general education Teacher.
This distinction must be made.
A teacher is paid according to their education degree and background. SPED Teachers/Aides, have a different set of requirements.
Therefore, although, per my kids' school, a Teacher and SPED Aide may collaborate, for the benefit of the sped child... BUT the general education Teacher is NOT... a SPED, teacher. Nor is paid as one.

Now per my kids' school, not all classrooms may have a "sped" child in it.
And, these children who are "sped" have an IEP and diagnosis in place, and a "team", which monitors and addresses the issues for the child along with the parents.