The Only Way to Fly, Inclusively

Overview & Synopsis

Five years ago, the Cecil County Public Schools in Maryland embarked on an aggressive schedule to fully include all students with special needs in the regular education setting to be consistent with the most recent interpretation of "least restrictive environment." At the time, 59 percent of special education students were receiving their instruction in the regular education setting. By last December, 89 percent of students with individual education plans were fully participating in the regular classroom, being fully exposed with proper accommodations to the regular education curriculum. Translating percentages into numbers of students, 1,722 of Cecil County's 1,931 special education students were included in the regular education classroom during the past school year. In this article, the authors offer advice on what it takes from a system leadership perspective to make inclusion happen.