Reverse Mainstreaming: A Team-Teaching Model for Integrative Education.

Overview & Synopsis

This paper describes an approach to transitioning 106 junior high special education students into mainstream settings by drawing regular education teachers into special education settings for regular instruction sessions prior to full mainstreaming. Following a 3-5 week period of instructional visits by regular teachers to special education classes, students to be mainstreamed were brought to the regular classroom for 2-4 weeks of instruction in the new setting without the presence of regular education students, after which regular education students were brought in for achievement of full mainstreaming. Cognitive, academic and affective pre- and post-test ratings for participating special education students showed significant increases in all areas studied. These results are attributed to the reduction in stress resulting from gradual change of individual environmental factors leading up to full mainstreaming. (PB)