Inclusion

Learn about how schools work to educate and include students who need extra supports in all areas of school life
Students on Northwood High School’s pickleball team warm up ahead of a match against Wheaton High School in Wheaton, Md., on Oct. 1, 2025.
Students on Northwood High School’s pickleball team warm up ahead of a match against Wheaton High School in Wheaton, Md., on Oct. 1, 2025.
Jaclyn Borowski/Education Week
Student Well-Being & Movement Video How One District Made Pickleball an Inclusive Varsity Sport
Kids with IEP and 504 plans play alongside their peers on one district's varsity pickleball team.
Jaclyn Borowski & Yi-Jo Shen, October 31, 2025
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2:07
Birch Academy Students Randy Gamez (cq), left, and Ashlee (cq) Garcia, third from left, walk from art class to gym class with Mt Pleasant High School students, sophomore Veronica Northup, second from left, and senior Deana Clerjuste at Mt. Pleasant High School in Providence, R.I., last week. The U.S. Justice department, in an investigation, found the former Birch Vocational School in violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act as the students were kept segregated and given small jobs. The entire program has been revamped to integrate students with intellectual disabilities into classrooms with typically developing peers. Currently, many of the ancillary classes are integrated.
Birch Academy Students Randy Gamez (cq), left, and Ashlee (cq) Garcia, third from left, walk from art class to gym class with Mt Pleasant High School students, sophomore Veronica Northup, second from left, and senior Deana Clerjuste at Mt. Pleasant High School in Providence, R.I., last week. The U.S. Justice department, in an investigation, found the former Birch Vocational School in violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act as the students were kept segregated and given small jobs. The entire program has been revamped to integrate students with intellectual disabilities into classrooms with typically developing peers. Currently, many of the ancillary classes are integrated.
Gretchen Ertl for Education Week
Special Education Professional Learning Guide Your Guide to Special Education
From understanding disabilities to applying effective teaching strategies, this guide helps you foster an inclusive learning environment.
August 12, 2025
School Climate & Safety Quiz Quiz Yourself: How Much Do You Know About Creating Inclusive Classrooms?
Answer 7 questions about creating inclusive classrooms for students.
August 5, 2025
Thu., January 23, 2025, 2:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m. ET
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Special Education Quiz Quiz Yourself: How Much Do You Know About Inclusion & Special Education?
Answer 7 questions about inclusion and special education.
October 1, 2024
Illustration of artificial intelligence and motherboard in the shape of a lightbulb with two head profiles on either side, both containing circuit imagery inside and a female sitting on top of one working on a laptop.
DigitalVision Vector
Special Education AI's Potential in Special Education: What Teachers and Parents Think
A report examines parents' and educators' perspectives on AI use for students with disabilities.
Lauraine Langreo, August 1, 2024
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3 min read
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Special Education Video How This State Is Creating an Inclusive Experience for Special Education Students
This state is working to keep special education students in the classroom, learning alongside their peers. Here's how.
Kaylee Domzalski, July 11, 2024
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2:31
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Special Education Video Students With Disabilities 'Have Gotten Their Dignity Back' at This High School
A state partnership involving 16 schools aims to ensure that students with disabilities spend more of their time in mainstream classrooms.
Caitlynn Peetz Stephens & Kaylee Domzalski, June 13, 2024
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3 min read
Kindergarten students in Washington, D.C. explore various activity centers in their classroom on Tuesday, April 4, 2017.
Kindergarten students in Washington, D.C. explore various activity centers in their classroom on Tuesday, April 4, 2017.
Allison Shelley/EDUimages
Special Education Video How One School Fosters Belonging for Students With Disabilities
The school transformed what has traditionally been a model of exclusion in U.S. education.
Caitlynn Peetz Stephens, May 30, 2024
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3 min read
At Ruby Bridges Elementary School in Woodinville, Wash., special education students are fully a part of the general education classrooms. What that looks like in practice is students together in the same space but learning separately – some students are with the teacher, some with aides, and some are on their own with a tablet. Pictured here on April 2, 2024.
A student works with a staff member at Ruby Bridges Elementary School in Woodinville, Wash. on April 2, 2024. Special education students at the school are fully a part of general education classrooms.
Meron Menghistab for Education Week
Special Education 5 Tips to Help Students With Disabilities Feel Like They Belong
An expert on fostering a sense of belonging in schools for students with disabilities offers advice on getting started.
Caitlynn Peetz Stephens, April 14, 2024
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4 min read
During recess at Ruby Bridges Elementary School in Woodinville, Wash., students have cards with objects and words on them so that all students, including those who cannot speak, can communicate. Pictured here on April 2, 2024.
During recess at Ruby Bridges Elementary School in Woodinville, Wash., students have access to cards with objects and words on them so that all students, including those who do not speak, can communicate. Pictured here, a student who has been taught how to lead and use commands with a campus service dog does so under the supervision of a staff member on April 2, 2024.
Meron Menghistab for Education Week
Special Education Inside a School That Doesn’t Single Out Students With Special Needs
Students with disabilities at this school near Seattle rarely have to leave mainstream rooms to receive the services they need.
Caitlynn Peetz Stephens, April 14, 2024
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8 min read
Image of a group of students meeting with their teacher. One student is giving the teacher a high-five.
Laura Baker/Education Week via Canva
Special Education Download DOWNLOADABLE: Does Your School Use These 10 Dimensions of Student Belonging?
These principles are designed to help schools move from inclusion of students with disabilities in classrooms to true belonging.
Caitlynn Peetz Stephens & Laura Baker, April 14, 2024
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1 min read
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Special Education Video Inside an Inclusive Classroom: How Two Teachers Work Together
This model for inclusive education benefits students of all abilities, and the teachers instructing them.
Catriona Ni Aolain, March 6, 2024
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1 min read
Special Olympics Chairman Timothy Shriver greets a child at one of the organization’s events.
Special Olympics Chairman Timothy Shriver greets a child at one of the organization’s events.
Courtesy of Special Olympics
Special Education Q&A Schools Should Boost Inclusion of Students With Disabilities, Special Olympics Leader Says
Schools have work to do to ensure students with intellectual and developmental disabilities feel a sense of belonging, Tim Shriver said.
Evie Blad, January 24, 2024
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6 min read
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