Inclusion

Learn about how schools work to educate and include students who need extra supports in all areas of school life
Blind person using computer with braille computer display and a computer keyboard. Blindness aid, visual impairment, independent life concept.
iStock/Getty Images
Special Education Q&A Creating Inclusive Classrooms for Blind Students Can Benefit Everyone. Here's How
6 questions with a teacher who has dedicated her career to teaching and supporting blind children.
Caitlynn Peetz, August 10, 2023
•
6 min read
Equity & Diversity Spotlight Spotlight on Inclusion
This Spotlight will help you evaluate the negative treatment LGBTQ+ students experience, discover the positives of unified sports, and more.

December 15, 2022
Giovannie Tanella, third from left, and Averill Zimmer, share a moment during a Unified Physical Education class at Saratoga Springs High School in Saratoga Springs, N.Y., Thursday, Nov. 3, 2022.
Giovannie Tanella, third from left, and Averill Zimmer, share a moment during a unified physical education class at Saratoga Springs High School in Saratoga Springs, N.Y.
Heather Ainsworth for Education Week
Student Well-Being Briefly Stated 6 Rules for Engaging Students With Intellectual Disabilities in Sports
Here's how to get started with unified sports, where students with and without intellectual disabilities can play together.
Sarah D. Sparks, November 21, 2022
•
3 min read
Saratoga Springs High School Physical Education teacher, Colleen Belanger, left, instructs Hunter Fiorillo, during a Unified Physical Education class at Saratoga Springs High School in Saratoga Springs, N.Y., Thursday, Nov. 3, 2022. "I've been teaching for a long time and this is one of the best things I've ever done," said Belanger of teaching Unified P.E.
Saratoga Springs High School physical education teacher Colleen Belanger, left, instructs Hunter Fiorillo, during a unified physical education class at Saratoga Springs High School in Saratoga Springs, N.Y., on Thursday, Nov. 3, 2022. "I've been teaching for a long time and this is one of the best things I've ever done," said Belanger of the unified class.
Heather Ainsworth for Education Week
Special Education Unified Sports Level the Playing Field for Students With Disabilities
Interest is growing in unified sports, where students with and without intellectual disabilities can play and compete together.
Sarah D. Sparks, November 8, 2022
•
7 min read
Fri., September 30, 2022, 2:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m. ET
This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
Equity & Diversity Webinar Critical Ways Leaders Can Build a Culture of Belonging and Achievement
Explore innovative practices for using technology to build an environment of belonging and achievement for all staff and students.
Content provided by DreamBox Learning
Register
A group of multicolored people stand together looking in both directions
Ada DaSilva/DigitalVision Vectors<br/>
Special Education Opinion How to Build Inclusive Classrooms
If teachers start from the premise that all students can make valuable contributions, that opens avenues to success.
Larry Ferlazzo, August 19, 2022
•
3 min read
Equity & Diversity Spotlight Spotlight on Inclusivity
This Spotlight will help you identify inclusion gaps, evaluate what it takes to create a healthy school environment, and more.
February 22, 2022
Images shows colorful speech bubbles that say "Q," "&," and "A."
iStock/Getty
Special Education Opinion Inclusive Teachers Must Be 'Asset-Based Believers'
Four veteran educators share tips on supporting students with learning differences as they return to classrooms during this pandemic year.
Larry Ferlazzo, September 5, 2021
•
16 min read
Images shows colorful speech bubbles that say "Q," "&," and "A."
iStock/Getty
Special Education Opinion Q&A Collections: The Inclusive Classroom
Ten years of posts from experienced teachers of students with learning differences.
Larry Ferlazzo, August 10, 2021
•
2 min read
special populations getty 920 wide
Collage by Gina Tomko/Education Week and Getty
Special Education Explainer Special Education: Definition, Statistics, and Trends
What is special education and what do we know about the student special education population and the teachers who educate them?
Maya Riser-Kositsky, December 17, 2019
•
4 min read
BRIC ARCHIVE
Getty
Special Education Opinion How Our District Reimagined Special Education
We should have one nimble education system that serves all students, writes Colorado educator Steve Sandoval.
Steve Sandoval, September 16, 2019
•
4 min read
BRIC ARCHIVE
Special Education Overlooked: How Teacher Training Falls Short for English-Learners and Students With IEPs
Many English-learners and students with disabilities spend lots of time in the general education classroom, and yet teachers there often lack training in how to meet their needs
Corey Mitchell, May 14, 2019
•
6 min read
BRIC ARCHIVE
Anthony Russo for Education Week
Special Education Opinion Students With Disabilities Deserve Inclusion. It's Also the Best Way to Teach
Inclusion doesn't just mean throwing disabled students into general education classrooms without support, writes disability advocate Hannah Grieco.
Hannah Grieco, May 7, 2019
•
5 min read
Students in the Special Olympics Unified Champion Schools program in Des Moines, Iowa, celebrate an agreement to bring the program to schools throughout the district. Federal funding for the program nationally was threatened with elimination in the Trump administration's recent federal budget proposal.
Students in the Special Olympics Unified Champion Schools program in Des Moines, Iowa, celebrate an agreement to bring the program to schools throughout the district. Federal funding for the program nationally was threatened with elimination in the Trump administration's recent federal budget proposal.
Des Moines Independent Schools
Special Education The Special Olympics Budget Clash: What Schools Could Have Lost
Organized under the Special Olympics umbrella, the Unified Champion Schools program promotes meaningful connections between students with and without intellectual disabilities, using sports as a catalyst.
Christina A. Samuels, April 8, 2019
•
6 min read
Load More ▼