IDEA guarantees free public education for all Americans with disabilities. Mainstreaming places special education students in regular classrooms for part of the day to acquire social skills and access to the same education as regular students. Critics argue for full inclusion, but it may prevent special education students from accessing resources. Reverse mainstreaming introduces regular education students to special education classrooms to encourage social interaction and understanding.
The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) mandated the right to a free public education for all Americans with disabilities. Since IDEA’s inception, there has been much debate about how best to provide such education to students with special needs. One practice aimed at providing a positive educational experience for special education students is mainstreaming, where special education students are placed in the regular education classroom for part of the school day. The goal of mainstreaming is to provide special education students with the opportunity to acquire adequate social skills and access to the same education as regular education students, while still allowing them access to resource classrooms and special education classrooms .
Mainstreaming has become a regular practice in many schools. Special education students may be placed in a regular education room for part of the school day, for example, spending their English class in the regular education room but spending their math class in the special education room. Mainstreaming is customizable and often relies on the judgment of the regular classroom teacher and the special education teacher, both of whom will maintain constant communication to clearly assess a student’s progress. When used correctly, mainstreaming allows the special education student to take full advantage of all the resources available to him.
Critics of mainstreaming argue that it places an unnecessary stigma on special education students by drawing attention to the fact that they don’t spend their entire day in the regular education classroom. Opponents argue that special education students should be placed full-time in the mainstream education classroom—this practice is called full inclusion. According to opponents, spending the entire day in the regular education classroom would reduce the social stigma associated with being a special education student. However, full inclusion prevents special education students from taking advantage of resources available to them in the special education classroom that may not be available in the regular education classroom.
Reverse mainstreaming arises from the concept of mainstreaming. In reverse mainstreaming, students in mainstream education are introduced to the special education classroom on a part-time or full-school day basis. This encourages social interaction, allows special education students to gather information from regular education students, and gives regular education students a better understanding of different special needs. Reverse mainstreaming is often done in preschool and kindergarten classrooms to develop acceptance and tolerance while children are young enough to be less aware of social stigma.
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