Teacher experiences of inclusion of students with special educational needs into schools

The major international movement toward adopting the philosophy of inclusion of students with special needs into mainstream classrooms has generated much discussion (both positive and negative) in schools in Australia. This chapter describes how teachers are attempting to include students with special needs from the perspective of regular classroom teachers. In this Australian study, the experiences of teachers are reported on the challenges they faced prior to inclusion, the impact of inclusion on students' skills and social relationships, and the effects of the process on the major stakeholders involved.