Do special education students do best in regular classes or in self contained classes?

This question has been around  for a long time. The Lessons in Learning article from the Canadian Council on Learning has some good information on this topic. Their conculsion is that inclusion in regular classes has mixed and modest advantages and so placing a student in a regular class needs to be considered with care. Please read on:

Thoughtful implementation of inclusion

The mixed results and modest advantages provided by inclusion suggest a mere inclusive placement is no guarantee of success. The studies of initiatives where included students with SEN were successful were characterized by adequate support above and beyond that available to general education students. Often this involved team teaching and/or extensive collaboration with a qualified special-education teacher.[15],[16] Simply placing students with SEN in mainstream classrooms is no recipe for success.

Realistic class sizes and ratios of students with SEN

Successful inclusive settings are characterized by “attempts… to avoid disproportionate numbers of students with disabilities together in one classroom.”[17] Teachers are more likely able to provide effective and individualized instruction when they have a manageable number of special needs students. For similar reasons, reasonable class size may also be a crucial factor in making an inclusive approach successful.[18] Teachers will have more time to serve students with SEN individually in smaller classes.

Considering the best program placement for the child/ Offering a range of services

Few studies reported academic benefits to separating SEN students from the general population. However, the majority showed only small and/or statistically non-significant advantages to inclusive classrooms. As the academic education of children cannot be separated from their social well-being, if students with special educational needs are more comfortable and confident in separate settings—as, for example, may be the case for hearing-impaired, learning-disabled, and some emotionally disturbed students— educators and decision-makers will have to proceed carefully, as the benefits of inclusion are not overwhelming.[19],[20] Furthermore, some special needs may be more conducive to inclusion than others. Boards and schools may do well to ensure a range of services are available to support students with differing needs.

[15] Y. Center & C. Curry, "A feasibility study of a full integration model developed for a group of students classified as mildly intellectually disabled," International Journal of Disability, Development and Education, 40(3), (1993), pp. 217-235.
[16] R. J. Stevens & R. E. Slavin, "The cooperative elementary school: Effects on students' achievement, attitudes, and social relations".
[17] N. L. Waldron & J. McLeskey, "The effects of an inclusive school program on students with mild and severe learning disabilities," Exceptional Children, 64(3), (1998), pp. 395-405.
[18] Y. Henteleff, "The fully inclusive classroom is only one of the right ways to meet the best interests of the special needs child."
[19] A. M. Hocutt, "Effectiveness of special education: Is placement the critical factor?" Future of Children, 6(1), (1996), pp. 77-102.
[20] Eaton v. Brant County Board of Education, 1 S.C.R. 241, Judgments of the Supreme Court of Canada. (Ottawa: 1997), accessed Feb. 16, 2009.

Follow the link to read the complete article

http://www.ccl-cca.ca/CCL/Reports/LessonsInLearning/LinL20090318SpecialNeeds.htm?Language=EN