Widening the Circle is a passionate, even radical argument for
creating school and classroom environments where all kids,
including children labeled as "disabled" and "special needs," are
welcome on equal terms.
In opposition to traditional models of special education, where
teachers decide when a child is deemed "ready to compete" in
"mainstream" classes, Mara Sapon-Shevin articulates a vision of
full inclusion as a practical and moral goal. Inclusion, she
argues, begins not with the assumption that students have to earn
their way into the classroom with their behavior or skills, it
begins with the right of every child to be in the mainstream of
education, perhaps with modifications, adaptations, and support.
Full inclusion requires teachers to think about all aspects of
their classrooms—pedagogy, curriculum, and classroom climate.
Crucially, Sapon-Shevin takes on arguments against full inclusion
in a section of straight-talking answers to common questions. She
agrees with critics that the rhetoric of inclusion has been used to
justify eliminating services and "dumping" students with
significant educational needs unceremoniously back into the
mainstream with little or no support. If full inclusion is properly
implemented, however, she argues, it not only clearly benefits
those traditionally excluded but enhances the educations and lives
of those considered mainstream in myriad ways.
Through powerful storytelling and argument, Sapon-Shevin lays out
the moral and educational case for not separating kids on the basis
of difference.
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