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Abstract

Inclusive Education for students with special educational needs is a global phenomenon, a major event of momentous proportions affecting directly and indirectly a significant percentage of the world’s population. In response to international and national mandates requiring its implementation, educators everywhere are engaged in the daily task of providing educational services within inclusive general education classroom settings. It is expected that inclusion in the United States will become more prevalent in classrooms across the nation over the next ten years due to progressively more stringent federal and state mandates. In order for inclusion to result in adequate yearly progress for all student subgroups, it is imperative that it be properly implemented. Research has established that a critical component for proper implementation is an understanding of baseline attitudes in regard to inclusive education held by educators. The purpose of this study is to explore the attitudes of pre-K-12 general and special education teachers, school site administrators, school psychologists, paraprofessionals, physical and occupational therapists, speech and language therapists, certified non-teaching, school office staff and special education office staff in a medium sized school district in southern Arizona. This study examines the attitudes held by educators, their foundations of knowledge, attitudes, perceptions, and opinions that shape their attitudes, and potential recommendations for implementation strategies that are predicted to be successful by these educators.

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