Mainstreaming is an educational method that integrates students with learning disabilities  into conventional classrooms for a specific period of time based on each individual's skills.   This topic interests me because I am fascinated by psychology, the human mind and how and why people act the way they do.  Even though I am no longer planning to pursue a career in education in order to teach students with learning disabilities, I have been interested in this topic for a long time.  This does not affect my values because my topic does not really have to do with values.  My aunt teaches students with learning disabilities and I have job shadowed her before; so, I have heard a lot about what she does and different situations she has been in.  Also, my high school mainstreamed students with learning  disabilities so I have had first hand experience of what it is like for the other students; I have watched some students be successful but i have also watched the kids with disabilities struggle to keep up with the material we were learning or be made fun of.  I am qualified to write about this because I have an interest in the topic and am doing a lot of research to make sure I have enough knowledge and information to create the best argument possible.  Mainstreaming students should not be a question of yes or no, it should be taken on a case-by-case basis to maximize any student's learning and social development.

The article, Teachers Perspectives on Suitable Learning Environments for Students with Disabilities, is about a qualitative study on inclusive, resource, and self contained classrooms for students with learning disabilities.  Special educators were interviewed for their observations on each of the classroom types and what they thought was best.  Overall, most teachers found that an inclusive classroom has been the best educational approach if the student is able to handle it; however, students with more severe disabilities often cannot handle it because they get teased or fall behind.  It is difficult to do studies on this topic because the students' educations are at stake and so it would be unethical to place children in each type of learning environment and find which student thrives more.  So, they interview the teachers to get an opinion from someone who has had experience with both types and can explain it best.  The main author, Poonam Dev, is a professor of education and the other author, Leslie Haynes, is a teacher at a charter school.  Even in the discussion, they do not have much of a bias and are being mainly factual.  They do sway towards integrating the students but they focus mainly on what the interviewed teachers had said. 

The next journal, Inclusion in Minnesota: Educational Experiences of Students with Learning Diabilities in Two Elementary Schools, is about mainstreaming students at a school in Minnesota and it explores the schools' model of inclusion, role of special education teachers and two students' experiences.   The teachers think that the students' education is helped by the inclusion and that students enjoy being able to be in the main class for general learning and interaction with all of the kids in their class, but also being able to go to the small group for extra help.  Contrary to the teachers, the two students focus more on the social aspect of the inclusion.  Both kids discuss all of the friends they are able to make and relate to because the group size is so small.  The teachers like this method because the students are also given the fast pace of the main class but still get extra help every day if they need it and tips to stay focused in class. The author is an instructor of special education in the department of instruction and learning at Vanderbilt.  So, not only has she taught children with learning disabilities directly, but now she is teaching other students about how to teach them and is very knowledgable in the subject. 

The next journal, Using Nondisabled Peers to Support the Inclusion of Students with Learning Disabilities at the Junior High School Level, is about students with learning disabilities who were able to be successfully integrated into general classes because they had help from non disabled student aids.  The article emphasizes the support of other students because the LD students had increased social skills, independence and academic skills.  The aids, however, had many concerns about certain behavioral convicts they faced with the disability students.  The only issue was the concern that the disabled students would disrupt the learning of other students; however, with the help of the aids, there were rarely any issues.  The skills that developed and improved displays that LD students are able to be integrated into general classrooms as long as they have a support system.  The authors are part of a research group for inclusive schools so they do studies at different schools to analyze how mainstreaming has the best effects.  They attempt to persuade the readers that even the most severe cases of disabilities can be included as long as they have support. 

My research question is arguable because there are many different ways a student can be mainstreamed into conventional classrooms whether it is full time, getting pulled out occasionally or spending most of their time in the separate, individual classroom.  I have found studies for all three types but most of them are very inconclusive on which type seems to work the best.  It is highly dependent on the situation because each student has different levels of disability and learns in their own, individual way.  Considering the idea that no two students learn and socialize in the same manner, my original research swayed my opinion between inclusion and exclusion.  My final opinion is that each student's education needs to be taken on a case by case basis and there is not one "best" way to mainstream the students.  Originally, my research question was whether or not students should be mainstreamed but after doing research I changed my question to display how mainstreaming is a viable option.

