We know that the world is an inclusive community. It's very important for children to have the opportunity to learn and grow within communities that represent the kind of world they'll live in when they finish high school. -- Mara Sapon-Shevin

The Values Issue - To what extent do we value human differences?
How much do we value education?
How much are we willing to pay for it?
How much do we value children in our society?

Sandra Alper, head of the Department of Special Education at the University of Northern Iowa, asks these questions to raise the values issue. These questions need to be answered before making the commitment to inclusive education. Alper is concerned that the inclusive movement brings a trend toward training educators as generalists. As a practitioner and as head of a university special education department, she knows you can't train a teacher in four years to handle all children. She wou ld like to see undergraduate programs give all teachers experience working with all kinds of students and have entry level skills. This would be followed with mandated training in the summers after teachers had taught for 1-2 years.

Special Education Teacher Shortages and What One State is Doing
Special Education Teacher Retention Program in Iowa