The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) states that all children with disabilities must be placed in the least restrictive environment (LRE). There are several environments in which a student with special needs can be placed. It can be a self-contained special education classroom; a resource room when a student is pulled out of class for small group or one-on-one teaching with a special education teacher; or inclusion. Each student should be placed in the LRE in which he can thrive.
An individualized education program (IEP) is given to each child who has been classified with a disability. The IEP provides details about that child's individual strengths and weaknesses. Specific goals are laid out for that child. It is the job of both the general education teacher and the special education teacher to help that child achieve those goals. An IEP team is created to write the child's IEP a minimum of once a year. The general education teacher should be a part of that IEP team. The general education teacher should be familiar with her students' IEPs and take them into consideration when creating lesson activities.
It is important for the general education teacher to communicate with the parents of her students with special needs. Parents provide insights that others cannot. The teacher should use the information provided by the parents to help form her lessons.
The most important part of an inclusion classroom is the cooperation between the teachers. An outsider should be able to look at an inclusion classroom and not know who the classified students are, or which teacher is the general education teacher and which teacher is the special education teacher. The general education teacher should work closely with the special education teacher to create lessons. They should teach together and support all children in the classroom.