Students with special educational needs should have accommodations spelled out specifically in an Individual Educational Plan, or IEP. An accommodation is a change made to allow a child to stay in the regular classroom. Books on tapes available for students with reading limitations is an example of this type of adaptation. In other cases, a child may need support for learning provided by a uniquely equipped classroom staffed with resource specialists. Students with less restrictive needs and slightly modified educational requirements, however, may receive more direct benefit in reaching their goals by remaining in their regular classrooms, accepting targeted support by well-trained aides or teachers.
A "pull out" program is defined as one in which a student spends about half the day in a resource classroom, and offers some advantages. Fewer distractions, use of educational materials not available in the classroom, and direct instruction from a certified resource specialist working with small groups or individual students are generally achieved in a Resource Specialist Program, or RSP. Often in pull-out programs, students are placed with others who may not necessarily share the same educational need. Grouping students in the same room because they share the label “learning disabled” does not necessarily allow for needed educational individualization. Students with different learning disabilities do not need the same supports.
In an article entitled "Special Education: A Service Not a Sentence," appearing in the on-line journal "Educational Leadership," author Patrick A. Schwarz makes the case for inclusion as a better social and education policy for everyone: "When we include students with special learning needs through a supportive model, everyone learns about diversity -- and about themselves." As children mature and become more able to view themselves as others see them, the perceived stigma of exiting the regular classroom for an alternate class can overshadow any benefits the smaller, more specific resource center can provide. Remaining in the classroom and receiving tutorial assistance from an aide or support person is one way a child can stay in class while gaining more specialized help. Some resource specialists reject this approach unless the adult helping the child is trained and utilized effectively to meet the child's specific educational goals.
Schools and resource specialists trying to provide the legally-required least restrictive environment for special education will opt for keeping a child in the regular classroom as much as possible, with an intentional plan for making accommodations. Schools with carefully thought-out intervention plans and systematic, assessment-based evaluations may be most able to have a student remain among his or her classmates. Educators and researchers Richard A. Villa and J. Thousand make the case for a cohesive school community that develops a systematic, fair way to educate everyone: "All educators can and should come together and promote the practices of differentiation, curricular adaptations, and universal design for successful learning, support, and education advancement." The ability of a local school to serve students with disabilities in the general education classroom is linked to its ability to provide effective quality education for the general student body, as well as special populations.