Inclusion in Education The past several decades have witnessed the growth of the inclusion movement in regards to special education. Rather than segregating students with disabilities within specially designated classrooms, the inclusion movement, in general, refers to the concept of integrating special education students within the context of the general student population. This has been a radical change that naturally generates differences of opinion. However, an examination of the literature on this subject, which explores both the controversial issues of inclusion, as well as its benefits, indicates that inclusion is a policy that produces positive effect and outcomes for both general education student populations and student with disabilities. Defining what is meant by "inclusion" First of all, "inclusion," as a philosophy for instruction, begins, "not at the classroom level," but rather in a much broader context that involves the "administrator, faculty and staff" of each school embracing "diversity as well as the determination to meet the unique needs of each student" (Carpenter and Dyai 344). However, in a narrower sense "inclusion" refers to the mandates of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) and its mandate that the needs of special education students should be within the least restrictive environment. The "least restrictive environment" (LRE) was originally conceptualized by education scholars as a means for addressing the problem of school district making educational placements an either/or proposition, either a child was placed in a general education classroom or a special education classroom (Sherrill 54). The creators of the LRE concept envisioned that multiple placement options would provide a better means for meeting "each student's assessed needs as indicated in the individualized educational program (IEP)" for that child (Sherrill 54). However, Congress favored an integration approach that mixed students with and without disabilities whenever possible, which caused