What specific challenges do middle schools present to educators trying to build an inclusive environment?
The middle school grades, more than other grade levels, are about change. Students for the first time are expected to be responsible for being prepared to learn, they attend larger classes, class settings repeatedly change during the day, and no single teacher is responsible for supervising them. In addition, because of their size, middle schools often bring together students from a more diverse set of economic, educational, and cultural perspectives than elementary schools do. There is also, of course, the tremendous psychological and physical changes that accompany the onset of puberty. The challenge for educators is how to orchestrate all these changes into a cohesive and supportive learning environment. Q: How can educators help students with disabilities make the transition from elementary to middle school? A: The most important thing about any transition is planning. Six months before a student with disabilities makes the move to middle school, the education team should identify
