Students across America with special needs have been integrated into classrooms with populations of general education students. This integration of students with special needs and students in general education is called inclusion. Inclusion is no longer an option for schools to choose or not choose. Federal law now requires the inclusion of all students with special needs if that placement is the least restrictive environment. Public Law 94-142, which states that education will be provided to all handicapped children, was enacted to prevent discrimination that was considered widespread (Elliott et & McKenney, 1998). An amendment to this act in 1990, titled Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), stated that the education of that person would include all academic areas, as well as the vocational and technical areas of education (Cronis & Ellis, 2000). Many high school instructors believe that the process of including students with special needs into general education classes demonstrates reverse discrimination for general education students. "Some feel that there is a failure to meet the needs of either regular or special education students" (Winzer, 1998, p. 2). Because inclusion cause changes in how educators teach and students learn, it becomes important to analyze the effects of inclusion on the general education students to best serve both populations.
             The Individuals With Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), as amended in 1997, does not require inclusion. In fact the term "inclusion" does not appear in the text of the statute or the implementing regulations. Instead, the law requires that children with disabilities be educated "to the maximum extent appropriate" in the "least restrictive environment." And the IDEA contemplates that the "least restrictive environment" is the regular education classroom. There are advocates on both sides of the issue. Some view inclusion as a policy driven by an unrealistic expectation...