Mainstreaming works great for some but not all. The problem is that often the parents of the special needs child aren’t always given a voice. Even if they believe their child would function better in a special education school they often get overruled. If they would do this on a case by case basis evaluating the needs & abilities of each child, mainstreaming would work much better. But we also have unqualified teachers anxious to get these kids for the extra somethin’ somethin’ in their paychecks. Then it becomes a disaster for everyone.
Teachers in your state/district get more money if special needs students are mainstreamed into their classrooms?
I don't know what state pays a teacher more money for any special needs children in their class. In CA, there is only your regular salary. Some are not even offered an extra aide because there is no money in the coffers for an extra salary
I do believe that some individual school districts may have a higher base salary in high crime areas. But that goes for all salaries at that school.
No, I'm afraid that THE problem is that too many people still don't know what to do when a child doesn't respond to the normal ways of getting them to behave. Some kids respond well to getting smacked. Others do not. Some will do nearly anything for a hug, or a piece of candy or gum. By law, every child with a confirmed disability must have an IEP. That is “INDIVIDUALIZED education program.” The parents do have input, but sometimes it's hard to go against what the district wants to do. I've been on both sides of the table during IEP meetings, and it helps to have some prepared options. We used to go with up to four pages of things we'd like to try for our son, who has Asperger’s Syndrome. We knew we couldn't get all of it, or even much of it, but it smoothed things out considerably to have them be able to pick and choose a few of them, to try.
Here is a website that advises parents, teachers, and administrators on Special Education law. http://www.wrightslaw.com/
It tends to the adversarial, but gives good advice to all.
Part of the problem is that the law requires kids to receive a “free, appropriate, public education” or FAPE, in the LRE, or “least restrictive environment.” For some kids, that LRE is the regular classroom, and for others, a self-contained, and very restrictive environment like a hospital. The law requires, also, that you try less-restrictive environments, first. Regular class, then maybe regular class with aide, or pull-out for lab, etc., before you put someone in a class with two desks and a teacher. Least restrictive is also least costly. If they aren't doing this on an individual basis, trying to do what is best for the kid, they are breaking the law, and wasting time and $$$.
BTW, most places don't have “special education schools” for other than deaf or blind students, anymore. They have classrooms in regular schools.