Variety is the spice of life.  But what about in the classroom?  An article in the New York Times describes the variety experienced by an autistic child attending a public school in Madison Wisconsin.  This particular school is known country-wide for its inclusion practices, allowing special education students the benefit of exposure to their peers. 

Reportedly, parents and families relocate to Madison so that their autistic children can benefit from the expertise of the teachers and staff.  And based on the article, it works and works well.  So why isn’t that the case across the country?  Well, money for one reason.  According to the article, it is quite expensive to educate autistic children.  Wouldn’t it be great if some of the money from “Race to the Top” could be spent on increasing inclusion classes and training across the country?  How many kids and families would benefit from that?

And the educators in Madison, what do they think of inclusion?  Well, the article doesn’t specifically state it but I would suspect that because it is done and done well with the right kind of support and training from the higher-ups, I suspect that the teachers enjoy having some spice in their classes.  And just look at how the classmates respond!  Madison doesn’t have a magic potion, but they may just have something that we could all benefit from.