The negative side of Inclusion Classrooms

For my research proposal I am going to take on an unpopular opinion that inclusion is not as beneficial for students with disabilities as studies and research has lead us to believe. 

As a future special educator, I am interested in seeing the benefits and drawbacks of an inclusion classrooms. As I have already began working in the school system I have seen both the pros and cons of inclusion classrooms. Studies and research states that inclusion classrooms maximize the success of students with disabilities as well as benefit socially with fewer negative labels. But I have personally found this research to be untrue in many scenarios. I have seen the students with disabilities struggle to understand the curriculum they are being forced to learn, I have seen their face when they realize that everyone else in the classroom understands and they do not. I have also seen the effects this has on the general education students, the students that consistently have to slow their ideas down during group work, the students whos lessons are constantly being interrupted by the numerous questions one student has because they don't quite get it, the constant interruptions from other adults being in and out of the room to support another student. Do not get me wrong, I also see the good side of inclusion classrooms, the friendships that can be made, the social interactions that the students would otherwise go without, and the utter understanding from general education that special education students are worthy of an education. But my questions still remain;

Is placing special education students in inclusive classrooms beneficial for their success or harmful for their education? Self-contained or inclusion, which breeds success? Is an inclusion classroom beneficial for those without the special needs? Does inclusion truly benefit everyone?

Separate classrooms for students with special needs, known as self-contained classrooms, with lower student to teacher ratios, controlled environments, and specially trained staff would offer more benefits to a student with disabilities but according to research it has failed to provide sufficient evidence of the effectiveness of self-contained classrooms. Most research suggests that inclusion classrooms are favorable in the success of students with disabilities but there is minimal studies to show the negative impact inclusion classrooms can have. People are scared to ask the sensitive questions, the politically incorrect questions, of the potentially negative impact inclusion can have on both the general education students as well as the students with disabilities, which is why there is such a lack data on these questions. In my research proposal I plan to address these questions through research, personal experience, and experiences of educators and students of both abilities.

It is of the upmost importance to not exclude any students from equal education opportunities and most research suggest otherwise; inclusion classrooms pose more harm to student success with both the disabled student as well as all of the general education students in the class.