SPECIAL RECOGNITION: In 2000, the High School of Telecommunication Arts and Technology was named as one of four Beacon Schools nationwide which were found to provide an especially excellent quality of education for special education students within the context of efforts to create a positive educational environment for all students. The researchers, who are part of the Institute on Community Integration, recognized HSTAT for its innovative projects, inclusion of special ed students in most academic settings, and use of sophisticated technology in the classroom. To read the full description of the school, click here, or to learn more about the Beacon Schools project and the criteria for selection visit the Beacons of Excellence homepage.
The New York State Department of Education lists some schools in New York City as examples of "Effective Practice" in inclusion and instructional practices.

(April, 2001)

While the New Continuum offers the vision that eventually all schools will include children with special needs and provide them appropriate services and resources, clearly it will take time for the system to transform itself fully. Until the recently adopted revised Continnuum for Delivery of Special Education Services (the "New Continuum"), the school system separated children by their diagnosed disabilities, and the disability determined the class placement. Students with moderate to severe disabilities were given particular Modified Instructional Services ("MIS") or Specialized Instructional Environment ("SIE") designations. A glossary of these designations follows at the end of this page. In the meantime, we are often asked for a list of schools already providing inclusion classes. At this time (spring 2001), the Board of Education points to two main clusters of inclusive education programs -- 1) those participating in the Least Restrictive Environment Initiative, which is now referred to as a pilot program, and 2) inclusive classrooms affiliated with District 75, both listed and explained below. We also list some noteworthy programs identified by Public School Reports that include children with special needs in general education classrooms.

This is by no means an exhaustive list of all schools practicing inclusive education, nor is it an endorsement of these particular programs. It’s simply a place to start your research. For more information about particular schools, see Public School Reports and the Board of Education’s School Report Cards.

The Least Restrictive Environment (LRE) Initiative was established in 1996 to support participating schools in creating innovative programs to educate more students with mild to moderate disabilities (including learning, emotional, speech and/or language disabilities and mild to moderate mental retardation) in their LRE instead of exclusively in self-contained "Modified Instructional Services" classes. Below is the most recent list (December 1999) from the NYC Board of Education of schools that have been active participants in the program. If your school district is not listed, call your district’s special education office to ask about programs that might be available there.

COMMUNITY SCHOOL DISTRICT 2

COMMUNITY SCHOOL DISTRICT 4

COMMUNITY SCHOOL DISTRICT 6

COMMUNITY SCHOOL DISTRICT 8

COMMUNITY SCHOOL DISTRICT 9

COMMUNITY SCHOOL DISTRICT 10

COMMUNITY SCHOOL DISTRICT 15

COMMUNITY SCHOOL DISTRICT 17

COMMUNITY SCHOOL DISTRICT 19

COMMUNITY SCHOOL DISTRICT 20

COMMUNITY SCHOOL DISTRICT 21

COMMUNITY SCHOOL DISTRICT 22

COMMUNITY SCHOOL DISTRICT 23

COMMUNITY SCHOOL DISTRICT 24

COMMUNITY SCHOOL DISTRICT 27

ALTERNATIVE HIGH SCHOOL SUPERINTENDENCY

BASIS HIGH SCHOOL SUPERINTENDENCY

BRONX HIGH SCHOOL SUPERINTENDENCY

BROOKLYN HIGH SCHOOL SUPERINTENDENCY

MANHATTAN HIGH SCHOOL SUPERINTENDENCY

QUEENS HIGH SCHOOL SUPERINTENDENCY

New York City’s District 75 is a citywide district whose sites are located for the most part in community school buildings, but also in some free-standing buildings. It is responsible for educating students with more severe disabilities, including the severely to profoundly mentally retarded, multiply handicapped, autistic, and those with severe learning and emotional disabilities. The District also provides career education and occupational skills to children 14 years old and up who are learning or emotionally disabled, speech impaired or mildly to moderately mentally retarded.

District 75 primarily educates its students in self-contained "Specialized Instructional Environment (SIE)" classes. The SIE designation is obsolete under the new Continuum for Delivery of Special Education Services, which groups students not by particular disability but by educational and management needs, and sorts classes by the ratio of staff to students. but also has collaborated with many community schools and high schools to create classes including District 75 students who can benefit from the general education environment. Listed below are classes, schools and programs that are inclusive.

BRONX

BRONX

BROOKLYN

MANHATTAN

QUEENS

RICHMOND (STATEN ISLAND)

Among the outstanding public schools listed and described in the Public Schools Reports page on the web site of Advocates for Children, numerous schools are listed whose philosophy is to include children with special needs in general education classrooms. The schools currently so described are listed below.

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