I am heartbroken by the news that Boston Public Schools wants to end the only true full inclusion program that exists for students in grades 9-transition at Dorchester’s Henderson School. And I am especially heartbroken for our students, who will not only need to adjust to new schools, but will also have to adjust to a completely different style of learning.
For some, that may be getting used to learning in a sub-separate classroom, while others will need to adjust to having only one teacher there to support them. And for all of them, they’ll no longer be able to learn alongside one another.
When I first walked through the doors of the Henderson in 2022, I thought I knew what full inclusion was all about. I had worked with co-teachers before and taught in classrooms where special education and general education students learned side-by-side.
But even in those classrooms, I never taught students with severe disabilities; they were still in a substantially separate setting. The Henderson changed my understanding of what full inclusion has the potential to be.
At other schools, “inclusion” is typically designed for students with mild-to-moderate disabilities, but full inclusion at the Henderson aims to include students with a wide range of abilities in one classroom, ranging from mild to severe. Almost every core class (English, math, history, and science) is co-taught by a general education teacher and a special education teacher who work closely together to design a curriculum that supports all learners.
This model is not cheap, and that is most likely a huge factor in why the district wants to eliminate it. But moving toward solo-taught inclusion classes is not going to be effective. We have two teachers in every classroom at the Henderson because teaching a full inclusion class is a two-person job. (Sometimes even two teachers do not feel like enough!) One teacher working under two or three licenses cannot provide quality instruction to students of all abilities at the same time. Someone in that classroom will always be getting the short end of the stick.
By having two teachers in every class, students have more opportunities for feedback, support, and individualized instruction. The Henderson’s model breaks down barriers that many students with disabilities face at other schools, such as creating a path for them to enroll in AP coursework.
In our post-Affirmative Action world, access to AP courses is more important than ever for BIPOC students, and the Henderson ensures that students with disabilities can access college-level courses and have a chance to be accepted at competitive schools. Not every high school is going to create those opportunities for students with Individual Education Plans (IEPs) and students are less likely to gain the confidence needed to select those courses if they aren’t given sufficient support throughout their education.
It is wildly irresponsible for BPS to close the 9-transition program at the Henderson without having a comparable alternative for our students to attend. The spirit of the Henderson Inclusion School’s 9-transition program must live on. Rather than taking away an invaluable resource from some of Boston’s most vulnerable learners, the city should find a way to merge the Henderson with another high school or to create a co-taught full inclusion strand at an existing high school.
Now is the time for the community to rally and speak up in order to save co-teaching and full inclusion in Boston high schools. Seeing students thrive when they are given the proper support in an environment designed around their needs will be worth every penny.
Chelsey Falco is a high school English teacher and Boston Teachers Union building rep at the Henderson Inclusion School.
