Devolution , School / Community / Family Partnerships , and Inclusive Education

The purpose of this chapter is to take a close look at the implications of the " devo-lution revolution " for a particular aspect of public assistance, namely, progress toward inclusive education as federal policy. The term " devolution revolution " refers to the recent shift in federal policy to increasingly turn fiscal resources and responsibilities over to the states for the administration of human services programs. The chapter begins with an examination of inclusion as a policy reform agenda, its origins in special education, and its present focus in general education. Next, the chapter examines the implications of the devolution revolution. It then reviews school/community partnership models and how these models affect, and in turn are affected by, devolution policies. The chapter then examines current issues in school reform and educational reform in general, in terms of how these policy changes interact with devolution, and considers how these various policy reform agendas come together to form the beginnings of a new framework for the provision of child and family assistance and support. Finally, the role of, and implications for, inclusive education in these transformational policy reform efforts are considered, including the future of university-based, special education and other professional training programs. The concept of inclusion in education has its origins in efforts that began in about 1973 to integrate education of students with severe disabilities within a broader context of general education (Sontag, Burke, & York, 1973). Efforts to create inclusive programs began with a values-based premise; the belief that students with disabilities should not be segregated for their education but should have access to friendships and interactive relationships with nondisabled peers—a civil rights argument (Stainback & Stainback, 1990). When the civil rights/values-based argument came up against the reality of public schools, professionals and parents aligned themselves with disability-rights lawyers and exercised due process as al