# Transcript

PAULA KLUTH:
Today's question is about secondary education. Specifically the question is, my child was included for middle school. Can inclusion still work in high school? My answer is an enthusiastic yes. There are some things that we have to do differently or think differently about. But I think actually high school is one of the best environments to think creatively about inclusion.
There are at least three reasons for that. One is that in high school, you have a wide range of classes offered. In elementary school, this isn't true. Everyone does the same thing. And there's one kind of math to take. In high school, you have to take advantage of the entire catalog. You have to look across grade levels. You have to be creative. Some kids may need physical education twice a day.
Some kids may want to sample a course that you wouldn't typically pick for them. Maybe they're struggling academically, but you choose a really high level social studies course like a Russian history course because the child has a specific interest or knows information about Russia that could be an area of fascination or something. So really think creatively about what's available.
A second way to think about making high school inclusion successful is to use the peer. So a lot of high schools already have peer tutors available. They have a peer tutoring system. And think in two ways about this, first, that you can substitute typical classes for a peer tutor relationship in math, in reading skills, in a number of areas where instead of going and sitting and getting, you can work on these social skills and relationships while kids are getting what they need.
The other thing is there may be some kids with Asperger's and autism who want to be tutors. And that can be another good use of their classroom time. Finally, look at experiences beyond classroom walls like mentorships and work experiences and service learning and project-based learning. A lot of these are available in certain programs. Like maybe in business education, they have these or maybe in certain extracurriculars. They're connected to extracurriculars, or maybe there are certain classes that have clubs attached where kids can work at a school store.
And there's a whole host of possibilities in schools if you really look at every single learning experience. But you have to ask questions, talk to the kids themselves. And oftentimes you'll find that planning for a student in high school inclusion can be even a bit, if not easier, certainly can bring out your creativity a little bit more.