Teacher Attitudes in Italy After Twenty Years of Inclusion

In 1977, Italy adopted a national policy on inclusion, whereby separate schools for students with disabilities were virtually eliminated in favor of neighborhood schools and general education classrooms. Substantial support was provided to general education teachers with respect to favorable class sizes and availability of special education teachers. The purpose of this study was to determine the nature of Italian teachers' attitudes toward inclusion after 20 years of inclusion policies and practice. A total of 523 education teachers in Northern and Central Italy responded to a survey that was based on common core items taken from a review of previous surveys conducted in America. Overall support for the concept of inclusion was found to be very strong. However, Italian teachers responded far less positively on practical items addressing their satisfaction with time, training, personnel assistance, and resources provided for inclusion efforts. These attitudes were also compared with teacher attitudes toward inclusion reported in similar surveys in the United States. Implications for inclusion practices in the United States are discussed.