Report on the Educational challenges of Deprived / Marginalised group of

children

It is widely acknowledged that education has an important role to achieve a greater

degree of social justice. The educational institutions are expected to equip children to
the best of their ability for securing a meaningful place in society and thus fostering a
process of developing an egalitarian society. However, a large number of children are
still excluded from the educational system and hence cannot participate meaningfully in
the economic, social, political and cultural life of their communities.

Meaning of Deprived/ Marginalized Groups

The concept of Deprived/ Marginalized Groups is generally used to analyse
socioeconomic, political, and cultural spheres, where disadvantaged people struggle to
gain access to resources and full participation in social life. In other words, marginalized
people might be socially, economically, politically and legally ignored, excluded, or
neglected, and, therefore vulnerable. Marginality’ is demeaning, for economic well-
being, for human dignity, as well as for physical security.
Marginalization/deprived is generally described as the overt actions or tendencies of
human societies, where people who they perceive to be undesirable or without useful
function are excluded, i.e., marginalized. The people who are Deprived/
Marginalized are outside the existing systems of protection and integration. This
limits their opportunities and means for survival.
Nature of Deprived/ Marginalized Groups
Marginalization - [mahr-juh-nl-ahyz] is, to place in a position of marginal
importance, influence, or power. Deprived/ marginalized is a multidimensional,
multi-causal, historical phenomenon. To relegate or confine to a lower or outer limit or
edge, as of social standing. There are no general laws to understand and comprehend
the complex nature of marginalization. Marginalization can be due to class, in relation
to specific social, cultural, economic and political conditions, as well as ideological
systems, social awareness, and human action.
Deprived/ Marginalized Groups vary in different settings. The religious, ecological
system, patriarchy, political economy of a country, and the overall social system have an
impact on the marginalization of specific groups or an individual.
Deprived/ Marginalized also varies from culture to culture. This can be seen in
relation to elderly people living in different countries and cultures. The strong and
supportive traditional family system in some cultures often provides better respect and
care to elders than the public aided system available in others.
Level of awareness among the marginalized groups plays very important role. Organized
communities which are aware of their rights, demand more justice than unorganized
communities. This also depends upon the support of the political-economic system of
the country where they live in. Democratic institutions are favourable for most of the
disadvantaged groups.

Deprived/ Marginalized Groups happen simultaneously at the micro and macro

levels. Deprived/ Marginalized Groups occurs at different levels, i.e., individual,
group, community, and global. Discrimination across different social institutions, such
as family, schools and neighbourhood, at work places, or places of worship. Many
communities, a result of colonization, experience marginalization such as aboriginals, or
women too face discrimination. Globalization too has increased the gap between rich
and poor nations. The influx of capitalism, information technology, company
outsourcing, job insecurity, and the widening gap between the rich and the poor,
impacts the lives of individuals and groups in many capacities.
Types of Deprived/ Marginalized Groups
Marginalization at the individual level results in an individual’s exclusion from
meaningful participation in society.
Some broad types of Deprived/ Marginalized Groups such as social, economic, and
political have been identified.
i) Socially Deprived/ Marginalized Groups
Social marginalisation is a process of social rupture or destruction, in which groups as
well as individuals alike become detached from various types of social functions and
relations. This generally prevents these people from functioning in the so called normal
activities within a society. The individual is forced into a new system of rules while
facing social stigma and stereotypes from the dominant group in society. Socially
marginalized people are largely deprived of social opportunities. There are those born
into marginal groupings e.g., lower castes in India, or members of ethnic groups suffer
discrimination. This marginality is typically for life. They lack the required social and
cultural capital to participate in mainstream development processes. Their social
networks are weak and vulnerable. They are deprived of access to resources, such as,
economic, educational, cultural, and other support systems. This creates social isolation
and limits their participation in the development process.

ii) Economically Deprived/ Marginalized Groups

Economic marginalization” means being unimportant to the economy. Some individuals
or groups can be marginalized from the rest of the economy. The sources and amount of
their income varies. Poverty and economic marginalization have both direct and indirect
impact on people’s health and wellbeing.
iii) Politically Deprived/ Marginalized Groups
Political marginalization does not allow the group to participate democratically in
decision making, and, hence, they lose their right to every social, economic, and political
benefit. In every society, lack of political empowerment affects large sections of people,
including women, ethnic minorities, migrants, and disabled persons, elderly.

Reasons responsible for Deprived/ Marginalized Groups

Some of the important factors that are responsible for marginalization are exclusion,
globalization, displacement, and disaster both natural, and manmade.

i) Exclusion: Marginalization is a process that denies opportunities and outcomes to

‘those ‘living on the margins’, while enhancing the opportunities and outcomes for those
who are ‘at the centre’. Deprived/ Marginalized combines discrimination and social
exclusion. It offends human dignity, and it denies human rights. Caste and class
prejudice, in many societies across the globe, exclude many groups and communities,
and hinder their active participation in economic and social development.
ii) Globalization: Globalization has increased openness which has promoted
development at the cost of equity. It is viewed that globalization has enhanced the gap
between haves and have-nots and thus boosted marginalization. While it is true that
some middle income developing countries, as well as the most populous countries, India
and China, are gaining out of globalization, yet the impact is not equally universal.
iii) Displacement: The development programmes implemented by the government
and increasing construction of development projects consistently displace a massive
number of tribal, poor, and weaker sections. This results in marginalization of already
marginalized people.
iv) Disasters- Natural and Unnatural: Disasters are a global phenomena and a serious
challenge to development. Vulnerability is linked to broader social issues such as
poverty, social exclusion, conflict, education, health, gender issues and marginalization.
Classifications of disasters.
Natural: earthquake, volcanic eruption, hurricane, tornado, ice storm, flood, landslide,
wildfire, insect infestation, and disease outbreaks.
Manmade: Can be associated with technological advances, i.e., explosives, unexploded
ordinance, toxic spills, emissions of radioisotopes, and transportation accidents. It also
includes incidents involving hazardous materials such as carcinogens, mutagens, or
heavy metals. Dangers are posed by structural failure of devices and machines or
installations, and plants, such as bridges, dams, mines, power plants, pipelines, high rise
buildings, vehicles, and trains.
Social: These include incidents primarily involving social unrest, such as hijacking,
riots, demonstrations, crowd rushes, and stampedes, terrorist incidents, as well as
bombings, shootings, and hostage taking.
Most vulnerable Deprived/ Marginalized Groups
Some of the most vulnerable marginalized groups in almost every society are:

i) Women: Under different economic conditions, and under the influence of specific
historical, cultural, legal and religious factors, marginalization of women can be seen
from their exclusion from certain jobs and occupations. Women belonging to lower
classes, lower castes, illiterate, and the poorest region have been marginalized more
than their better off counterparts.
ii) People with Disabilities: People with disabilities have had to battle against
centuries of biased assumptions, harmful stereotypes, and irrational fears. The
stigmatization of disability resulted in the social and economic marginalization of
generations with disabilities, and thus has left people with disabilities in a severe state of
impoverishment for centuries.
iii) Elderly: Being past middle age and approaching old age; rather old. S Ageing is an
inevitable and inexorable process in life. For most nations, regardless of their
geographic location or developmental stage, the 80 year olds, or over-age group is
growing faster than any younger segment of the older population. Elderly women form
the majority of marginalized groups among them.
iv) Ethnic minority: – a group that has different national or cultural traditions from
the majority of the population the term, ethnic minority, refers to marginalised people
of the same race or nationality who share a distinctive culture. A minority is a
sociological group that does not constitute a politically dominant voting majority of the
total population of a given society. It may include any group that is subnormal with
respect to a dominant group, in terms of social status, education, employment, wealth,
and political power. Every large society contains ethnic minorities. They may be
migrant, indigenous or landless nomadic communities, or religious minorities that have
a different faith from the majority.
v) Caste Groups: The caste system is a strict hierarchical social system based on
underlying notions of purity and pollution. Brahmins are on the top of the hierarchy and
Shudras or Dalits orthe Scheduled Castes constitute the bottom of the hierarchy. The
marginalization of Dalits influences all spheres of their life, violating basic human rights
such as civil, political, social, economic and cultural rights. Literacy rates, purchasing
power and poor housing conditions among Dalits are very low. Physical segregation of
their settlements is common. However, in recent years due to affirmative action and
legal protection, the intensity of caste-based marginalization is reducing.
vi) Tribes: In India, the population of Scheduled Tribes is around 84.3 million and is
considered to be socially and economically disadvantaged group. They are mainly
landless with little control over resources such as land, forest and water. They constitute
agricultural, casual, plantation and industrial labourers. This has resulted in poverty,
low levels of education and poor access to health care services. In the Indian context the
marginalized are categorized as the scheduled castes, scheduled tribes, denoted tribes,
nomadic tribes, and other backward classes.
Problems Related to Education for Deprived/ Marginalized Groups
The challenge of poverty associated with disability: With an estimated 1,027 million
people, India is the world’s second most populated country. It has 17 percent of the
global population and 20 percent of the world’s out-of-school children. Despite
impressive gains in the last few decades India still has more than 260 million people
living in poverty. A large number of children with disabilities live in families with
income significantly below the poverty level. While disability causes poverty, it is also
possible that in a country like India, poverty causes disability. The combination of
poverty and disability results in a condition of “simultaneous deprivation. This is a
syndrome that sets up barriers to the participation of persons with disabilities in the
normal routines and activities of the community, including regular schooling.
The challenge of modifying deeply held attitudes: Attitudes of the non-disabled are
proving to be a major barrier in the social integration of persons with disabilities. “The
more severe and visible the deformity is, the greater is the fear of contagion, hence the
attitudes of aversion and segregation towards the crippled”. Such attitudes reinforced by
religious institutions may militate against any attempts to include students with
disabilities into regular schools. For example, Hindus believe that disability is a
consequence of misdeeds performed in the previous life (often referred to as the
doctrine of Karma. Any attempts to improve the life of a person with a disability may be
considered a “defiance of the wills of Allah or as interference with a person’s karma”

Dissemination and public education: People, including parents and school

personnel, are largely unaware of the full intent of the recent legislation passed by
Indian Parliament. A large number of school personnel are also not aware of funding
available to include students with disabilities in regular schools. There is some evidence
that those educators who are knowledgeable about government policies and laws
concerning integrated education tend to have positive attitudes toward implementing
such programs. There is also evidence when parents are knowledgeable and supportive
of integrated education; they tend to have a positive effect on school personnel. Thus,
unless people, especially parents of children with disabilities and school personnel, are
made knowledgeable about the various provisions enshrined in the Act, the Central and
State governments’ commitment to providing integrated education will be in vain.
Although some attempts are being made to disseminate information about the Persons
with Disabilities Act to parents, to government officials and non government
organizations, they have been extremely limited in coverage.
The challenge of providing adequate levels of training to key stakeholders:
The majority of school personnel in India are not trained to design and implement
educational programs for students with disabilities in regular schools. Most teacher
training programs in India do not have a unit on Disability Studies. The universities,
which do cover some aspects of special education in their teacher training programs, fail
to train teachers adequately to work in integrated settings
Inadequate resources: The majority of schools in India are poorly designed and few
are equipped to meet the unique needs of students with disabilities. The lack of
disability friendly transportation services and accessible buildings are considered by
some to be far greater problems than social prejudice and negative attitudes. Both the
Central and State governments will have to provide increased resources to this aspect of
education to ensure successful implementation of integrated practices in schools.
Education of the Marginalized Deprived/ Marginalized Groups in the
Indian Context
The Education Commission 1964-66 in its report stressed on the equalization of
educational opportunity. One of the most important objectives of education is to
equalize opportunity enabling the marginalized, backward or the underprivileged
classes to use education for improvement of their conditions. Policies on education
1968, 1986 and 1992 all stressed upon speedy action for the promotion education of the
deprived sections of the society.

Mainstreaming the Marginalized. Deprived/ Marginalized Groups

Mainstreaming is the process, to integrate (a student with special needs) into
regular school classes. To incorporate into a prevailing group. The prevailing current of
thought, influence, or activity. Representing the prevalent attitudes, values, and
practices of a society or group.
Efforts have been made to reach education to all. However, there is wastage and
stagnation in education. There are economic, social and educational causes that hinder
the education of children coming from lower strata of society.

Incentives to families to send their children regularly to schools till they reach the age of
14.

Pre-metric scholarships for all children regardless of incomes.

Constant micro planning and verification to ensure enrolment, retention and successful
completion of courses.

Remedial measures to better their chances for further education and employment.

Recruitment of teachers from scheduled castes.

Provision of hostel facilities.

Location of school buildings, balwadis, and adult education centres to facilitate

participation especially in rural areas, hill and desert districts or remote and
inaccessible areas.

Priority given to opening schools in tribal areas with help of tribal welfare schemes.

Developing curricula and instructional materials in tribal languages with facility to

switch to regional language. Also

The curricula in the states to depict rich cultural identity of the tribal people.

Teacher training to tribal youth with assured employment.

Residential schools including ashram schools, anganwadis, non formal and adult
education centres to open on priority basis.

Incentive schemes, scholarships for higher education with emphasis on technical,

professional and Para-professional courses.

Remedial programmes to help overcome psycho-social impediments.

The marginalized/deprived groups existing in society have historically suffered
deprivation in all walks of life in general and in education in particular. Efforts have
been made towards economic, social and educational progress of the marginalized
people of India. The examination reforms have been suggested right from the time of
independence by various committees set up for the purpose There is great diversity in
the population and the government of India has passed regulations with respect to
inclusion of all irrespective of any kind of disability. There are efforts to provide equal
opportunities and inclusion of all in the process of education.

Not only are we aware of the vital role that education plays in counteracting
disadvantages over which people have little control, but also its important role in
shaping their opportunities for education and wider life chances.

Protecting the rights of, marginalised and vulnerable persons is probably the most
overlooked and disregarded area of human rights law. Marginalised groups are
generally marginalised by society, making them easy to ignore. Since they only ever
represent a small percentage of the population they lack the critical mass that is often
needed to successfully assert human rights claims. Furthermore marginalised
themselves are often antagonistic towards each other.

There is a need to draw attention to unacceptable levels of education

inequality across countries and between groups
Literacy is the stepping stone to social and economic empowerment, something India’s
marginalized communities need desperately. With education, they can only access the
many essential services and rights they are entitled to, but also enhance their standard

of living with more opportunities. Children from marginalized Indian communities who
are not exposed to literacy materials like books and stories, and formal access to
language, reading, and writing development do not see brain development at par with
their more privileged peers.
A significant proportion of India’s children are unable to demonstrate even the most
basic levels of reading achievement, something that has been noted prominently in
children from poor families, scheduled castes and scheduled tribes and ethnic minority
groups.

1. Discrimination

Despite 70 years of India’s independence and the implementation of the Right to

Education, the nation still sees children face caste and financial discrimination. Parents
are discouraged from sending their children to schools due to this discrimination. It is
important to not only provide access, but also ensure marginalized children are kept in
school, to create equitable and inclusive quality education and lifelong learning for
all. Specially-abled children from marginalized Indian communities should also be
given protection to access education.

2. Gender Discrimination

For many slums and rural regions, educating girl children is considered a wasted
investment, as girls are deemed destined only to become homemakers. Additionally,
lack of sanitation facilities for girls, lack of support and motivation from parents, and
lack of gender-sensitive material are all factors that discourage girls from education.

3. High dropout rate

Despite aggressive initiatives to attract children to schools, six million children remain
out of school, and two out of five drop out before completing elementary school. These
numbers are much higher for children who hail from disadvantaged groups. Lower
learning outcomes from historically disadvantaged and economically weaker
communities are prominent, also due to discrimination in schools and poor facilities.
This requires teacher training to focus on inclusive learning practices and ensure greater
children participation, as well as healthy interaction among children from diverse
backgrounds.

4.Multilingual diversity

Many children from disadvantaged homes do not have access to print reading material
in their mother tongue or first language. Schools often do not appreciate the need for
multilingual diversity, something that defines India’s cultural diversity. It is important
to influence a multilingual reading and writing culture. This is a prominent issue in
communities with substantial tribal and Dalit populations. In many regions, there can
be as many as eight different languages and dialects, that differ from language used for
classroom instruction
5. Lack of vocational training

It is often found that India’s educational setup completely ignores the need for exposure
to vocational training. Education is therefore viewed as irrelevant ‘bookish learning’ by
parents, who seek to ensure their children are able to earn a livelihood as soon as
possible. This is one of the many reasons why India sees consistently high school
dropout rates.

Conclusion

While these issues must be taken cognizance of, the country’s vision of universal
education via the enactment of the 2009 Right of Children to Free and Compulsory
Education Act has made tremendous gains. Schemes such as the mid-day meal
programme benefit millions of children daily, and attract enrollment. Powered by the
support of those who donate to NGO fundraising, NGOs like Save the Children execute
comprehensive programs of education access and enrollment, and dialogue at
community events to promote the importance of education. Through gender-sensitive
study material and engagement programmes, the NGO has enabled girls to become their
family’s first generation learners. Donate online to support this noble cause.
 Impact of Emerging Trends in Education.

This is an exciting time if you work in education or are a student. The wealth of new
technologies available to universities is transforming the learning landscape. There are
new and innovative ways to learn, a multitude of new resources and far better ways to
access them. Even the design of universities is changing with technology inspired
learning spaces and automated attendance monitoring being used.

Here, we’ll look at six emerging trends in education technology that are set to make a
difference.

1. The use of gaming technology for deep learning.

Young people’s love of gaming technology makes it the ideal tool for immersive learning,
enabling students to learn by doing in a safe, virtual environment. Its ability to provide
multi-sensory experiences allows learners to work independently or in collaboration,
applying newly acquired knowledge and making critical decisions without any real-
world risk.

One example of where this is being used is as an online resource for forensic students.
Here, learners use gaming to simulate carrying out the forensic assessments needed
after a crime has been committed. The gaming environment provides realistic
simulations that give students appropriately challenging opportunities to use classroom-
taught skills in virtual-world practice.

2. Digital learning resources and assessments.

The days of learning by reading books and testing by writing papers are coming to an
end. Developments in digital technology are enabling educators to provide a range of
different learning opportunities. In particular, online environments are helping
institutions to offer personalised learning, new ways to collaborate, and more innovative
teaching methods.

Today’s students not only need to access digital content, they also need to be able to
create it. Increasingly, teachers are seeing the benefits of letting students use digital
media in their assignments as it enables the student to demonstrate their abilities and
express their understanding through data visualization and dynamic storytelling. As a
result, teachers are developing new ways to assess media-rich, academic assignments
while providing the technology needed to create them.

3. The use of mobile technology.

Mobile technology is changing the face of the modern university as it enables students to
learn in different ways, in different places and even at different times. And with the use
of IoT, universities can track the use of mobile tech to analyse how learners use it and its
impact on attainment. This allows its use as a learning tool to be improved in the future.

One of the benefits of mobile technology is that it enables learning to take place outside
of the classroom. Students can work in areas that are better suited to their own needs,
such as in a library or even at home. This can make it much easier to recruit students
and staff who live further away, perhaps even abroad.

It also gives increased opportunity to collaborate. Collaborative projects can be stored

centrally on the university’s system and accessed over the internet by the contributors.
Any changes made are synchronized so that everyone has the latest updates and
students can communicate with each other via a mobile app.

4. Developing hi-tech learning spaces.

The influx of new technologies mentioned above is having an impact on the ways in
which students learn and this change in behavior is leading to new learning space
design. Libraries, for example, are no longer just repositories for books, they are
21st Century learning centers that also provide digitized books, videos, presentations,
podcasts, and have features such as writable surfaces, video editing software, and
portable furniture.

With so much digital content available, there’s less need for students to access the
library in person. This means students and teachers are increasingly wanting to connect
the library’s facilities to classrooms and student accommodation.

5. Automated attendance monitoring.

If students can access learning from anywhere on campus and don’t need to be
physically in a specific classroom to undertake their work, traditional ways of registering
them will be difficult to maintain. This also poses a problem from a safeguarding
perspective as its important to know who is on campus and where, in the event of an
emergency.

The solution many institutions are turning to is smart card access control technology.
Giving students RFID enabled smart cards, such as those supplied by Universal Smart
Cards, enables students to be automatically registered as soon as they enter a building.
All they need to do is tap or swipe their card on a reader placed near the entrance.

With readers linked to the university’s IT system, a student’s attendance and punctuality
can be tracked and monitored and, should an emergency, such as a fire, take place, it is
possible to tell whereabouts on the campus they are.
6. Artificial intelligence (AI).

Artificial intelligence is set to have an enormous impact on education. It has the

potential to replace teachers for the delivery of some lessons and, if used to automate
the marking of work, could dramatically cut down on workload. Unlike teachers, an AI
system can also give unlimited students simultaneous one to one attention, helping
deliver the ideal personalized education.

If this seems a little like sci-fi, you might be surprised that some of this technology is
already in operation. The Cognii Virtual Learning Assistant, for example, uses AI,
machine learning and natural language processing to provide one to one tutoring. When
teaching a student about a concept, it is capable of conversing with them, asking and
answering open questions, and giving instant feedback. It even evaluates the student’s
work, providing accurate assessment data.

Summing up

The pace of technological advancement in education is accelerating rapidly. This is

changing the way students learn, replacing traditional teaching methods and resources
with digital course materials and virtual gaming, and giving access to these via mobile
devices. To cope with the changes, learning spaces are being redesigned and smart cards
are being used to manage attendance. Perhaps the biggest change, however, is in the use
of AI, where machines are now being programmed to teach humans.
 Visit to a Resource Room

The Resource Room is not just a place, but also a placement. Because the
resource room removes a child from a general education classroom for even part
of the day, it is increasing the "restrictiveness" which is defined and proscribed
except when necessary by IDEIA (Individual with Disabilities Educational
Improvement Act.) It is part of the placement process and is considered
necessary for children who are easily distracted in the general education setting,
especially when new information is being introduced.

Resource rooms is a separate setting, either a classroom or a smaller designated

room, where a special education program can be delivered to a student with a
disability individually or in a small group. It is for the student who qualifies for
either a special class or regular class placement but needs some special
instruction in an individualized or small group setting for a portion of the
day. Individual needs are supported in resource rooms as defined by the student's
IEP. Sometimes this form of support is called Resource and Withdrawal (or pull
out). The child getting this type of support will receive some time in the resource
room, which refers to the withdrawal portion of the day and some time in the
regular classroom with modifications and/or accommodations which are the
resource support in the regular classroom. This type of support helps ensure that
the inclusional model is still in place.
How Long Is a Child in the Resource Room?
Most educational jurisdictions will have time increments that are allocated to the
child for resource room support. For instance, a minimum of three hours a week
in time increments of 45 minutes. This will sometimes vary on the age of the
child. The teacher in the resource room is, therefore, able to concentrate on the
specific area of need with some consistency.

Resource rooms are found in elementary, middle and high schools. Sometimes
the support in the high school takes on more of a consultative approach.

The Teacher's Role in the Resource Room

Teachers in the resource room have a challenging role as they need to design all
instruction to meet the specific needs of the students they service to maximize
their learning potential. The resource room teachers work closely with the child's
regular classroom teacher and the parents to ensure support is indeed helping the
student to reach their full potential. The teacher follows the IEP and will take part
in the IEP review meetings. The teacher will also work very closely with other
professionals and paraprofessionals to support the specific student. Usually, the
resource room teacher will work with small groups helping in one to one
situations when possible.

How Resource Rooms Helps Students' Individual Needs

Some older students feel a stigma when they go to the resource room. However,
their individual needs are usually met better and the teacher will work closely
with the regular classroom teacher to help support the child as much as is
possible. The resource room tends to be less distracting than the regular
classroom setting. Many resource rooms also support the social needs of their
students in the small group setting and will provide behavior interventions. It will
be very rare for a child to spend more than 50% of their day in the resource room,
however, they may spend up to 50% in the resource room.
 Students in the resource room are usually assessed and tested in the resource
room as it provides a less distracting environment and a better chance at success.
A child will be re-evaluated every 3 years to determine special education
eligibility.

For Educators
 Special Education
o Basics
o Applied Behavior Analysis
o Classroom Management
o Strategies & Lesson Plans
o Math Strategies
o Reading & Writing Strategies
o Social Skills
 Becoming a Teacher
 Assessments & Tests
 Elementary Education
 Secondary Education
 Teaching
 Homeschooling
 Teacher Education

The Resource Room is not just a place, but also a placement. Because the
resource room removes a child from a general education classroom for even part
of the day, it is increasing the "restrictiveness" which is defined and proscribed
except when necessary by IDEIA (Individual with Disabilities Educational
Improvement Act.) It is part of the placement process and is considered
necessary for children who are easily distracted in the general education setting,
especially when new information is being introduced.

Resource rooms is a separate setting, either a classroom or a smaller designated

room, where a special education program can be delivered to a student with a
disability individually or in a small group. It is for the student who qualifies for
either a special class or regular class placement but needs some special
instruction in an individualized or small group setting for a portion of the
day. Individual needs are supported in resource rooms as defined by the student's
IEP. Sometimes this form of support is called Resource and Withdrawal (or pull
out). The child getting this type of support will receive some time in the resource
room, which refers to the withdrawal portion of the day and some time in the
regular classroom with modifications and/or accommodations which are the
resource support in the regular classroom. This type of support helps ensure that
the inclusional model is still in place.

How Long Is a Child in the Resource Room?

Most educational jurisdictions will have time increments that are allocated to the
child for resource room support. For instance, a minimum of three hours a week
in time increments of 45 minutes. This will sometimes vary on the age of the
child. The teacher in the resource room is, therefore, able to concentrate on the
specific area of need with some consistency.

Resource rooms are found in elementary, middle and high schools. Sometimes
the support in the high school takes on more of a consultative approach.

The Teacher's Role in the Resource Room

Teachers in the resource room have a challenging role as they need to design all
instruction to meet the specific needs of the students they service to maximize
their learning potential. The resource room teachers work closely with the child's
regular classroom teacher and the parents to ensure support is indeed helping the
student to reach their full potential. The teacher follows the IEP and will take part
in the IEP review meetings. The teacher will also work very closely with other
professionals and paraprofessionals to support the specific student. Usually, the
resource room teacher will work with small groups helping in one to one
situations when possible.

How Resource Rooms Helps Students' Individual Needs

Some older students feel a stigma when they go to the resource room. However,
their individual needs are usually met better and the teacher will work closely
with the regular classroom teacher to help support the child as much as is
possible. The resource room tends to be less distracting than the regular
classroom setting. Many resource rooms also support the social needs of their
students in the small group setting and will provide behavior interventions. It will
be very rare for a child to spend more than 50% of their day in the resource room,
however, they may spend up to 50% in the resource room.

Students in the resource room are usually assessed and tested in the resource
room as it provides a less distracting environment and a better chance at success.
A child will be re-evaluated every 3 years to determine special education
eligibility.