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Clarification of terms. The terms mainstreaming and inclusion are often used interchangeably in education today. This inconsistency in usage has led to some confusion about what educators mean when they talk about inclusion or full inclusion. Mainstreaming is the practice of educating the disabled student in the general education classroom. Inclusion is a newer term used to describe the placement of students in regular classes for all or nearly all of the school day; mainstreaming is often associated with sending a student from a special education class to a regular class for specified periods. Although in some inclusion models students are mainstreamed only part of the day, students in full inclusion programs remain in the general classroom for the entire day. Why is inclusion important? People with disabilities are our nation's largest min