A/HRC/4/29 page 7 one for those without disabilities, or “mainstream” schools. The special schools, often based on the belief that persons with disabilities are uneducable and a burden on the mainstream educational system, often were - and remain - inflexible, non-individual-student specific and they fail to provide or even offer optimum results for their students. The negative impact of these beliefs is reflected on national and international educative assessments. The consequence is that mainstream “schools are pushing out those scores that do not measure up to performance goals, resulting in a reluctance to include students with disabilities and to expel students whom they find difficult to teach”.8 In addition, the practice of separating students with disabilities can lead to greater marginalization from society, a situation that persons with disability face generally, thus entrenching discrimination. In contrast, inclusive education has been shown to limit marginalization. This marginalization contributes to misconceived stereotyping, prejudice and thus discrimination.9 12. Transition from segregated, special education, to inclusive education is not a simple exercise, and the complex issues it raises must be both acknowledged and squarely faced. Corners cannot be cut. For example, “integration”, often in the guise, or in the place, of true inclusion in education, has created its own difficulties. Attempts to a simple integration into mainstream schools without accompanying structural changes (for instance, organization, curriculum and teaching and learning strategies) have been shown, and will continue for a variety of reasons, to fail to meet the educational rights of persons with disabilities. Indeed, integration may simply lead to exclusion in the mainstream rather than in the special schools. It is clear, therefore, that current and future education policy must identify and remedy all structural biases leading to potential exclusion in the mainstream education system. Policies and resources aimed at developing genuinely “inclusive” practices must take precedence over the old practices. 13. Inclusive education challenges the appropriateness of segregated education both on the grounds of effectiveness as well as from the perspective of respect for human rights.10 As to effectiveness, current research suggests that, within the realm of education, States are increasingly realizing the inefficiency of multiple systems of administration, organizational 8 Peters, Susan J., Johnstone, C., Ferguson, P. “A disability rights in education model for evaluating inclusive education”, International Journal of Inclusive Education, vol. 9, No. 2, April-June 2005, p. 140. 9 Lindsay, Katherine (2003), “Asking for the moon? A critical assessment of Australian disability discrimination laws in promoting inclusion for students with disabilities”, School of Law, University of Newcastle, University Drive, Callaghan, NSW 2308, Australia. 10 UNESCO (2005), op. cit., p. 9.