Because of the focus on inclusion in public schools today, the interest regarding how to effectively support students with special needs in the general education environment, both academically and socially has been ignited. While we have witnessed an increase in the academic success of students included in general education classrooms, we have not yet successfully identified specific strategies a teacher can use to meet the social needs of students with special needs included in their classroom. Because of this, the research question used to guide this study asked how general education teachers promote the social inclusion of students with special needs in their classroom so that effective strategies may be established for other teachers to implement. Through a combination of teacher interviews, interviews with students with special needs, and classroom observations, the findings of this study offers insight into the strategies general education teachers identify as important to promote the social acceptance of students with special needs included in their classrooms. Collectively, the general education teachers that participated in this study reported that the following strategies were essential to increasing the social acceptance of students with special needs in their classrooms (1) Arranging the Environment, (2) Establishing a Tone of Respect in the Classroom, (3) Providing Instructional Support, (4) Providing Peer Support, and (5) Providing Direct Instruction for Social Support. However, classroom observations and results from student interviews revealed significant discrepancies between the teacher's knowledge of the strategies and their practice. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]