Solomon Islands school leaders readiness for inclusive education

In this paper, I critically examine the discourse surrounding response to intervention (RTI), a US-based education reform that has garnered a considerable amount of attention (as well as controversy) in a very short amount of time. A multi-pronged reform effort, RTI is a tiered approach to delivering instructional intervention to students at risk, an on-going and systematic model of monitoring student performance, as well as an alternative to the ability/achievement discrepancy model for identifying learning disabilities. In this paper, I argue, however, that RTI is not so much a reform but a tactic, aimed at returning to the status quo of segregated special education and reinvigorating many of the foundational assumptions of traditional special education practice.     

What is the meaning of special education? Problem representations in Swedish policy documents: late 1970s–2014

In Sweden, as in many other countries, inclusion has been on the political agenda for a long time and has served as a blueprint and guiding principle for practical work in school. However, inclusive education has, by and large, been associated with special education measures, which seriously limit the chances of achieving the vision of inclusion. In this article, we analyse how the meaning of special education is constructed in policy documents from four distinct time periods of Swedish education policy from the late 1970s to 2014. The paper draws on an approach to scrutinise the process of problematisation in public policy-making. Based on the analysis, we argue that there are prospects of a hegemonic intervention regarding the meaning of special education during later years in Swedish education policy, emphasising an individual perspective and individual deficiencies. In contrast to inclusive ambitions, this perspective advocate segregated support measures. Finally, based on previous research and tendencies within the field, we present arguments in the concluding discussion why this hegemonic intervention in education policy also might attract the support of school personnel at the local school level and some potential consequences of the expansion of special education in Sweden.     

Enhancing quality: Listening to participant voices to improve our Master's program in special education

Newly inducted special education teachers must be well-prepared to address changes in today's schools, including increased student diversity, implementation of tiered systems of support, and the need for increased collaboration with general education teachers and specialists. The purpose of this qualitative study was to develop and implement a data-based continual improvement approach to identify the strengths of our special education Master's program and address changes needed to ensure that graduates are ready to engage with the demands of their chosen profession. Using data gathered from 24 recent graduates and 20 field mentors, we describe our model and what we have done with our results over two years. An important finding is that our students greatly value the relationships they form during the program and the relationships the faculty model, and participants attribute our graduates' skills in collaboration to our program's modeling of collaborative processes and positive relationships. Implications for effective approaches to continuous improvement of special education teacher preparation programs are discussed.     

Prospects for inclusive education in European countries emerging from economic and other trauma: Serbia and Albania

This paper examines recent historical, social and economic factors in Albania and Serbia, identifying similarities and differences that have a bearing on the provision of education. The focus is on the education of children with difficulties in learning and/or disabilities (the term ‘special needs’ is used for brevity). The paper provides a summary of the past and present situation of children with special needs in both countries. The role and motivation of international non‐governmental organizations (NGOs) involved in funding and developing inclusive educational policies and practices in both countries are examined. There are substantial barriers to inclusive education in Albania and Serbia. These are identified and discussed before examining more recent positive developments in both countries. Two individual examples of schools that are making progress are profiled, one from each country. Finally, the prospects for the future in both countries are examined, and the prediction made that in‐country efforts and developments will result in further slow and uneven progress towards inclusive education in Albania and Serbia. For any of this to happen, however, it will be important that conditions of economic recovery, social stability, the political drive towards Europe and its inclusive standards, and further help from international NGOs, prevail.     

建国后教育经费管理体制的发展及影响

教育经费的管理,是对教育事业发展影响较大的因素之一。建国后,我国教育经费管理体制经历了一系列变化：“统收统支、三级管理”;“条块结合、块块为主”;“划分收支、分级包干”。教育经费管理体制的变化与当时的社会政治、经济制度有一定的关系,对教育事业的发展也产生了很大影响。     

大学生互助：高校思想政治教育的新途径

大学生互助作为高校思想政治教育的新途径,可以有效促进大学生的自身修养和自我完善,增强高校思想政治教育的效果。文章阐述了大学生互助的内涵、理论基础、现实需要、互助的模式,分析了高校开展大学生互助的意义。高校应将大学生互助纳入思想政治教育的内容体系,并且通过大学生互助的途径加强大学生思想政治教育,有效解决大学生在思想、学习和生活中的实际问题。     

学校社会工作视域下高校少数民族学生德育工作的创新

开展少数民族学生思想政治教育,促进民族团结是高校德育工作的重要内容。本文从学校社会工作角度,结合现有的高校民族团结教育和少数民族学生德育的工作架构,指出高校少数民族学生德育工作中学校社会工作的缺失,提出了学校社会工作的介入具有的独特的价值意义、丰富内涵和介入的途径。     

Statistical trends and developments within inclusive education in Turkey

The education of students with special needs in an inclusive environment is becoming more widespread throughout the world. Similarly, in Turkey, the inclusion of students with disabilities has also improved. However, current statistical trends and developments within inclusive education are not well known. The purpose of this study is to provide a statistical analysis of special education data, which were obtained from the Ministry of National Education of Turkey. The findings indicate that some statistical components of special education are missing from most official publications of educational statistics and the number of students and the proportions of special education categories in inclusive education vary from year to year. However, in Turkey, the percentage of students in inclusive education, of all students with special needs, is higher than many European countries. The results show that the number of students with special needs, as well as students in inclusive education, has rapidly increased. Turkey needs to focus on improving the schooling rate of students with special needs, and the quality and variety of special education services within inclusive education.     

融合教育背景下芬兰特殊需要学生的支持模式

21世纪以来,芬兰在PISA测试中表现卓越。究其重要原因,芬兰高质量且均衡化的教育背后离不开体系完备、运行良好的针对特殊需要学生的支持模式。在经历了完全隔离式支持模式、半隔离式支持模式和双层支持模式之后,芬兰建立起涵盖一般支持、密集支持和特殊支持的三层支持模式,以尽早发现学生的学习困难,确保所有学生均可以在最佳的环境和适当的支持下受益。此外,这一支持模式还配套了完善的政策法规体系、健全的经费保障机制以及高素质专业化的教师队伍,呈现出平等融合、尽早干预、动态灵活、多元参与以及高度自治等特点。     

Inclusion seen by student teachers in special education: differences among Finnish,Norwegian and Swedish students

This article describes various views of special teacher students towards inclusion. In order to examine these, we analysed a series of statements made by students in Finland, Norway and Sweden. The specific aims were to see how these views can be seen as supportive or challenging for inclusion in schools. A questionnaire with one closed question and two open-ended questions was used in all countries. The results show that students in similar Nordic countries have different views about inclusion. Norwegian students mostly supported inclusion while Finnish students expressed the most reservations. The arguments about inclusion by Norwegian students were the most pupil-focused; those by Finns were teacher-focused, with Swedes being in between. The results seem to reflect the educational policy in these countries. Discussions, more information, as well as good models of inclusion seem to be needed. The implications of these findings for special and regular teacher education are also discussed.     

Discourses,decisions, designs: ‘special’ education policy-making in New South Wales,Scotland, Finland and Malaysia

This comparative analysis investigates the influence of neo-liberal and inclusive discourses in ‘special’ education policy-making in New South Wales, Scotland, Finland and Malaysia. The centrality of competition, selectivity and accountability in the discourses used in New South Wales and Malaysia suggests a system preference for neo-liberal solutions to education policy problems. The focus on excellence with equity, together with proactive approaches to student support in Scotland and Finland, however, is representative of a more interventionist government approach grounded in social democracy. It is argued that an inclusive approach is conducive to the achievement of both excellence and equity in students’ learning outcomes, whereas countries that have pursued market-driven models involving competition for places in selective institutions tend to have poorer educational outcomes and wider levels of inequality.     

Schooling of Children with Rare Diseases and Disability in Europe

ABSTRACT

Inclusive education of disabled students has been promoted in European disability policies. However, the transition process from more segregated system is slow. The purpose of this study was to provide an insight about different types of schooling of disabled children affected by a rare disease across Europe and to evaluate their and caregivers’ well-being. We analysed data from a cross-sectional study (BURQOL-RD) of persons with rare diseases that cause intellectual and/or physical disability: Prader-Willi syndrome, fragile X syndrome, three types of mucopolysaccharidosis and Duchenne muscular dystrophy. The sample consisted of 359 children aged 6–17 and 269 caregivers from eight European countries. Results showed differences between countries in proportion of students placed in special schools, which are still valid option in countries such as Germany, France or UK. Within the inclusive education modalities, lack of special support for disabled students was observed especially in low-income countries. No association between the type of schooling and quality of life was observed, but the subjective caregivers’ burden seems to be higher in special schools. The study shows existent differences in implementation of inclusive education in Europe. More research is needed in the field of rare disease disability and educational needs.     

科学发展观视阈下高校大学生思想政治教育研究

近年来,随着高校的扩招,国家在十二五规划中就高校教育的具体发展任务已经予以了明确的规定,同时也加大对高校发展的扶持力度,对于高校人才培养的方式和途径以及具体岗位均给出了明确的规定,这为高校加强高校大学生思想政治教育创造了良好的物质条件和政策基础。本文主要探讨科学发展视阈下高校大学生思想政治教育。     

Response-to-intervention (RTI) as a model to facilitate inclusion for students with learning and behaviour problems

Many students with learning and behaviour problems are routinely excluded from regular education. Although calls have been made to educate students with these problems in the same settings as their typically developing peers, it remains unclear how best to support their needs for academic and behavioural support. We address this question first by describing response-to-intervention (RTI), a specific model of prevention and early intervention for learning and behaviour problems. A comprehensive summary of the RTI literature is provided. Second, we will discuss the feasibility and applicability of RTI as one approach to facilitate inclusion of students with learning and behaviour problems. Specifically, we will demonstrate how RTI can be used to address at least four barriers to inclusion by (1) providing a clear implementation strategy for inclusion practices; (2) clearly defining the roles, responsibilities and collaboration of general and special education teachers; (3) enabling the allocation of resources for instruction and intervention; and (4) avoiding early and unnecessary labelling of students with learning and behaviour problems. Third, limitations of RTI as a model to facilitate inclusion will be discussed.     

充分认识大学生思想政治教育的定位

大学生思想政治素质事关党和国家事业薪火相传,要进一步增强大学生的责任感、紧迫感和使命感,大学生思想政治教育就必须有正确的目标定位,区分高校育人目标和大学生思想政治教育目标的异同,结合高校人才培养工作来开展思想政治教育,促进学生全面发展。     

成教大学生思想政治教育现状的实证调查与研究

成教大学生作为一个特殊性群体,其思想政治教育工作已经受到社会越来越多的关注和重视。以中国矿业大学成人教育学院大学生为样本,通过调查问卷和面对面访谈的形式,深入了解目前成教大学生的思想现状和思想政治教育工作成效情况;分析学校、社会、家庭、网络等思想政治教育各个相关因素对成教大学生个体的影响,并从如何形成教育合力,发挥教育整体效应的角度,提出了加强和改善成教大学生思想政治教育的方法和途径。     

国际留学生教育转向：从谋求政治影响到追逐经济利益

20世纪80—90年代以来,在高等教育国际化进程中,国际留学生教育从谋求政治影响为主导转向了以追逐经济利益为主导的时期,呈现出学生规模迅速扩大、学生流向地在保持集中的同时逐渐趋于多元化和留学生教育走向市场化的主要发展趋势。在WTO规则下,作为国际教育服务贸易最主要的形式的境外消费,留学生教育已成为世界公认的新兴产业和新的经济增长点。我国应把握国际留学生教育市场化趋势,高度重视留学生教育服务产业对推动经济发展的重要意义,着力提升高等教育水平,以优质的高等教育产品和服务参与国际留学生教育市场竞争,从而实现来华留学生教育健康、持续地发展。     

以职业生涯规划为载体 加强大学生思想政治教育

当前高校大学生思想状况存在不少隐忧,思想政治教育的方式方法也有待改进。职业生涯规划蕴涵着丰富的思想政治教育理念,二者在情感交流、自我认知、思想引领、人生激励等方面存在共性和互补关系。以职业生涯规划为载体加强思想政治教育。将更加贴近学生、贴近生活、贴近社会,帮助大学生树立起正确的人生观、价值观和就业观。从容应对人生挑战,更好地顺应社会发展的要求,从而提高思想政治教育的生动性和实效性。     

DESCRIBE IT: A Strategy for Teacher Candidates Implementing Behavior Interventions

Teachers with years of experience in the classroom rely on that experience to help them develop behavior intervention plans for students with behavioral challenges. New teachers, however, may struggle with the complex steps needed to develop successful plans as they address other aspects of their professional work for the first time. DESCRIBE IT is a strategy that novice teachers can use to help generalize the process of behavior intervention planning they learned in university courses to their practice in the field. The purpose of this article is to demonstrate how DESCRIBE IT guided one special education teacher through the process for behavior intervention planning and implementation. Use of DESCRIBE IT may help new teachers plan and monitor behavior interventions as they start their careers.