Planning Inclusion: The Need to Formalize Parental Participation in Individual Education Plans (and Meetings)

Abstract

Inclusive education is promoted as an educational setting that brings together students with disabilities alongside non-disabled peers. As the rise in inclusive education continues, many recognize the Salamanca Statement of 1994 as an influencer. This paper discusses how the vision of inclusion grounded in “the need to work towards ‘schools for all’” remains unfulfilled through a lack of intersectionality. Centering the experiences of Spanish-speaking mothers of emergent bilinguals labeled as disabled, this paper presents how educators limit parents’ abilities to engage as equal stakeholders. Therefore, this paper explores the tensions culturally and linguistically diverse mothers encounter during Individual Education Plan (IEP) meetings and the possibilities that can come from reimagining IEPs and IEP meetings in ways that allow stakeholders to actively tend to the intersectional vision of inclusive education that Salamanca put forth and that emergent bilinguals labeled as disabled desperately need.     

Pre-service teachers’ perceptions of self as inclusive educators

Teacher education institutions play a key role in preparing pre-service teachers to graduate as competent and confident inclusive educators. Seeking to understand pre-service teachers’ current perceptions of diversity and inclusion, and how they perceived themselves as future inclusive educators, this qualitative study employed inductive analysis to explore pre-service teachers’ self-perceptions as inclusive teachers, utilising the theory of possible selves. Forty-six (n?=?46) of 292 pre-service teachers enrolled in an inclusive education subject in a graduate entry teacher education programme in eastern Australia participated in this study. Findings revealed that pre-service teachers had developed good theoretical understanding of inclusive education through their coursework. However, their development of possible selves as inclusive educators was less well-defined in that they had difficulty extending their understandings of who they might be as inclusive teachers beyond their coursework samples. This difficulty in identifying their cultural selves beyond a stereotypical norm of who a ‘classroom teacher’ is indicates a need for more and extensive time for pre-service teachers to develop their professional identities as inclusive educators.     

The challenges of geographical inclusive education in rural Bangladesh

ABSTRACT

This paper considers the challenges of promoting inclusive education in geographically isolated rural communities in Bangladesh. Inclusion is explored from both government and non-government (NGO) providers, and identifies challenges and opportunities for implementing inclusive practices. Challenges for implementing inclusion are linked to poverty, gender inequality, ethnicity, remoteness, language barriers, issues for children with disabilities, and the negative impact of climate (e.g. monsoonal flooding, landslides, and other natural calamities that beset Bangladesh on a regular basis) as well as the current humanitarian crisis with the Rohingya children now in Bangladesh. While there is sometimes a mismatch between government policy and the literature on inclusion in relation to practical implementation at the local level, opportunities for inclusion come with the dedication and passion of educators who provide teacher training about inclusive education, assistive technologies (Braille materials, hearing aids, etc.), multi-lingual education (MLE) materials, and advocacy by reaching out to parents and community members. Findings indicate that characteristics such as culture, the development of local resources, and the climate of the local context need to be considered in developing relevant inclusive policy to enact effective geographical inclusive practices in rural Bangladeshi communities.     

幼教工作者对特殊幼儿融合教育问题的态度和意见的调查研究

为了解普通幼儿园工作者对特殊幼儿融合教育问题的态度和意见,本文对174名教师和保育员进行问卷调查,主要发现:(1)幼教工作者对特殊幼儿有一定的了解,但不够深入;(2)幼教工作者以及普通幼儿家长在保障师资、设备以及教育方式的情况下,更乐意接受特殊幼儿进入普通幼儿园;(3)幼教工作者认为学前阶段实施特殊教育最需解决的问题依次为师资问题、设备问题、家长观念、教师观念、经费问题以及专设督导机构问题。     

Supporting inclusion in early childhood settings: some possibilities and problems for teacher education

Aotearoa New Zealand, like other countries, has legislation and policies that support inclusion and promote the participation of all children and families in early childhood education. We might expect therefore to see a culture of inclusion resonating through policy and practice in early childhood settings. There are early childhood teachers who support such legislative and policy goals, who are committed to inclusion, and who are developing more inclusive early childhood services. Yet, it is also evident that discrimination and exclusion is experienced by many. Teacher education plays an important role in supporting inclusion and assisting teachers’ development of knowledge, skills and attitudes that will support them to teach all children. In this paper, we write as a group of teacher educators and demonstrate the challenges we took up to move beyond traditional approaches to inclusive education and to open up theoretically and practically diverse possibilities for thinking and doing inclusion differently in early childhood teacher education.     

Inclusive Pedagogy in Light of Social Justice. Special Educational Rights and Inclusive Classrooms: on whose terms? A Field Study in Stockholm Suburbs

The question of inclusive education is not straightforward. Despite all its good intentions, inclusive education, in practice faces numerous challenges today. This study analyses these challenges in the Swedish special education context. The author explores special educators’ experiences, possibilities and challenges when applying inclusive education. Findings reveal positive attitudes to the concept of inclusive classrooms. Nevertheless, teachers face more than a few grey areas that need to be put in place in order to achieve socially and cognitively inclusive classrooms.     

On the necessary co-existence of special and inclusive education

ABSTRACT

While many distinctions between ‘special’ and ‘inclusive’ education have been made and continue to be forcefully debated, the two concepts remain strongly evident in policy and practice in many countries. This paper discusses the interrelated history of these concepts. It explores how conceptualisations of them have changed since Salamanca and reflects on whether inclusive education has, can or should replace special education. It considers the extent to which ‘special’ and ‘inclusive’ education are understood as the same or different today. The paper argues for a clear a distinction to be made between how special educators can work in support of inclusive education and the task of inclusive education which addresses the barriers to participation faced by members of marginalised groups.     

Land of misfit toys: Mothers’ perceptions of educational environments for their children with Down syndrome

Inclusive education is defined as educating students with disabilities in general education programmes with their non‐disabled peers. In order to create a successful learning environment for all children, general and special educators must be responsive to all students’ needs. Although inclusive education practices were developed over 15 years ago, some educators may be unwilling or unprepared to employ this model. A total of 546 teachers from 54 schools in southern New Jersey in the United States completed surveys to determine whether they displayed the dispositions, knowledge and skills necessary to implement inclusive education. Results of the surveys were analysed to determine whether significant differences in attitude and skill levels exist between special and general educators and the impact of their years of teaching on their readiness for inclusion. The analysis yielded an agreement that children with disabilities profit from interactions with non‐disabled peers. Although special educators appear more knowledgeable of inclusive practices, they are more likely to see the benefit of a segregated environment. Teachers with greater than seven years of experience voiced the continued need for administrative support, planning time and professional development opportunities.     

Using cultural historical activity theory to uncover praxis for inclusive education

This paper explores ways in which cultural historical activity theory (CHAT) provides a useful framework for examination of reflection and action during inclusive education fieldwork. Deeper understanding of combined reflection and action – praxis – is needed for researchers and teacher educators to support teacher candidates’ implementation of inclusive practices. We present a framework that includes core components of CHAT and potential insights these elements can bring to describing, analysing, or facilitating praxis during fieldwork. In particular, we discuss affordances of identifying activity systems, examining tool appropriation, and discovering tensions in teacher fieldwork. Examples based on evidence from two studies applying a CHAT lens to inclusive education fieldwork are embedded throughout the paper to illustrate the utility of this approach.     

Inclusion gatekeepers: the social production of spatial identities in special education

Abstract

Critical approaches to inclusive education seek to transform educational systems to increase access, participation, and achievement for students at the intersections of multiple markers of difference. Yet, the role of space in inclusive education remains under explored as a social and political construct. We know that space matters for the production and maintenance of student identities; however, little is known about its interaction with teacher and specifically special educator identity. This qualitative study takes a ‘spatial turn’ in inclusive education by exploring how the existing geographies of exclusion within schools mediated special educators’ identity construction. Through interactions with their sociocultural contexts, special educators’ engaged in the co-construction of gatekeeper identities and participated systems of ableism that perpetuated and justified exclusion. Recommendations will be made for how school communities can critically interrogate space as a means for increased equity and inclusion.     

Parental Attitudes Regarding School-Based Sexuality Education in Utah

Sexuality education programs can be broadly categorized as either risk-avoidance or risk-reduction approaches. Health educators in Utah public schools must teach a state mandated risk-avoidance curriculum which prohibits the advocacy or encouragement of contraception. Multiple national surveys indicate that parents prefer a risk-reduction approach to sexuality education that promotes abstinence and the use of condoms or contraception for prevention of unwanted pregnancy and sexually transmitted infection. To date, no survey of Utah parents has been conducted.

This study utilized an Internet survey to gather data from 344 Utah parents to analyze their preferences regarding school-based sexuality education, sexuality topics, and support for objectives from the National Sexuality Education Standards. The vast majority of Utah parents surveyed support a risk-reduction approach to sexuality education, a wide variety of sexuality topics, and the majority of National Sexuality Education Standards. Statistically significant differences were identified by parents’ education, income, attendance at religious services, and political affiliation. Results support that Utah laws and education policies should be reexamined to provide for instruction that aligns with professional recommendations, best-practice recommendations based on peer-reviewed research, parental attitudes, and the needs of Utah teens.     

幼儿园教师融合教育胜任力的问卷编制及初步应用

幼儿园教师的融合教育胜任力对于提升学前融合教育质量至关重要。本研究以950名有融合教育经验的在岗专任教师为研究对象,编制了《幼儿园教师融合教育胜任力问卷》。探索性因素分析发现幼儿园教师融合教育胜任力包括辅具使用、言行鼓励、家园沟通、环境改变、行为支持、预设调整6个维度。验证性因素分析表明此6维度模型数据拟合较好,问卷的信度和效度均达到心理测量学要求。利用该问卷对363名幼儿园教师进行调查,结果表明当前幼儿园教师的融合教育胜任力总体水平较高;融合幼儿园教师的胜任力水平显著高于非融合幼儿园教师;普通学前儿童家长的融合教育态度不同,其所在班级的教师胜任力也存在显著差异。为提升幼儿园教师的融合教育胜任力水平,国家应设置学前融合教育资源教师岗位,幼儿园教师资格证考试应适度增加学前融合教育内容,以此保障学前融合教育的师资。同时,幼儿园应注意在家园合作中渗透融合教育价值观,提高普通儿童家长对学前融合教育的接受度,使其支持班级教师开展融合教育。     

Teacher counternarratives: transgressing and ‘restorying’ disability in education

This inquiry aims to explore the disconnect between the disability studies in education (DSE) perspectives on inclusive schooling held by a group of dually certified inclusive educators and the everyday, lived experiences of these same teachers who find themselves teaching students with labelled disabilities within the confines of the special education bureaucracy. Through a collaborative inquiry circle (with a teacher educator who is a faculty member in a dual-certification programme informed by a DSE perspective and seven teachers who are graduates of this teacher education programme), this study aims to: (1) articulate the dominant narratives or storylines about disability in education that may ‘discipline’ teachers' practice within the special education bureaucracy; (2) illustrate some of the ways in which teachers do resist and transgress the discursive structures of schooling in ways that enable them to ‘restory’ disability in education; and (3) explore the implications of this work for preparing teachers to be dually certified, inclusive educators of all children in public schools.     

Educational action research to initiate discourse on inclusion in an e-learning environment in teacher education

This paper reports on a fragment from an educational action research in a teacher education setting, ascertaining the possibilities of using the online environment of google.doc for initiating pre-service teachers’ discourse about the nature of inclusive relationships between individuals and the environment, and the ways of their enhancement. The method of discourse analysis applied to the generated data demonstrates contradictory evidence as regards the effectiveness of the chosen medium for discourse in terms of the participants’ involvement. However, content analysis of the generated discourse yields a system of 15 approaches that pre-service teachers use for communicating about the nature of and prerequisites for inclusive relationships as well as for contemplating the role of education in enhancing them. We suggest that teacher educators can apply these approaches as a framework for exploring the frames of reference that future teachers use in making sense of the phenomenon of inclusion. The identified approaches can help to identify the paths to be pursued to develop these frames, on the grounds of an assumption that a balance can be found between the cognitive, affective, experiential and action orientations.     

Trekking back to mainstream for inclusive education,is it there?

This paper explores the ecosystemic management strategies for inclusive schools due to challenges faced by the schools in the mainstream school where learners from the specialised institutions are referred back to mainstream for inclusive education. Ecosystemic perspective on inclusive education, ecological theories and systems theories underpin this paper. The study was done through interviews, field notes and observations of 120 participants comprising the SMTs, educators and parents. The findings indicate that schools face great challenges in managing inclusive schools. A lot has been published on inclusive education, but none of them offers ecosystemic management strategies for the school management to follow. The article concludes by offering ecosystemic management strategies for successful implementation of inclusive education.     

Supporting students with disability in schools in Bhutan: perspectives from school principals

ABSTRACT

Bhutanese educators are facing the challenge of implementing inclusive education for students with disability throughout their schooling system. Selected schools have started to implement inclusive policies and practices, and it is timely to investigate the progress of inclusive education in these schools. In this qualitative study, 14 Bhutanese principals responded to questions regarding inclusive practices in their schools. Responses were divided into two broad categories: the current status of inclusion in their school; and, inclusion in the future. Principals described barriers such as a lack of specialised teachers, inadequate resources and facilities, and a lack of holistic inclusion. However, they also noted that students were accepted by their peers, that the schools were working well with what they have, and that there was a positive attitude for the future. Changes that are required to progress inclusive education in Bhutan from the perspective of the principals are discussed. The findings of this research will be of interest to researchers and leaders in schools and ministries of education who are working to promote more inclusive schools in less developed countries.     

Choices in the Design of Inclusive Education Courses for Pre-service Teachers: The Case of a South African University

It is expected that that pre-service teachers are adequately equipped to meet the needs of diverse students. This article discusses the choices that teacher educators must make in designing inclusive education courses. The first choice is whether inclusive education will be infused into the curriculum or presented as a stand-alone course. If the latter, the second decision is what determines the content of courses – teacher need, policy directives or the authority of the field where knowledge is produced. If teacher educators look to the field of knowledge production, they might choose among inclusive education as an issue of student diversity; teaching competence; and schools and societies. We animate these choices as we describe an inclusive education course taught in a South African university. Our conclusion suggests that pre-service teacher education for inclusive education would be strengthened by more critical appraisal of the assumptions and orientations informing the design of courses.     

Teaching students with autism spectrum disorder in mainstream post-primary schools in the Republic of Ireland

This qualitative study explored teachers' perceptions of the inclusive education of students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) at the post-primary level, specifically those with Asperger syndrome. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with eight mainstream teachers in the Republic of Ireland. One of the main findings of the study was that the teachers' implicit model of inclusion was more consistent with integration than with inclusive education. Although systemic barriers to inclusive education were identified, the teachers' focus tended to be on managing within the system rather than on bringing about systemic change. Mainstream post-primary education was endorsed by teachers for their students with ASD, despite perceiving that these students were unhappy and socially excluded. The teachers were confident in teaching students with ASD, primarily as a result of their experience. The implications of the study for teacher educators and future researchers are discussed.     

A critical consideration of the changing conditions of schooling for students with disabilities in Greece and the fragility of international in local contexts

ABSTRACT

The Salamanca Statement is held as a high-water mark in the history of the global development of inclusive education. It represented agreements bringing together representatives from 92 governments and 25 international organisations to advocate for a more inclusive education for students with disabilities. Since 1994 the Salamanca Statement has been referred to by international education organisations, national education jurisdictions, and disability advocacy organisations as a foundation for progressing inclusive education. In this respect the Salamanca Statement has been important for the inclusive education and Education for All [UNESCO 1998. From Special Needs Education to Education for All: Discussion Paper for the International Consultative Forum on Education for All. Paris: UNESCO] movements. However, international agreements and conventions are fragile in the face of local contingencies and become difficult to apply. We examine the case of inclusive education in Greece to reflect on this complex relationship between international aspirations and the real politic of individual nation states. Greece, like other nations, has embraced the discourse of inclusive education and its successive governments can demonstrate policy activity and public expenditure on the education of disabled students. This is remarkable in a climate of ‘crisis’ and ‘austerity’ where the only investment in the teaching workforce is in the area of inclusive education. However, is Greek education more inclusive in practice as well as rhetoric?     

Student researchers in the middle: using visual images to make sense of inclusive education

Using 'visual narrative' theoretically and practically, this paper explores issues of inclusive education, during a period of curriculum reform and renewal in Australia. In Australia, the middle years of schooling, Years 5 to 9, are well researched and known as a period when students disengage with learning and participation in schooling. Research in the middle years affirms the importance of engaging with 'student voice'. In this special edition, we are aiming to highlight how the use of visual imagery can be a rich source of understanding, illustrating students' self-knowledge of schooling. Methodologically we refer to our research approach as 'visual narrative'. Other writers in this edition use the term 'photo voice'. For researchers it is important to highlight the differing orientations that 'visual narrative' and 'photo voice' signify. The terms are not mutually exclusive but highlight differing research possibilities and emphasis. Our argument, through the use of visual narrative produced by middle years' students, is that visual texts open out some innovative possibilities for understanding inclusive education and supporting new relationships with our research community. Such approaches are not new; however, in a field such as special education that purports to support marginalised groups, liberatory research methods are under-represented. This paper aims to open out these discussions and provide a way forwards for teachers and researchers interested in breaking apart why it is that inclusive education remains a never-ending struggle.