Prelims

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Progress Toward Agenda 2030

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International Perspectives on Inclusive Education

Series Editor: Chris Forlin

Recent Volumes:

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International Perspectives on Inclusive Education Volume 21

Progress Toward Agenda 2030: A Mid Term Review of the Status of Inclusive Education in Global Contexts

Edited by

Danielle Lane

Western Oregon University, USA

Nicholas Catania

State College of Florida, USA

And

Sarah Semon

Vanderbilt University, USA

United Kingdom – North America – Japan – India – Malaysia – China

Copyright Page

Emerald Publishing Limited

Howard House, Wagon Lane, Bingley BD16 1WA, UK

First edition 2023

Editorial matter and selection © 2023 Danielle Lane, Nicholas Catania, and Sarah Semon.

Individual chapters © 2023 The authors.

Published under exclusive licence by Emerald Publishing Limited.

Reprints and permissions service

Contact: permissions@emeraldinsight.com

No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, transmitted in any form or by any means electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise without either the prior written permission of the publisher or a licence permitting restricted copying issued in the UK by The Copyright Licensing Agency and in the USA by The Copyright Clearance Center. Any opinions expressed in the chapters are those of the authors. Whilst Emerald makes every effort to ensure the quality and accuracy of its content, Emerald makes no representation implied or otherwise, as to the chapters' suitability and application and disclaims any warranties, express or implied, to their use.

British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data

A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library

ISBN: 978-1-80455-509-5 (Print)

ISBN: 978-1-80455-508-8 (Online)

ISBN: 978-1-80455-510-1 (Epub)

ISSN: 1479-3636 (Series)

Dedication

In memory of Dr Lori Reese.

A colleague, friend, and champion for students.

It was an incredible honor to be part of your story.

May your passion and impact on the field be felt for years to come.

About the Editors

Dr Danielle Lane is an Assistant Professor of Special Education at Western Oregon University. Her research focuses on global understandings of disabilities in various cultural contexts. Specifically, she is interested in centralizing the importance of inclusive practices in educational provisions that are provided to students with disabilities. Danielle teaches courses in special education at the graduate level. She recently published in the British Journal of Special Education, the British Journal of Learning Disabilities, Curriculum and Teaching Dialogue, and The Qualitative Report.

Dr Nicholas Catania is an Assistant Professor and Program Manager of Elementary Education at State College of Florida, Manatee-Sarasota. His research focuses on teacher preparation for social justice as well as equitable policies and practices for the inclusion, advancement, and dignity of marginalized populations including LGBTQ+ children and families. His research has been presented at multiple national and international conferences; most notably American Educational Research Association (AERA), Council for Exceptional Children (CEC), and National Association for Multicultural Education (NAME).

Dr Sarah Semon is the Technical Assistance Coordinator for the IRIS Center at Vanderbilt University. In addition to extensive experience as a teacher educator and researcher, Dr Semon has over 15 years of experience collaborating with states and districts to provide professional development to improve special education outcomes. She recently presented at the National Ensuring Student Equity and Access (ESEA) Conference, the National Council for Exceptional Children (CEC) Conference, and CEC's Teacher Education Division Conference.

About the Contributors

Ms Jennifer Arthur (MEd) is a doctoral candidate in Early Childhood Special Education at Kent State University and works as a Developmental Specialist for the Board of Developmental Disabilities. Her research interest is in using high-end innovative technologies to prepare pre-service and in-service early childhood educators.

Dr Ulkar Babayeva is a Deputy Director at the Institute of Education of the Republic of Azerbaijan. She leads several strategic projects, including inclusive education. Dr Babayeva holds an EdD from Johns Hopkins University and her research interests include curriculum, pedagogy and assessment, educational technology, and professional learning.

Dr Wendi Beamish is an Adjunct Senior Lecturer in the School of Education and Professional Studies, Griffith University, Australia. Her research interests include: special needs, inclusive education, behavioral support, and early intervention. Wendi is coeditor of the CAISE Book Series: Advancing Inclusive and Special Education in the Asia-Pacific.

Dr Margarita Bilgeri is Activity Manager with the European Agency for Special Needs and Inclusive Education. She is involved in activities around policy development and implementation for inclusive education. Before, she worked as Assistant Professor at the University of Vienna and as Visiting Professor at the University Koblenz-Landau.

Dr Ching-I Chen is an Associate Professor in Early Childhood Intervention at Kent State University, and has served as a practitioner for children with exceptionalities and their families. Her research focuses on: (1) the development and application of culturally responsive early childhood assessments and (2) personnel development in early childhood.

Sothy Chhy is the Human Resources Director in the Department of Human Resources at Newton Thilay Community, Phnom Penh, Cambodia. Currently, he is a doctoral student at the Graduate School of Humanities and Social Sciences, Hiroshima University, Japan. His research interests include inclusive education and teacher education.

Petra Engelbrecht is an extraordinary professor in the Faculty of Education, North-West University, Potchefstroom campus. Her research focuses on equity in education with specific reference to the implementation of inclusive education in diverse cultural-historical contexts and she has published extensively in this regard.

Dr Ismael García-Cedillo is a Full Professor at Autonomous University of San Luis Potosí, Mexico and National Researcher. He directed the Mexican Project for Educational Integration and The Paraguayan Inclusive Education Teacher Training Program. His research interests focus on national and comparative studies on special and inclusive education policy and practice.

Philippa Gordon-Gould is a teacher and SENDCo in schools in Suffolk. Originally from Winchester she studied music at University of Leeds. Her flute studies and teaching career developed in France, Philadelphia, Munich, Frankfurt, Antwerp, and Cheshire. She owes her inspiration to write about SEND to her four adult children.

Dr Stephen Hay is Senior Lecturer in the School of Education and Professional Studies, Griffith University, Australia. His research interests include: the education policy relating to education of student groups with special educational needs and disadvantaged youth undergoing school to employment transitions.

Dr Rimaz Herz is an Assistant Professor at the College of Education, Lebanese University, in Lebanon. She obtained her EdD in Special Education from UNI – USA. She held several educational positions in the United States and Lebanon such as consultant, trainer, and assessor, and is a founder of SPED center: AID.

Dr Shari L. Hopkins is an Assistant Professor of Special Education at Western Oregon University. Her research interests address collaborative practices between stakeholders to promote inclusive opportunities in school and community settings for individuals with extensive support needs.

Dr Garry Horbny worked as a mainstream and special education teacher and an educational psychologist before lecturing in special education at universities in England, Barbados, and New Zealand. He has published 16 books including: Inclusive Special Education (2014); Essential Evidence-Based Teaching Strategies (2022); and Inclusive Education at the Crossroads (2023).

Dr Katrina A. Hovey is an Associate Professor of Special Education at Western Oregon University. Her research focuses on culturally responsive teacher preparation to improve outcomes for diverse exceptional learners with special academic and behavioral needs through the use of equitable assessments, high-leverage practices, and multitiered systems of support.

Dr Norimune (Nori) Kawai is a Deputy Executive Director of International Affairs, Director of the International Center, and a Professor of Special Needs Education at Hiroshima University. Although his primary area of interest involves fluency disorders, he conducts extensive amounts of research studies on communication disorders in general and inclusive education.

Narong Kiettikunwong has a background in business administration, management information system (MIS), public administration, economics, and law. He is a full-time faculty member at College of Local Administration, Khon Kaen University, Thailand, specializing in supporting local governments to implement effective and quality public services.

Barbara Lazarou is a doctoral candidate at the University of South Florida. Her research focuses on gifted and special education. She has extensive K-12 classroom teaching experience in Canada and the United States. With an undergraduate degree in political science, she enjoys analyzing how policy influences educational practices in Canada and the United States.

Dr Ulviyya Tofiq Mikayilova is currently served as a Dean of School of Education at ADA University (Baku, Azerbaijan). She has gained an experience as an Early Childhood and Inclusive Education Training and Policy Expert in Azerbaijan. In 2003–2011 she led a first national pilot project on inclusive education in Azerbaijan.

Mamotjoka Joyce Morai is a Doctoral student in inclusive education at Hiroshima University, Japan, and a Deaf School teacher in Lesotho. Her research aims to improve the writing composition skills of Deaf or Hard-of-Hearing students and to apply innovative and collaborative strategies to engage and support learners in inclusive classrooms.

Dr Diana Murdoch is a Research Consultant with the European Agency for Special Needs and Inclusive Education. She contributes to Agency international research and development activities. Previously, she was a teacher educator and researcher in inclusive education at the University of Edinburgh, following a teaching career in mainstream and special schools.

Pennee Narot holds a PhD in International and Development Education from the University of Pittsburgh. After 30 years as Associate Professor in International and Development Education, she continues teaching and conducting research in various areas such as teachers' development, non-formal and informal education, inclusive education, and aged situations analysis.

Marinda Neethling is a Senior Lecturer in Inclusive Education at North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus. Her research and teaching-learning philosophy focuses on community-based research, in Early Childhood Care and Education. She approaches her work through a participatory lens to enhance practical and contextual teaching and learning encouraging sustainable transformation in education.

Zun Wai Oo is a doctoral student in the field of inclusive education at Hiroshima University in Japan. She is a former assistant lecturer at Sagaing University in Myanmar. Her research interests include inclusive education practices, teacher professional development, and the implementation of inclusive policies in education.

Lalakhanim Orujova is an educator with over 18 years of experience in middle leadership and teaching in Azerbaijan, Ukraine, Turkey, and Georgia. She is the author of the “Day to Day” community-based kindergarten program. She is presently a PhD student and employee at the University of South Florida.

Sokunrith Pov is the Deputy Chief of Office in the Department of Policy of the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport in Cambodia. Presently, Sokunrith is a doctoral student at Hiroshima University in Japan. His research interests include inclusive education and science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM).

Dr Nurul Hidayati Rofiah is an Assistant Professor in the Elementary Teacher Education Department, Universitas Ahmad Dahlan, Indonesia, teaching inclusive education courses for the pre-service teachers, as well as a researcher at the Centre for Disability Studies and Services, Universitas Ahmad Dahlan.

Dr Silvia Romero-Contreras is a Full Professor at the Autonomous University of San Luis Potosí and National Researcher. She advised the Mexican Project for Educational Integration. Her research interests focus on culturally appropriate language and literacy practices and special and inclusive education practice, policy, and teacher preparation.

Richard Rose is Emeritus Professor of Education at the University of Northampton, UK, having previously held positions as a teacher, principal and education inspector and in UK universities. He was a visiting professor in Hong Kong. In recent years much of his research and development work has been undertaken in Asia.

Michael Shevlin is Professor of Inclusive Education at Trinity College Dublin in the Republic of Ireland and Director of Trinity Centre for People with Intellectual Disabilities. His research has focused on the inclusion of young people with special educational needs within mainstream schools and promoting the voices of marginalized people.

Dr Julia E. Snider is an Assistant Professor of Special Education at Grand Valley State University. Her research examines how special education teachers plan lessons and select materials to teach students with the most extensive support needs. Additionally, her work addresses tools to effectively include students in the general education classroom.

Dr Suhendri has a PhD from Hiroshima University, Japan, and a Master's degree from Flinders University, Australia, and serves as a National Teacher Trainer in the Ministry of Education, Indonesia, specializing in early education and inclusive education. She has a strong background in brain development programs, play therapy, and gifted education.

Dr Mark Tyler is Senior Lecturer in the School of Education and Professional Studies, Griffith University, Australia. Mark's research interests include: VET sector development, continuing professional development, academic and teacher identity, the dispositions of critical thinkers, workplace mentoring, and collaborative capacity building.

Dr Amanda Watkins is Assistant Director with the European Agency for Special Needs and Inclusive Education, where she leads on a number of activities supporting countries to develop their policy frameworks for inclusive education. She is also a Visiting Professor in the School of Sociology & Social Policy, University of Leeds, United Kingdom.

Elsabé Wessels is a senior lecturer at the North-West University, Mafikeng Campus, where she teaches early literacy to education students in the BEd Foundation Phase program. She has 28 years of experience about learner support in the Foundation Phase and is dedicated to ensuring that the education students will be able to apply what they learn, when they are teachers.

Series Editor Preface

The adoption internationally of inclusive practice as the most equitable and all-encompassing approach to education and its relation to compliance with various international Declarations and Conventions underpins the importance of this series for people working at all levels of education and schooling in both developed and less developed countries. There is little doubt that inclusive education is complex and diverse and that there are enormous disparities in understanding and application at both inter- and intracountry levels. A broad perspective on inclusive education throughout this series is taken, encompassing a wide range of contemporary viewpoints, ideas, and research for enabling the development of more inclusive schools, education systems, and communities.

Volumes in this series on International Perspectives on Inclusive Education contribute to the academic and professional discourse by providing a collection of philosophies and practices that can be reviewed by considering local, contextual, and cultural situations to assist governments, educators, peripatetic staffs, and other professionals to provide the best education for all children. Each volume in the series focuses on a key aspect of inclusive education and provides critical chapters by contributing leaders in the field who discuss theoretical positions, quality research, and impacts on school and classroom practice. Different volumes address issues relating to the diversity of student need within heterogeneous classrooms and the preparation of teachers and other staffs to work in inclusive schools. Systemic changes and practice in schools encompass a wide perspective of learners to provide ideas on reframing education to ensure that it is inclusive of all. Evidence-based research practices underpin a plethora of suggestions for decision-makers and practitioners, incorporating current ways of thinking about and implementing inclusive education.

While many barriers have been identified that may potentially constrain the implementation of effective inclusive practices, this series aims to identify such key concerns and offer practical and best practice approaches to overcoming them. Adopting a thematic approach for each volume, readers will be able to quickly locate a collection of research and practice related to a topic of interest. By transforming schools into inclusive communities of practice all children can have the opportunity to access and participate in quality and equitable education to enable them to obtain the skills to become contributory global citizens. This series, therefore, is highly recommended to support education decision-makers, practitioners, researchers, and academics, who have a professional interest in the inclusion of children and youth who are potentially marginalizing in inclusive schools and classrooms.

Volume 22 on Progress Toward Agenda 2030: The Midway Status of Inclusive Education in Global Contexts provides a timely, significant, and genuinely realistic overview of how countries are progressing toward achieving Sustainable Development Goal 4 (SDG4) and the UN's Agenda 2030. Each chapter represents one region's status, with the volume covering in total 18 geopolitical contexts. Authors critically review inclusive education within their unique environments and discuss sociopolitical challenges they experience in relation to policy and practice. The complexity of meeting the international expectations is evident and the consequence of identifying locally appropriate ways to achieve these is palpable throughout.

Of important note is that this update was written at the midpoint of Agenda 2030 implementation (2015–2030) with this volume being constructed in 2022 and released in 2023. Of the 10 targets set in the SDG4, it is apparent from these different regions that some are already on track to meet one or two of them, some are likely to be achievable, while others are posited as not expected to be fulfilled by 2030.

Each chapter provides an insightful review of their distinctive contexts and highlights a range of advances that they are employing to move toward achieving these goals. An underlying issue that emerges throughout is the importance of commitment at all levels of government, both nationally, locally, and within school communities. Although it is generally acknowledged that full inclusion is unlikely to be achievable for all regions or all children and youth, to advance inclusion for the increasingly diverse student populations requires a major re-evaluation of values and beliefs, aligned with intensified support structures, to provide the most amenable situations to enable inclusion.

While mention is given to the challenges of working through the unprecedented pandemic in some countries, it needs to be acknowledged that this inevitably impacted all regions and has certainly hindered the progress toward Agenda 2030 to varying degrees. In addition, many less developed countries continue to face a range of other widespread medical issues, environmental challenges, poverty, famine, and conflicts. Addressing the needs of all children in these situations may not be only embedded within traditional educational environments, but transcends this to inclusion at family, community, and village levels.

Policies that endorse inclusion at a national level infrequently have little meaning for communities who are struggling to live with such challenges. Yet it is often reported that these local communities provide some of the most inclusive practices within their immediate environments and capabilities. Many of the authors in this volume, while acknowledging the commitment of their country to signing the international declarations and the development of national inclusive policies, underline the policy practice gap that still exists. Local implementation of inclusion remains very challenging in many regions with schools struggling to meet the policy expectations without appropriate infrastructures and support. Many authors emphasize that changes are needed to address the enormous gap between the expectations of policymakers and the capabilities of practitioners if inclusion is to be effective and the Agenda 2030 to be attained, at least in part. Considering their own contexts, expectations, and challenges, authors provide insightful recommendations for the future of inclusion within their regions.

Volume 22 provides a significant and pertinent contribution to the international dialogue about the way forward when dealing with complex, diverse, and far-reaching global issues across different regions. By looking in depth at how regions are progressing inclusion midway toward 2030, this provides an opportunity to empower leaders to undertake a serious critical review and reflection of existing practices in order to explore further significant improvements that are needed to enhance progress toward this international goal. Volume 22 makes an excellent and very timely addition to the International Perspectives on Inclusive Education series.

Chris Forlin

Series Editor

Foreword

At the heart of inclusion is the belief in every individual's potential for success and a commitment to providing equitable opportunities for learning, growth, and achievement. By supporting the success of others, we affirm their belonging, and in return we are gifted the satisfaction of sharing in their achievements. Teachers and mentors in particular journey closely with their students as their successes often intertwine.

In this way, I am honored to proudly support and share in the success of my former doctoral students and this volume's editors, Drs Dani Lane, Nicholas Catania, and Sarah Semon. Each of them has courageously forged personal and professional paths toward acceptance, understanding, and growth for themselves and their students, broadening dialogues of diversity, equity, and inclusion beyond established boundaries. They view inclusion through a social justice lens, focusing on systemic barriers that impede opportunities for students from diverse racial and ethnic backgrounds, children living in poverty, students with disabilities, LGBTQ youth, and individuals whose identities intersect in multiple ways.

As teacher educators, Drs Lane, Catania, and Semon have collectively helped prepare countless pre-service and in-service teachers to implement best practices in inclusive education. Their efforts have directly contributed to the ability of diverse communities to access high-quality, technologically adept teachers and school leaders prepared to address structural, attitudinal, and knowledge barriers inhibiting success for children and youth.

Through their national and international research and teaching collaborations, this volume's editors have shared in mutually beneficial experiences with students, teachers, school leaders, and scholars globally to impact learning and dialogue around inclusive policy and practice. Perspectives shared in this volume by international scholars regarding the historical and current status of inclusion in various contexts worldwide expand discussions further, offering wide-ranging opportunities for new and continuing discourse.

The chapter authors, representing more than 18 regions, present the state of inclusion in their respective contexts, providing authentic views of progress toward the inclusive education Agenda 2030. Sociopolitical concerns including questions regarding the role of centralized governments in influencing inclusive services are addressed along with discussions about how specific happenings such as the COVID-19 pandemic, the world financial crisis, and instances of political unrest have affected policy development and implementation.

We have witnessed the evolution toward more inclusive schools and communities in the United States over the past several decades, and it's interesting to note the developmental parallels toward inclusive policies and practices in many of the countries represented in this volume. Moreover, as discussed by the authors, attitudinal barriers toward persons with disabilities are gradually lessening. Universally, these biases, which are often culturally rooted, remain the greatest obstacle to equal access and opportunity, warranting significant attention within and beyond this work.

In sum, this volume provides a unique and comprehensive look at the status of progress toward worldwide quality education from the perspectives of scholars rooted in the experiences. With deep pride, I salute this volume's editors and admire their foresight in leading the effort to provide readers with an unprecedented diversity of viewpoints, including those from authors whose countries are not often represented in the inclusion literature. Congratulations on this achievement, Drs Lane, Catania, and Semon. May your success continue to inspire others in the ways it has done for me.

Ann Cranston-Gingras, PhD

Acknowledgments

We (Drs Lane, Catania, and Semon) share a unified belief that the work we do in inclusive education is collaborative, multifaceted, context-driven, and ever-evolving. As such, we could not complete this project alone. As the saying goes, “it takes a village” and we cannot thank our “village” enough for their support and contributions.

To those who work in the field of inclusive education, we thank you for your tireless work to support the basic human rights of students who are marginalized, including those with disabilities.

To our contributing authors, we thank you for sharing your unique understandings of inclusion for students with disabilities in your context.

To our peer reviewers, we thank you for your time and expertise on inclusive education, which were instrumental in bringing this work to press.

To Dr Chris Forlin, we thank you for the incredible opportunity to edit this volume and to share the voices of stakeholders in inclusive education from nations across the globe.

To Dr Ann Cranston-Gingras, we thank you for your continued support and guidance on our journey toward a more inclusive tomorrow.

To Dr Phyllis Jones, we thank you for igniting the spark and passion that brought this work to life.