Search results

Inclusive practices are supported and increasingly being implemented in Malawi. Transition to inclusion requires partnerships in which parents, educators, policymakers, and community leaders come together to build an understanding of disability which values inclusion and promotes the use of innovative, contextualized strategies to facilitate inclusive perspectives and practices. The purpose of this chapter is to highlight how one agency, the Parents of Disabled Children Association of Malawi (PODCAM), is working with parents, educators, and community members to build more inclusive schools and communities for students with disability.

A shift from a medical model to a social model of including learners with disabilities has occurred over the past 25 years (Stella, Forlin, & Lan, 2007). This shift has impacted both preservice teacher preparation and in-service teacher professional development. This chapter utilizes a conceptual framework built on the work of Forlin and colleagues (Forlin, Loreman, Sharma, & Earle, 2009; Sharma, Forlin, Loreman, & Earle, 2006; Stella et al., 2007) to guide teacher preparation and professional development. This conceptual framework provides a model for (1) addressing attitudes and perceptions; (2) increasing knowledge of disability policies, laws, and evidence-based practices for providing instruction in inclusive settings; (3) and increasing experiences with individuals with disabilities, including experiences within inclusive settings. In addition, the framework incorporates aspects of the context within which inclusion is to occur. Implications include recommendations for teacher training and professional development to improve inclusive education for learners with LID.

The purpose of this paper is to identify a set of principles that are necessary to overcome the challenges that inclusion coaches encounter with teachers as they transition into an inclusive service delivery model.

Online written reflections of 13 inclusion coaches (K-12) who were a part of a larger, mixed-methods research design are the primary data source. For the two years of the project, the inclusion coaches provided bi-annual reflections, each with 7-11 entries. The reflections were downloaded, coded, collapsed, and thematically presented as the inclusion coaches’ perspectives for supporting teachers’ inclusive classroom practices.

The findings are presented as six principles for the process of coaching teachers for inclusion: pre-requisite: teachers’ receptivity; process: from building trust to collaborating and reflecting; precipice: tension between knowledge and beliefs; promotion: administrative support; proof: evidence of change, impact, and capacity building; and promise: future of the role.

These six principles of coaching for inclusion offer considerations, conditions, and guides for inclusion coaches that are striving for fully inclusive classrooms in their jurisdictions. With a view to future practice, the six principles are reiterative as they should be revisited each time a coaching interaction is initiated in a school site and with a classroom teacher.

As a conclusion, a conceptual model is offered. This spiraling staircase displays the conditions that exist prior to coaching and during coaching interactions and considerations for coaching sustainability.

This chapter will provide an overview of the types of concerns that are evident in the research literature regarding how well teachers are prepared to teach in inclusive classrooms citing both preservice education and in-service professional development/learning. It will present an overview of the measurements that have been used to measure teachers’ perceptions of preparedness for inclusive environments and the use of surveys to assess attitudes, beliefs, and values. The chapter will conclude with a discussion regarding measuring teachers’ perceptions to inform/improve teacher preparation efforts/policies/practices and what needs to be done to improve teacher preparation for inclusive education.

This work explores the effectiveness of an innovative inclusion model that is based on the development and operationalization of the inclusion coach (IC) role in one school district (in Ontario, generally referred to as a ‘board’). This model has implications for school systems that desire a change in practice but may perceive challenges to this change in their local capacity. In this model, internal school district funding and existing structures were reallocated to convert teaching positions into IC positions. This staffing change was designed to support the desegregation of stand-alone special education classes at the elementary and secondary levels within that school district. While significantly decreasing the number of segregated settings, the intervention was not without its challenges. Challenges and successes will be examined through the perspectives of school principals, ICs and classroom teachers. This school district created an effective and sustainable model to promote inclusion, through internal staffing adjustments, and role redefinition. Utilizing a shared focus and support for staff, this school district was successfully able to transition beliefs and practices from segregated special education to full inclusion for students with special education needs.

Most education systems were not initially designed to include students with disabilities. However, over the past 25 years, great strives have been taken to ensure students with disabilities have access to the general education classroom and to important social, emotional and academic opportunities. Within the USA, researchers have begun to focus on the principal's role in creating and sustaining effective inclusive schools. The purpose of this article is to examine the leadership practices and perceptions associated with creating effective inclusive schools for students with disabilities.

This qualitative study examined how two elementary school principals created an effective inclusive school and how they understood the challenges and change processes associated with inclusion. Each principal was interviewed and observed four times over one school year. Teachers and district administrators were also interviewed to gain insights into the school's progress with inclusion and to verify principals’ interview data.

This study added to existing research by identifying the following leadership practices critical to creating effective inclusive schools: (1) creating a culture of change-oriented collaboration, (2) planning and evaluating, (3) building capacity and (4) developing/revising plans. The principals felt that these practices enabled inclusion to take root, despite challenges and the chaotic nature of life in schools. A total of three additional themes emerged related to how principals understood change processes and challenges associated with inclusion: collaborative inquiry, information flow and crises/distractions/fatigue.

Several key leadership practices were identified in this study, including practices associated to systems thinking (ST). These practices hold promise and might be applied to thoughtfully design inclusive reforms. Faculty in principal preparation programs might also consider exposing aspiring leaders to the literature on leadership for effective inclusive schools as well as systems thinking.

The paper identifies the leadership practices of two principals who created effective inclusive schools. The paper is unique as it applies a ST lens to the investigation of leadership for inclusion.

This chapter draws on data from an empirical study investigating ethical challenges and dilemmas in inclusive classrooms in order to consider the ways in which such issues may impact the effective implementation and measurement of inclusion. Data from interviews conducted with 12 classroom teachers show that teachers frequently face ethical problems in their practice. Most concerning are those related to the discriminatory behaviors and practices of colleagues. While teachers acknowledge that these behaviors and practices disadvantage students, most elect to compromise their beliefs, professional responsibilities, and ethical principles in order to protect fellow professionals for fear of negative reprisals. Electing loyalty to colleagues over the best interests of students raises questions regarding the measurement of inclusive education. Responses on measurement tools may reflect a desire for teachers to protect colleagues or themselves, providing an inaccurate picture of the situation. On the other hand, honest responses to measurement initiatives may come at the expense of collegial relationships, potentially undermining the very inclusive practices such measurement processes are trying to encourage.

This chapter aims to identify and explore those critical factors in relation to teacher education and development that may hinder or support the wider implementation of policy for inclusive education in practice. The chapter considers key issues related to initial teacher education (ITE) and in-service teacher education and continuing professional development (CPD) that appear to be relevant albeit in differing degrees across most European countries.

The chapter builds on initial work completed in the European Agency project on Teacher Education for Inclusion (TE4I). The project concluded that the role of core values for inclusion (particularly in ITE) can be a critical factor in ensuring more inclusive education systems overall (European Agency, 2011, 2012).

A number of policy questions in relation to preparing teaching staff for inclusive education were highlighted in this work, but two critical issues are the focus here:

• 1. How all relevant policies can support flexible education opportunities in initial and continuing professional development for all teachers.

• 2. How all teachers can be supported to develop the skills to meet the diverse needs of all learners, including a clear understanding of effective learning strategies, such as learning to learn and active learning approaches.

1. How all relevant policies can support flexible education opportunities in initial and continuing professional development for all teachers.

2. How all teachers can be supported to develop the skills to meet the diverse needs of all learners, including a clear understanding of effective learning strategies, such as learning to learn and active learning approaches.

The purpose of this paper is to present new empirical data on the experiences of 120 teachers and professionals working with autistic children and young people across different settings in Poland where autism research on inclusive education is scarce. It explores the relationship of inclusive education to the social and neurodiversity models of disability. It makes evidence-based recommendations for good practice and modelling and evaluating future education and inclusion practices.

It uses a survey approach involving a combination of qualitative and quantitative data collection and embeds practical findings in theory, including the relationship of inclusive education to the social and neurodiversity models of disability.

The findings include the barriers teachers and related professionals experience in facilitating inclusive teaching and learning and how the following would be useful to autistic students: opportunities to exercise responsibilities and take leadership roles; social as well as educational inclusion; provision of a safe environment; regular funded autism training in work time; and appropriate use of additional classroom teachers.

A survey-based approach has limitations.

Opportunities to exercise responsibilities and take leadership roles; social as well as educational inclusion; provision of a safe environment; regular funded autism training in work time; and appropriate use of additional classroom teachers.

This study can be useful in the development of social skills and communication, social and educational inclusion.

Polish teachers’ attitudes, experiences and support needs, including some previously overlooked issues, are related to the broader international context beyond Poland. Analysis of the findings is used to derive evidence-based recommendations for good practice and modelling, and evaluating future education and inclusion practices.