Inclusive education in New Zealand: rhetoric and reality

2016 ◽  
Vol 45 (1) ◽  
pp. 54-68 ◽  
Author(s):  
Judith Anne Selvaraj

Purpose – New Zealand continues to struggle with interpreting and implementing its current policy of inclusion, especially as it relates to children traditionally known as having “special educational needs”. The purpose of this paper is to trace the discursive development of institutionalised Special Education in New Zealand and examines how the funding and policy mechanisms of neoliberalism within which rights-based inclusion was introduced have complicated the planning and delivery of services in schools. Design/methodology/approach – The paper draws on Gillian Fulcher’s (1989) discourses of disability as they are expressed through policy documents and educational reports to examine the language and values that have underpinned the development of Special Education policy and provision in New Zealand. Findings – The paper has identified and attempted to explain the extent to which traditional forms of exclusion have continued to structure current policy and practice despite a paradigm shift to inclusion. It argues that this has militated against clear understanding, acceptance and success of this major paradigm shift. Research limitations/implications – In examining the social nature of disability, and its implications in the structures of education today, it is possible to consider opportunities for acting to address these. Originality/value – The value of this work is in taking an historical approach to help understand why there continues be a distance between policy rhetoric and the reality of its implementation in practice.

2020 ◽  
Vol 58 (5) ◽  
pp. 507-520
Author(s):  
Jake Cornett ◽  
Kimberly M. Knackstedt

PurposeThe United States (US) system of special education committed three original sins that perpetuate inequities between children with disabilities and their peers. The purpose of this paper is to examine the history of the US system, contrast this history against international disability law and identify opportunities for leaders to transform policy and practice for inclusive education.Design/methodology/approachThis paper explores the development of the three sins in US special education law: (1) weaving throughout it a medical model of disability, (2) failing to mandate inclusion and (3) hampering meaningful enforcement. The paper contrasts the US system with the United Nations (UN) Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD), an international law adopted by 180 nations that requires inclusion of people with disabilities at all levels of systems.FindingsThis paper finds that the United States has not embraced inclusion in education, but has permitted a continuum of segregation and integration. After a discussion of the three sins and the CRPD, the authors describe opportunities for international and US leaders to learn from the original sins of the United States and develop a system of true inclusion for all students through the transformation of policy and practice.Originality/valueThis paper contributes to the literature on policy development and implementation, with implications for future amendments to US education law and international public administration of education.


2018 ◽  
Vol 42 ◽  
pp. 00039 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ikhfi Imaniah ◽  
Nurul Fitria

This paper identifies and discusses major issues and trends in special education in Indonesia, including implications of trends for the future developments. Trends are discussed for the following areas: (1) inclusion and integration, issues will remain unresolved in the near future; (2) early childhood and postsecondary education with disability students, special education will be viewed as lifespan schooling; (3) transitions and life skills, these will receive greater emphasis; and (4) consultation and collaboration, more emphasis but problems remain. Moreover, the participant of the study in this paper was an autism student of twelve years old who lived at Maguwoharjo, Yogyakarta. This study was qualitative with case study as an approach of the research. The researchers conclude the autism that has good academic, communication and emotional skill are able to go to integrated school accompanied by guidance teacher. But in practice, inclusive education in Indonesia is inseparable from stakeholders ranging from government and institutions such as schools, educators, school environment, community and parents to support the goal of inclusive education itself. Adequate infrastructure also needs to be given to the school that organizes inclusive education for an efficient and effective students understanding learning-oriented of inclusive education. In short, every child has the same opportunity in education, yet for special education which is aimed at student with special educational needs.


2017 ◽  
Vol 23 ◽  
pp. 152
Author(s):  
Ivanilde Apoluceno de Oliveira

Neste artigo analisamos as demandas que emergem do processo de implantação da política de inclusão na Educação Especial no Brasil.Demandas referentes a novos sujeitos; a formação e prática, que envolve o debatesobre o currículo, e o atendimento educacional na educação inclusiva. Este estudo tem por base pesquisas realizadas em municípios do Estado do Pará e,também, o levantamento bibliográfico sobre a educação inclusiva no Brasil, incluindo análise de documentos sobre a legislação referente à política da Educação Especial.O estudo aponta que há necessidade de se evidenciar as demandas, problematizar a política, que não atende as especificidades regionais, mas sobretudo, apontar pistas, caminhos teóricos e metodológicos para a inclusão escola e social do aluno público-alvo da Educação Especial.Palavras-chave: Educação Especial. Política de Inclusão. Demandas contemporâneas. SPECIAL EDUCATION / INCLUSIVE IN BRAZIL: conteporary demandsAbstract: In this article we analyze the emerging demands from the implementation process of inclusion policy on Special Education in Brazil. Demands related to new subjects; training and practice, evolving the debate oncurriculum, and educational services in inclusive education. This study is based on surveys conducted in municipalities in the State of Pará and, Also the literature on inclusive education in Brazil, including document analysis onlegislation referring to the Special Education policy. The study points out that there is need to highlight the demands, problematize politics, that does not meet specific regional characteristics, but above all, point out hints, theoretical and methodological approaches to include school and social of the Special Education student audience.Keywords: Special education. Inclusion Policy. Contemporary demands. EDUCACIÓN ESPECIAL/INCLUSIVA EN BRASIL: demandas contemporáneas Resumen: En este artículo analizamos las demandas que surgen del proceso de implementación de la política de inclusión en la Educación Especial en Brasil. Demandas relacionadas con nuevos sujetos, la formación y práctica, que implican el debate sobre el currículo y el atendimiento educativo en la educación inclusiva. Este estudio se basa en investigaciones realizadas en municipios del Estado de Pará y también la literatura sobre la educación inclusiva en Brasil, incluyendo el análisis de documentos de la legislación sobre la política de Educación Especial. El estudio señala que existe la necesidad de poner de relieve las demandas, cuestionar la política, que no cumple con las especificidades regionales, pero, sobre todo, señalar caminos, enfoques teóricos y metodológicos para la inclusión escolar y social del alumno público clave de la Educación Especial.Palabras clave: Educación Especial. Política de Inclusión. Demandas contemporáneas.


2016 ◽  
Vol 118 (2) ◽  
pp. 1-42
Author(s):  
Jason Ellis ◽  
Paul Axelrod

Background/Context It is frequently assumed that changes in special education policies since 1945 have come mostly from “landmark research” or actions of a few “pioneers.” We argue in this article that there have been many different sources of change, including legislation, court rulings, activism, and even shifts in socially and historically constructed categories of ability. In contrast to the contention that there has been “a gradual but steady progression towards the present inclusive education,” we argue that remarkable continuity has characterized certain elements of policy as well. The article identifies general trends in special education policy development historically that can help to inform the most current thinking about policy change in special and inclusive education. Purpose How has special education policy developed historically? What factors have been involved? How can historical research help education researchers, policy makers, school personnel, and others to deepen their understanding of the development of policy? The Toronto public school system is examined. The developmental trajectory of special education policy in Canada's largest urban school board generally resembles the development of policy in other large American and Canadian cities. The period from 1945 to the present was selected because the shifting character of special education policy across this broadsweep of time is not well understood. Research Design This qualitative study employs historical analysis. It draws on archival documents, school board and provincial government records, and pertinent secondary sources. Conclusions/Recommendations There are a few identifiable general trends in special education policy development historically. Prior to 1970, local school officials were empowered to make many changes in special education policy; since 1970, this ability has been eroded in favor of centralized policy making, with parents and others possessing some ability to influence policy change. Today, policy makers must balance different contextual factors and stakeholder interests that have developed over time, not least of all the interests of teachers who have been important partners to policy implementation. The degree of “policy talk” about inclusion, and about a social model of disability, has exceeded the degree to which either has actually been implemented. Rather, a continuum of services model that hybridizes segregated and inclusive settings continues today to characterize special education policies, as it has since the 1970s. Money matters in special education policy, especially when it is tied to specific policy options and can therefore influence local policy decisions, but also depending on whether the power to raise and disburse funds is held locally or centrally.


Author(s):  
Misa Kayama ◽  
Wendy L. Haight ◽  
May-Lee Ku ◽  
Minhae Cho ◽  
Hee Yun Lee

Chapter 3 lays the groundwork for understanding how educators incorporate national special education policies into their local, culturally based practices. It examines national disability policies and services in Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, and the U.S. Special education policies in all four nations have been influenced by the contemporary, international trend of inclusive education. Yet the ways in which policymakers and educators have responded to such international initiatives, which reinforce the individual rights of children with disabilities, vary cross-culturally. Such variation partly reflects culturally based differences in how the relative risks of disability labels and the benefits of specialized support are weighted, especially for these children whose functioning is at the border of “typical development” and “having disabilities.”


2020 ◽  
Vol 58 (5) ◽  
pp. 571-584
Author(s):  
Thomas Peter Gumpel ◽  
Judah Koller ◽  
Naomi Weintraub ◽  
Shirli Werner ◽  
Vered Wiesenthal

PurposeThis article presents a conceptual synthesis of the international literature on inclusive education while expanding upon, and incorporating, the articles in this special issue. The authors present their 3P model (philosophy, policy and praxis) and relate each paper in this special issue to different aspects of their model.Design/methodology/approachThis article serves as an epilogue to this special issue of the Journal of Educational Administration as well as a discussion of historical and conceptual distinctions between mainstreaming and inclusion while examining global trends in understanding the move toward inclusive education.FindingsThe authors examined the detrimental effects of ableism and a medical model of disability and their effects on the educational system. They conducted an analysis based on examining the philosophy, policy and practice of the inclusive movement, specifically by examining conceptual models and inclusive decisions, conceptual frameworks for describing inclusive policy and a focus of the application to educational administration. The authors examined the global movement from segregation/exclusion to integration and then to inclusionary praxis.Research limitations/implicationsThe authors maintain that the inclusion literature lacks a sound positivistic empirical base, and so they present throughout the article possible avenues for such research as well as future directions for comparative research.Practical implicationsUnderstanding the philosophical underpinnings of the inclusive movement is central to developing viable inclusive educational settings. The authors distinguish between inclusive schools and local educational authorities where stakeholders have moved toward an inclusionary system (the minority) versus locales who are reluctant to move systems to actual change.Originality/valueThis article takes a wider view of inclusionary practices, from one focusing on children with disabilities to one focusing on historical and traditional exclusionary practices. By widening the scope of the inclusion discussion, to one of exclusion, the authors present a viably wider lens to educational administration.


2016 ◽  
Vol 23 (1) ◽  
pp. 12
Author(s):  
Cassandra Catarina Gonçalves Mineiro

Após introdução da inclusão nas escolas, o conhecimento produzido tem sido insuficiente para a definição dos caminhos psicopedagógicos voltados à escolarização de alunos com necessidades educacionais especiais - NEEs. Isso vem acontecendo, em parte, porque não foram articulados os estudos com a realidade, sendo que autores da maioria desses estudos apresentaram resultados com produções reiterativas e com pouca mudança no que é proposto. O objetivo deste trabalho foi direcionado a conhecer sobre a realidade enfrentada pelos professores das salas de recursos multifuncionais (SRM). Esse estudo envolveu as experiências de professoras da Educação Básica, em pesquisa realizada pelos professores da Universidade Estadual de Montes Claros – UNIMONTES, evidenciando atuação dessas professoras das SRM nas escolas do município de Montes Claros - MG. Como embasamento teórico foram utilizados Decretos e Portarias da Educação Especial, com enfoque nos autores e trabalhos realizados nessa área. A metodologia abrangeu a pesquisa colaborativa, mediante depoimentos das professoras direcionados pelas questões propostas pelo Observatório Nacional de Educação Especial, o que permitiu análise da forma como ocorre a inclusão escolar. Desse modo, a dinâmica na organização de grupos coletivos foi a pesquisa em grupos focais, mostrando a realidade das escolas pesquisadas e quais propostas viáveis a um melhor atendimento às crianças com NEEs. Como resultado, a pesquisa favoreceu o reconhecimento em enfrentar dificuldades; a necessidade de parceria com a professora da sala regular e capacitação desta na Educação Inclusiva; o Plano de Atendimento Educacional Especializado (PAEE), contribuindo essas práticas na melhoria da inclusão escolar direcionada aos alunos da educação especial.Palavras-chave: Educação especial. Realidade das escolas. Atendimento às crianças. EL REPENSAR DE LAS DIFICULTADES Y PREOCUPACIONES EXISTENTES EN LA EDUCACIÓN ESPECIAL. Resumen: Después de la introducción de la inclusión en las escuelas, el conocimiento producido es insuficiente para definir las rutas psicopedagógica centrado en la educación de los alumnos con necesidades educativas especiales - NEEs. Esto está ocurriendo en parte debido a los estudios con la realidad que no se articulan, y los autores de la mayoría de estos estudios mostraron resultados con producciones reiterativos con pocos cambios en lo que se propone. Este estudio tuvo como objetivo conocer la realidad que enfrentan los maestros de recursos multi-funcionales (SRM). Incluyó las experiencias de los profesores de la educación básica, en la investigación llevada a cabo por los profesores de la Universidad Estatal de Montes Claros - UNIMONTES, que muestra el trabajo de estos maestros de SRM en los centros educativos del municipio de Montes Claros - MG. Como base teórica se utilizaron los decretos y edictos de Educación Especial, centrado en autores y obras realizadas en esta área. La metodología incluyó la investigación en colaboración con el testimonio de los profesores afectados por las preguntas propuestas por el Centro Nacional de Educación Especial, lo que permitió el análisis de cómo es la inclusión escolar. Por lo tanto, la dinámica de la organización de los grupos colectivos fueron los grupos de enfoque de investigación, que muestra la realidad de las escuelas encuestadas y qué propuestas viables para una mejor atención a los niños con NEE. Como resultado, la encuesta favoreció el reconocimiento para hacer frente a las dificultades; la necesidad de una asociación con el maestro habitación regular y esta formación en la educación inclusiva; Plan de Educación del especialista de servicio (PAEE), contribuyendo estas prácticas, la mejora de la inclusión escolar dirigido a los estudiantes de educación especial.Palabras clave: Educación Especial. Escuelas realidad. Cuidar a los niños.  THE RETHINKING OF THE DIFFICULTIES AND CONCERNS IN SPECIAL EDUCATION Abstract: After introduction of inclusion in schools, the knowledge produced is insufficient to define the paths psychopedagogic focused on education of pupils with special educational needs - SEN. This is happening in part because studies with reality were not articulated, and authors of most of these studies showed results with reiterative productions with little change in what is proposed. This study was aimed to know about the reality faced by teachers of multi-functional resources (SRM). This study involved the experiences of teachers of basic education, in research conducted by teachers of the State University of Montes Claros - UNIMONTES, showing work of these teachers of SRM in schools in the municipality of Montes Claros - MG. As theoretical basis were used Decrees and Edicts of Special Education, focusing on authors and works carried out in this area. The methodology included the collaborative research through of testimony from teachers targeted by the questions proposed by the National Centre for Special Education, which allowed analysis of how is school inclusion. Thus, the dynamics in the organization of collective groups was the research focus groups, showing the reality of the surveyed schools and what feasible proposals to better care for children with SEN. As a result, the survey favored the recognition in facing difficulties; the need for partnership with the teacher regular room and this training in inclusive education; Plan of Educational Service Specialist, contributing these practices, improving school inclusion directed to students of special education.Keywords: Special education. Reality in schools. Care to children.


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