scholarly journals Inclusion at a Crossroads: Dismantling Ireland’s System of Special Education

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (4) ◽  
pp. 161
Author(s):  
Michael Shevlin ◽  
Joanne Banks
Keyword(s):  
Special Education ◽  
General Education ◽  
Students With Disabilities ◽  
Inclusive Education ◽  
Special Class ◽  
Current System ◽  
School Personnel ◽  
Systematic Investigation ◽  
Special Schools ◽  
Special Education School

Ireland’s system of special education has undergone unprecedented change over the last three decades. Following major policy developments in the mid-2000s which emphasised inclusive education, there have been changes to special education school personnel and funding structures which seek to include greater numbers of students with disabilities in mainstream education. There is one anomaly however: Ireland continues to operate a parallel system of special schools and classes with an emphasis on special class provision for students with disabilities. The aim of this paper is to examine the evolution of Ireland’s special education policy over the past three decades and explore the extent to which it is compatible with its obligations under the United Nations Convention for People with Disabilities (UNCRPD) and more recent discussions around moving to inclusive education. It uses a systematic investigation of policy and administrative data on special class growth over time to highlight anomalies between the policy narrative around inclusive education in Ireland and the continued use of segregated settings. The current system, therefore, suggests confused thinking at a policy level which has resulted in the implementation of special education grafted on to the general education system. Any move to an inclusive system therefore, in order to be successful, would require a root and branch overhaul of existing policies.

scholarly journals Teachers’ Perceptions of Inclusion in a Pilot Inclusive Education Program: Implications for Instructional Leadership

2018 ◽  
Vol 2018 ◽  
pp. 1-13 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zachary Y. Mngo ◽  
Agnes Y. Mngo
Keyword(s):  
Special Education ◽  
Instructional Leadership ◽  
General Education ◽  
Students With Disabilities ◽  
Inclusive Education ◽  
Education Program ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Teachers Perceptions ◽  
Highly Educated ◽  
Integrated Classrooms

The opinions of general education secondary school teachers in seven select schools involved in a pilot inclusive education program in the Northwest Region of Cameroon were sought. The findings reveal that most teachers in Cameroon still prefer separate special education institutions to inclusive ones. These conclusions contradict earlier research which showed that resistance to integrated classrooms was emanating from beliefs and customs. Teachers with some training on teaching students with disabilities and more experienced and highly educated teachers were more supportive of inclusive education indicating that resistance to the practice is linked to inadequate or complete lack of teachers’ preparedness. Younger, less experienced teachers with no training in special education indicated less enthusiasm regarding the benefits of inclusion, their ability to manage integrated classrooms, and teach students with disabilities. The implication of these findings for future research, institutional support systems, institutional policies, and overall instructional leadership is discussed in this article.

Diversity and Inclusion and Special Education

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chris Forlin ◽  
Dianne Chambers
Keyword(s):  
Special Education ◽  
Students With Disabilities ◽  
20Th Century ◽  
Inclusive Education ◽  
Learning Needs ◽  
Special Schools ◽  
New Era ◽  
Regular School ◽  
Diversity And Inclusion ◽  
Inclusive Approach

Special education has undergone continued transformation since societies began to provide an increasing number of specialized, segregated facilities for children with like needs during the 20th century. Since then, there has been a worldwide movement against a segregated approach and toward greater inclusion of students with disabilities into regular schools. The provision of a dual special education and regular school system, nevertheless, remains in existence, even though there has been a strong emphasis on a more inclusive approach since the latter half of the 20th century. As regular schools become more inclusive and teachers more capable of providing appropriate modifications for most students with learning needs, simultaneously there has been an increase in the number of students whose needs are so severe that schools have not been able to accommodate them. While these children and youth have special needs, they are invariably not related to an identified disability but fall more into a category of diversity. In particular, students who are excluded from schools due to severe infringements, those who are disenfranchised from school and refuse to attend, and those with severe emotional, behavioral, or mental health issues are not being serviced by the existing dual system. For these students neither existing special schools that cater to students with disabilities nor regular inclusive schools provide an appropriate education. The provision of a complementary and alternatively focused education to cater to the specific needs of these marginalized students seems to be developing to ensure sustainability of education and to prepare these new groups of students for inclusion into society upon leaving school. This tripartite approach highlights a new era in the movement toward a sustainable, inclusive education system that caters to the needs of all students and specifically those with the most challenging and diverse requirements.

scholarly journals Increasing Inclusive Education Through a Learning Center Model: A California Approach

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 43
Author(s):  
Aja McKee ◽  
Audri Sandoval Gomez
Keyword(s):  
Special Education ◽  
General Education ◽  
Students With Disabilities ◽  
Inclusive Education ◽  
Deep Structure ◽  
Least Restrictive Environment ◽  
Learning Center ◽  
Educational Programming ◽  
Federal Mandate ◽  
Restrictive Environment

Learning center models offer students with disabilities learning experiences in general education classrooms, while retaining support and services from special education personnel. The learning center approach examines existing educational perspectives, practices and structures, surrounding access to general education for students with disabilities. This study used a document analysis, a qualitative data method, to examine how two California school districts developed a learning center model to transform special education programming from segregated special education classrooms and practices to placement and access to general education. The findings inform educational programming for students with disabilities in the least restrictive environment, to comply with the American federal mandate. Findings suggest that the deep structure of educational practices complicated the ease of a change in practices for both general and special educators. However, the community approach of the learning center model, where all teachers assume the educational responsibilities for all students, forced these educators to be flexible, reexamine structures and practices, and challenge the ethos of traditional schooling. 

Pedagogical Practices in Teaching Students With Disabilities in Inclusive Education

2021 ◽  
pp. 66-86
Author(s):  
Pankaj Khazanchi ◽  
Rashmi Khazanchi
Keyword(s):  
Special Education ◽  
General Education ◽  
Students With Disabilities ◽  
Inclusive Education ◽  
Special Education Teachers ◽  
Service Providers ◽  
Pedagogical Practices ◽  
Rehabilitation Professionals ◽  
Related Service ◽  
Diverse Student Population

Today's inclusive education settings consist of a diverse student population that needs a different pedagogical approach. Both general education and special education teachers may face difficulties to engage students in meaningful tasks and to promote learning. Teachers may struggle to effectively reach all students with different abilities in an inclusive education setting. Teachers implement several strategies to keep students engage in inclusive education settings. Teachers do multiple tasks, such as teaching students, developing engaging lessons, assessing and tracking students' learning, collaborating with teachers and rehabilitation professionals, implementing evidence-based strategies, and delivering instructions in various formats. Inclusive education needs administrators, related service providers, general education teachers, and special education teachers to optimize students' learning. This chapter aims to highlight pedagogical practices in teaching students with disabilities in inclusive education settings.

Exploring the Relationship Between School Transformation and Inclusion: A Bayesian Multilevel Longitudinal Analysis

Inclusion ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 19-32 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jennifer A. Kurth ◽  
Mary E. Morningstar ◽  
Tyler A. Hicks ◽  
Jonathan Templin
Keyword(s):  
Special Education ◽  
General Education ◽  
Students With Disabilities ◽  
Inclusive Education ◽  
Technical Assistance ◽  
Special Education Services ◽  
Federal Law ◽  
Education Services ◽  
Multinomial Modeling ◽  
The Relationship

AbstractGrounded in research and federal law, inclusive education is a right and preferred placement for all learners with disabilities receiving special education services. However, most students in the U.S. education system do not have access to inclusive education and few models are available to demonstrate how schools can develop and implement inclusive services. The purpose of this study was to describe the outcomes of one such endeavor, the SWIFT technical assistance model, aimed at transforming schools to develop inclusive, effective instruction for all students. Multilevel multinomial modeling was used to predict rates of inclusion over time for a subset of students with disabilities in schools participating in SWIFT technical assistance. The findings suggest schools did become more inclusive in their services, with many students predicted to be served in less restrictive general education placements and others no longer requiring special education services. Implications for inclusive education are provided.

scholarly journals The Inclusive Education: Policy Issues and Challenges. The Rights in the Amended Special Edu- cation Law in Israel (1988)

2020 ◽  
Vol 18 (1) ◽  
pp. 14-23
Author(s):  
L. Shaked
Keyword(s):  
Special Education ◽  
Teacher Preparation ◽  
General Education ◽  
Students With Disabilities ◽  
Inclusive Education ◽  
Special Education Law ◽  
Education Law ◽  
Teacher Preparation Programs ◽  
Preparation Programs ◽  
Restrictive Environment

This paper discusses the effects of Special Education law (1918) in Israel and amendments followed in 2002; 2018 on school placement policy and attitudes toward inclusion. The critics on differential budget to different setting that the budget doesn’t support the least restrictive environment concept and inequality in the allocation of resources among students in special education and students integrated in the regular education lead to the amendment nr.11 of Special Education law. Present paper argues that while state policy makes an ongoing effort to increase access to general edu- cation by innovative legislation, increasing the state funding in order to accommodate and meet the needs of students with disabilities in inclusive education the practices of educational institutions perpetuated exclusion from general education. For regular teachers to feel confident in their ability to teach all students, a change in teacher preparation programs should be implemented. A change in teacher preparation programs still needs a profound reform.

scholarly journals Inclusive Vision Versus Special Education Reality

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (9) ◽  
pp. 258
Author(s):  
James M. Kauffman ◽  
Garry Hornby
Keyword(s):  
Special Education ◽  
General Education ◽  
Students With Disabilities ◽  
Inclusive Education ◽  
Educational Needs ◽  
Special Educational Needs ◽  
Persons With Disabilities ◽  
Full Inclusion ◽  
Practical Reality ◽  
General Education Classrooms

The reasons are examined for the disparity between the inclusive vision espoused by Article 24 of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and the reality of the limited extent of inclusion in education systems worldwide. First, the leadership of key senior academics in the field of special education is considered to have been misguided in promoting a vision of full inclusion despite the lack of research evidence for the benefits of inclusive education over traditional special education provision. Second, attitudes toward and the treatment of people with disabilities have a long and complex history, and in this, many proponents of inclusion have been critical of 20th century special education. In particular, they claim that the sorting, labelling and categorizing required by special education have negative implications. Third, educators have been encouraged to imagine a system of education that is limitless, in the sense that all children with disabilities can be included in general education. This is because it is envisaged that general education classrooms will become so flexible that there will be no limits to the accommodation of students with disabilities, regardless of the nature or severity of their special educational needs. Fourth is the issue that deciding a student’s placement for education requires a judgment call and that, since human judgment is fallible, errors of judgment will always be made. Fifth, commitments to inclusion require that educators consider the practical, reality-based implications, whereas this has not been the case for many supporters of full inclusion. In conclusion, inclusion in the sense of students being physically present in general education classrooms is not considered as important as inclusion in the reality of being engaged in a program of instruction that is meaningful and challenging. Therefore, we consider that, rather than becoming extinct, special education needs to continue to be developed, disseminated and rigorously implemented in schools. Key special education strategies and approaches must co-exist with those from inclusive education, in order to provide effective education for all young people with special educational needs and disabilities.

scholarly journals The Promises and Limitations of Educational Tiers for Special and Inclusive Education

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (7) ◽  
pp. 323
Author(s):  
James M. Kauffman
Keyword(s):  
Special Education ◽  
Public School ◽  
Public Education ◽  
General Education ◽  
Students With Disabilities ◽  
Inclusive Education ◽  
General Public ◽  
The Core ◽  
Education Of Students

Making public school accommodating of all learners such that the need for special education is obviated, or at least reduced, has long been a desideratum of educators. Various strategies for making general public education more accommodating of students with disabilities have been tried. The most recent efforts to improve the general education of students with disabilities involve various models of tiered education. Educational tiers can be logical and advantageous in some ways, holding promise for improving general education, but they do not address the core problems of special education. Special education is still needed as part of inclusive education.

Issues Raised in the Name of Inclusion: Perspectives of Educators, Parents, and Students

1995 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
pp. 31-44 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jennifer York ◽  
Madelin Tundidor
Keyword(s):  
Special Education ◽  
General Education ◽  
Students With Disabilities ◽  
Inclusive Education ◽  
Special Educators ◽  
Service Providers ◽  
Severe Disabilities ◽  
Negative Attitudes ◽  
Student Groups ◽  
Medical Needs

Forty-five focus group discussions involving 335 general and special educators, administrators, support staff, parents, and students from a midwestern urban community were held to discuss the education initiative referred to as inclusive education. This study was conducted to develop a district-wide profile of the issues raised when considering systems change to more inclusive educational practices for students with special education labels. Specifically, information was sought about the preliminary issues and concerns that might need to be addressed in future inclusion efforts. Participants represented a diverse array of constituents and individuals with the vast majority having little to no knowledge of or experience with including special education students in general education. Findings, therefore, largely represent opinions about inclusion given little knowledge or experience. Results indicated that for the past decade, there has been an increase in the percentage of students with disabilities who attend regular schools, but that special education services remain largely separate from general education within those schools. Perceived facilitators of inclusion centered around the attitudes and skills of service providers in schools and the allocation of collaboration time for general and special educators. Perceived barriers included rigid general education curricular expectations, insufficient resources for staffing and materials, lack of collaboration time, and negative attitudes with particular concern that “regular” students would lose out. The appropriateness of inclusion was questioned for students with the most severe disabilities (e.g., severe behavior challenges, health and medical needs). Although much of the information obtained was similar across constituencies, there were a number of differences—especially between the adult groups and the student groups.

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