Inclusive Education Global Issues And Controversies

This volume brings together some thought provoking discussions on inclusive education within the current education climate. Is inclusive education worth pursuing or is the fervour for its implementation subsiding as the realities of its challenges are understood?

"Inclusive education had its origins in the move of disabled children from segregated special settings to mainstream classrooms, on the premise that every child has the right to access the curriculum and other experiences of publicly funded schools. This book reports on studies by leading researchers in the USA, Britain, Australia, New Zealand, Norway and the Netherlands that set out to examine the meanings of inclusion in their various cultures and school systems. The emphasis in each of the studies is on attending to the voices of those most directly involved - the students, parents and teachers. They tell us about the complexity of the issues in this area, suggesting guidelines for teachers and other professionals working with disabled children."--BOOK JACKET.Title Summary field provided by Blackwell North America, Inc. All Rights Reserved

The way in which special education is conceived varies around the world, and pratice varies accordingly. One of the current debates concerns the concepts of mainstreaming, integration and inclusion - and whether these are in fact different concepts, or simply differnt terminology. This book is based on the assumption that inclusive education is a necessary part of providing high quality education for all. Using international examples, it clarifies the rationale for inclusion and demonstrates how it can be put into practice.

This volume provides overviews and approaches to inclusive education from around the world. It defines the philosophical, political, educational and social implications of "inclusion", and maps out the dilemmas facing its successful implementation.

The aim of this text is to convey the experience of excluded children, their parents, teachers and remaining classmates. Looking at all those involved, the book offers reflections on inclusion and exclusion in the context of schools that do not cater well for diversity. The contributors and issues raised are international, giving the reader everything necessary for considering concepts and practices across countries and cultures, and highlighting ways in which schools might bring down the barriers to participation and learning.

This book addresses issues related to school inclusion from the perspective of systemic inclusion. It focuses on the need to face the challenges of inclusion in education from a broad perspective, including the classroom, the school as an institution, families, and the community. It also pays attention to the full interactions between them. The book demonstrates how inclusion can be carried out in very real, concrete and everyday ways. It also shows how researchers can work hand in hand with the professionals and other stakeholders who are developing their practices day by day. The book draws on a range of research projects of the Spanish and international research groups to provide both rich theoretical frameworks and rigorous research outcomes related to the four dimensions of the systemic inclusion perspective and its necessary networking: classroom, school, families and the community. Most of the chapters take Spain as the case study but, far from being a local book, it uses Spanish analysis to dialogue universally with current main debates and challenges in inclusion, almost 30 years after the Salamanca Statement.

This book explores contemporary perspectives and research on inclusion, providing a platform for discussing inclusion at an international level and its intersections with belonging and equity. How inclusion is defined and applied between schools, districts, and even countries can vary markedly; thus, an international understanding of inclusion is urgently needed. Experts from several countries in different regions present the latest research in the field of inclusion and provide practices and strategies guided by empirical research to address some of these issues. Schools are contextual organisations that represent the broader society, culture, and values in which they reside. Thus, how inclusion is practised at the society level has an implication on schools. The way we think about inclusion has shifted dramatically in the last decade - we now recognise that inclusion represents a broad spectrum of racial, ethnic, cultural, and sexual diversity that is seen in almost all modern schools. This book presents international perspectives and research on inclusion, belonging and equity to work towards a more consistent, collaborative, and global understanding.

Inclusive education is a global movement that affects all countries, and all aspects of life. The most vulnerable in our society are often the ones who are excluded from educational and other opportunities, and their experiences need to be chronicled to bring about change. This book provides a global snapshot of the situation for children and adults with intellectual disabilities, bringing together experiences of inclusion across the lifespan from a variety of cultures and countries.