Search

Inclusive education initiatives have been endorsed globally, especially by international development agencies. This study sought to get the views and experience of both in-service and trainee teachers about inclusive education and teacher training in the aftermath of the implementation of the 'new' Curriculum Framework for Primary and Secondary Education 2015–2022 in Zimbabwe. This new curriculum is said to be grounded in Unhu/Ubuntu philosophy. I use Unhu/Ubuntu philosophy as an evaluative and conceptual framework to examine inclusivity issues within the new curriculum. Drawing on a qualitative study involving content analysis, two key informant interviews and four focus group discussions on teacher education and inclusive education conducted in Manicaland province in the eastern part of Zimbabwe, findings highlight challenges faced in realising the Unhu/Ubuntu philosophical value of inclusivity in education. These impediments are unsurprisingly similar to those reported in other studies, both in Zimbabwe and in other countries. The paper identifies and highlights some of the reasons why inclusive education has remained elusive and makes some recommendations. It calls for teacher education premised on the indigenous Unhu/ Ubuntu philosophy. In doing this, the paper contributes to debates on inclusive education and discussions on decoloniality of education in postcolonial states. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper identifies an emerging commonality between the professional spheres of planning, education and social or community work constellating around the concept of sustainable development (SD). It explores the contested nature of the concept of SD giving rise to a wide variety of sometimes conflicting "readings". It then goes on to advocate a "strong" reading of SD, namely "Just Sustainability", which lays particular stress on "social justice", "environmental justice" and inclusion. This, in turn, is understood to require a form of education which is empowering and is referred to as "Education for Just Sustainability" (EJS). A particular focus of such work is the empowerment of local communities to understand and take action in their home localities. Therefore, place-based education is presented as an orientation suited to progressing EJS. A number of illustrative examples are presented to demonstrate the potential for such an educational approach. Finally, some concluding observations are made as to the potential and requirements for place-based EJS in the UK and other contexts. (Contains 7 notes.)

Six generations ago, my Celtic forebears came to Australia as convicts and invaders displacing Indigenous peoples. As a scholar today, I am interested in how Indigenous knowledge remains a challenge in Australian Universities even in this postmodern and postcolonial moment. This paper recognises the need to extend discussion about how Indigenous people might be facilitated within the academy to bring their knowledge models into the university and its traditional dominant knowledge systems. This paper looks at Practice-Led Research (PLR) as a way of supporting the transition of Indigenous community scholars into university postgraduate courses. It explores how PLR may contribute to an appropriate entry point into postgraduate studies for some Indigenous practitioner-candidates who have significant life experiences and narratives and/or productions of artefacts that act to replace the breadth of undergraduate credentials. Indigenous people are facilitated in bringing their knowledge models into the university and the academy when we act upon being inclusive rather than exclusive regarding the explication and definition of knowledge within the academy. In accepting and acting upon the concept that traditional forms of knowledge are extended by non-traditional Indigenous forms of knowledge, we also enrich the scholarly conversation about how alternative forms of knowledge can add dynamism to the academy. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

To increase the prosperity of nation states and the availability of skilled labour for the global economy, many countries have encouraged students with low socio-economic status (SES) and minorities to enrol in colleges and universities. In Israel, a significant effort was made starting in 1995 to create more colleges and to provide more access to higher education for students within the mentioned groups. Yet the question arises concerning what was achieved by this effort. This paper analyses the relationship between (i) wealth and higher education in population clusters, (ii) higher education and geographical areas, and (iii) higher education and ethnic subsets in Israel. The evidence indicates a strong correlation between the SES of a locality and the number of students per residents in that locality. This correlation, however, is affected by the existence of an affordable local college. After the correlations are presented and explained, recommendations for enabling low-SES students to be successful in higher education are explored, including developing a new curriculum for middle and secondary students, creating transitional 'discourse communities' for first-year college students from low-SES, and investing in local colleges in Israel. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper is based on a qualitative research study conducted across urban and regional Australian universities. The aim of the project was to investigate the enablers and constraints faced by refugee background students transitioning from high school to university. A refugee is defined as a person who has been forced to flee his or her country because of persecution, war, or violence [UNHCR(2016). "Global Trends: Forced Displacement in 2016." Accessed January 2019. ]. Studies on refugee background students in school contexts have been prolific but research of this population in higher education is still embryonic. This can be attributed to the fact that many refugee background students do not attain the necessary skills required for access to, and participation in, tertiary education in spite of their high aspirations for a university qualification. The paper will show, through the narratives of four refugee background university students that transition at university needs to be reconceptualised as holistic, extending beyond classroom walls and building on the resilience and assets they bring to learning. This is significant because it draws attention to the paradoxical relationship between the rights-based vision that many universities purport to have for their diverse student cohorts and the realities that refugee youth face at university on a daily basis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we weave in and out of theory and narrative in order to consider the potential of disability and its relationship to knowledge construction. We consider theories to be stories that one can tell about the world. And these theories are enlivened by other stories that we tell about ourselves and the world around us. As disability researchers, we explore the ways in which disability becomes known in the world and we do so through our own tales and theoretical narratives of knowing disability. In telling stories, then, we break down artificial boundaries between theory and narrative. And in theorising our stories – and storying our theories – we seek to explore the potential of disability to unsettle and challenge exclusionary curriculum. This textual assemblage traverses diverse themes including diagnosis, school programming, welfare, transportation, social interaction and access. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The idea of educational inclusion has become a prevalent approach in school organisation and practice in many international contexts. However, theoretical challenges concerning definitional boundaries of inclusion are frequently noted in contemporary literature. Belonging is one of the concepts that is regularly used virtually interchangeably with inclusion. It is argued in the present paper that the indiscriminate pairing of inclusion and belonging represents a conceptual imprecision, consequently resulting in difficulties when trying to successfully and adequately implement inclusion in practice. The main aims of the present paper are to (1) provide a conceptual analysis of belongingness, (2) identify specific processes that show why pairing of belonging and inclusion might be misleading and (3) outline a framework that might be useful to educational practitioners in dealing with inclusion in concrete situations. The analysis identifies three main processes that obstruct inclusion and should always be considered in practice: (1) diversity, (2) evaluative social categorisation and (3) regulation of closeness and distance. We conclude that awareness about these conceptual nuances is useful for educators in dealing with the challenges of practising inclusive measures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Issues concerning interprofessional collaboration (IPC) for children at risk have become a priority globally as well as in Norway. By international standards, the Norwegian educational system is regarded as inclusive and collaborative in terms of the external services that support schools and pupils. However, a debate continues on how to best collaborate to meet the needs of pupils with complex problems. Thus, the aim of this paper is to analyse how the relationship between IPC and inclusive education is reflected in important Norwegian educational policy documents. A problem-driven content analysis revealed three categories: (1) inclusion as an impetus for IPC, (2) IPC as a strategy for inclusion, and (3) commitment to IPC when necessary.Major findings included: (1) IPC in national educational documents should be described more clearly to promote inclusive education; (2) IPC connected to other support mechanisms, such as multidisciplinary teams and individual plans; and (3) schools can commit IPC when necessary. The results in this study show that when green papers, white papers, and legislation fail to offer clear recommendations, schools and teachers may not prioritise IPC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper provides an introduction and framing for this special issue of International Journal of Inclusive Education on pedagogies as an issue of social justice and inclusion. The paper works in the interstices between a sociologically sophisticated reproduction theory and a sociologically naïve school effectiveness framework in suggesting pedagogies can make a difference in terms of schooling as a good in and of itself and as a positional good. It rejects the pessimism of the former and the optimism of the latter and accepts the stance of the US school reform literature that teacher classroom practices have the greatest impact of all school-based factors. However, pedagogies alone cannot make all of the difference, particularly given the vast inequalities which surround schooling and what Ladson-Billings (2006) calls the 'educational debt'. Further, it is argued that considerations of socially just pedagogies also must of necessity involve considerations of curriculum, the purposes of schooling and assessment. The paper then summarizes the ways in which the essays included here provide a scaffold for what socially just pedagogies might look like today, stretching from the public pedagogies of politics to school-based pedagogies in the 'totally pedagogised society' (Bernstein, 2001b). Asking about socially just educational practices requires policy sociology to combine action-oriented and critical perspectives. It demands a respect for practice and a willingness to see educational practices as sites of justice, not merely sites of injustice (Cribb & Gewirtz, 2003, p. 28). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Amidst major new initiatives in research that are beginning to address the pedagogic dimension of building capacity in social science research methods, this paper makes the first move to apply the lens of inclusive pedagogy to research methods pedagogy. The paper explores the ways in which learning social science research methods is hard and may be anxiety-provoking, which has sometimes led to a deficit discourse in which learners are positioned as ill-prepared and fearful. Learners can then be blamed for being hard to teach when an inclusive pedagogical lens would support a more asset-based discourse. Nonetheless, the authors argue that without traditional deficit-based solutions of the remedial class, special needs label or special teacher within the methods learning environment, methods teachers have developed their own responses. These pedagogic responses, elicited from the authors’ research using methods of expert interviews, focus groups and video-stimulated dialogue, address challenges associated with the learner, the learning material and the teacher’s context. The paper differentiates between practical solution-focused strategies and more holistic approaches. The authors illustrate how methods teachers reach out to diverse learners and they conclude that data and standpoints are used in inclusive teaching to make connections and to support learning. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

In the last two decades there has been a rapid increase in the number of students with autism who are enrolled in mainstream schools. Since the publication of the Salamanca Statement in 1994, the right to inclusive education for all children, including those with disabilities, has been increasingly recognised. This has created tensions and challenges in schools as staff struggle to meet the unique needs of these students and their families. Previous research has found that school staff often lack knowledge about the specific characteristics and needs of students with autism and the practices that effectively support these students in inclusive education settings. A comprehensive approach is needed to build capacity of school leaders and staff to create autism-friendly cultures, implement evidence-based strategies, and improve outcomes for students with autism. This paper describes the development and theoretical foundation of the School-wide Autism Competency approach, which provides schools with a whole-of-school approach to supporting students with autism. The approach brings together research on effective practices of school leaders and evidence-based practices for students with autism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores the process of policy formulation and implementation in relation to children commonly described as having ‘special educational needs’ and disability (SEND), in Cyprus and in England. Drawing on qualitative research evidence from key primary documentary sources including legislation, statutory and non-statutory guidance and reports, it provides a comparative analysis of the content and the spirit of policy in both countries over the cycle of a century. The findings indicate that Cypriot policymakers have engaged in a process of ‘policy snatching’ from England, following four phases: charitable segregation and categorisation; enlightened legitimisation and categorisation; integration, ‘special educational needs’ and categorisation; inclusion, SEND and categorisation. Using the analogy of Aesop’s well-known fable ‘The Hare and the Tortoise’, the paper concludes that England, symbolically characterised as the hare, appears, overtly at least, to have moved ahead; while Cyprus, characterised as the tortoise, has been following slowly behind. However, progress has been slow in both countries, and the hare may well have fallen asleep. It is argued that whilst some common ground exists between the two countries, there is an inherent danger in transplanting selected elements of policy texts from one socio-cultural historical context to another. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this paper is to consider whether Hannah Arendt’s (1996) [Arendt, H. (1958/1998).Vita Activa. The Human Condition. Chicago: University of Chicago] concept of ‘public space’ is a potentially useful and creative way of thinking about aspects of Muslim children’s experiences within the context of education. Following a terror attack in 2011, when 77 people were killed, the then Norwegian prime minister stated that ‘our answer to this violence is more openness and more democracy but not naivety’. Accordingly, this paper draws on data so as to put concepts drawn from Arendt to work. In so doing, we indicate possibilities for ‘more openness and more democracy’ where Norwegian children can have Islam as an important element within their lives in ways that avoid the charge of naivety. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

While there is a body of research concerning the education of students with migrant or refugee backgrounds, little of this research focuses on primary school-aged children. In order to address this gap, the current paper utilises data gained from an ethnographic study to consider the challenges and opportunities associated with diverse classrooms designed for students learning English, in which students come from a complex range of backgrounds and may have experienced trauma. The paper provides support for sociocultural learning approaches, whereby students’ own cultural and linguistic background are treated as beneficial to education rather than as obstacles to be overcome. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

In September 2012, the process changed in England for how parents (and carers) can appeal against their child’s exclusion from school. This paper is one of the first accounts of how parents experience the new system. Using data from a research study with a range of stakeholders in the appeals process, this paper focuses on the accounts of the 21 parents interviewed. Thematic analysis was utilised to identify the factors that motivate parents to make an appeal, the barriers and enablers to doing so, and the physical, emotional, and financial costs that result from engagement with the process. The findings reveal that the costs are extremely heavy for parents with very limited rewards. The process is experienced as inequitable with a bias towards schools and many of these parents call for the provision of experienced legal support to make it a more balanced system. In spite of the challenges involved the need to call schools to account remains a strong motivation to appeal but this was not the preferred option for parents. Instead they call for schools to develop more inclusive and enabling environments that rely more on understanding the needs of pupils and their families than on exclusion from school. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Wales was the first UK country to incorporate the UNCRC into domestic law and the first to appoint a children's commissioner. Wales is distinctive in the strong links between education and the promotion of the Welsh language as evidenced in successive Welsh language strategies. With regard to children with special educational needs, the 2018 Additional Learning Needs and Educational Tribunal Act makes provision for children's voices to be heard in their own right. This paper examines the complexities in hearing the voices of children with severe and profound learning difficulties (SPMLD), and how these can be addressed in the language context of Wales. It concludes that there are cautious grounds for optimism about our ability to hear the views of children with SPMLD, as long as we are prepared to acknowledge the resource implications. However, there is a need for more debate about the potential tensions between the Welsh language strategy and making provision for children with special educational needs in their preferred language. This debate needs to be informed by research on the impact of immersion education on progress, access to the curriculum and inclusion for children with SPMLD, and on their views about all aspects of their provision. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Identity construction for individuals with dyslexia is significantly moulded by their transition to and experiences within secondary education. This is an interview-based study with 20 participants living in England. Support-related school experiences, relationships with teachers, societal perceptions about the importance of literacy and academic achievement and the reactions of others around them are the core focus. The findings are theorised using symbolic interactionism, and this paper aims to extend Goffman's notion of 'spoiled identity' into a more specialised term for children with Special Educational Needs, resulting in the alternative term 'fractured academic identity', the elements of which are developed throughout this paper from the experiences of learners with dyslexia. The findings revolve around identity development as result of academic experiences, and are mainly aimed at teachers, to inform their knowledge around identity issues and to also inform their practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper serves as a broad introduction to Disabilities Studies in Education (DSE). The emergence of DSE over the last decade has resulted in a vibrant area of academic scholarship as well as a critical forum for social/educational advocacy and activism. First, the authors trace the roots of DSE in the growth of disability studies (DS) within the UK and the USA. Second, they describe the formation of international networks dedicated to DSE. Third, they chart the evolution of DSE's conceptual framework, complete with tenets and examples, carefully crafted over time by a community of scholars. Fourth, they comment upon twelve papers selected for this special double issue of the International Journal of Inclusive Education, highlighting the contribution of each toward both advancing and elucidating the tenets within the conceptual framework of DSE. Finally, the authors close with reflections on the significance of DSE, contemplating what it offers theorists, researchers, and practitioners, as well as highlighting future possibilities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Inclusive education over the last decade has become a frequently used concept in the international literature and has been accorded legitimacy through various international declarations. In India, it has gained currency with its usage in government documents, in schools and in the popular media. This paper reviews the literature in the field of inclusive education in the Indian context with an aim to elucidate the different perspectives in its understandings and various conflicts in its conceptualization, while identifying significant gaps. The paper begins by adopting a chronological approach, tracing the development of this concept. Further engagement with the literature attempts to seek answers to questions such as who is included, into what they are included and why they are included. Based on reflections gathered from the literature, it is noted that the field of inclusive education is driven by a rather narrow and limiting perspective. It is therefore argued that inclusive education must be regarded as an approach encompassing the broader education system. Only when understood as such, can we fulfil our goal of education for all. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper is a conversation about growing an inclusive field of disability studies. The paper draws on data collected through an analysis of existing disability studies programmes in selected Canadian universities. The paper makes a case for including diverse perspectives, experiences, viewpoints, and voices in these programmes. In this work, I call for an interrogation of the normativity in the field of disability studies and for critical reflections and discussions about growing a diverse and inclusive field that pays attention to marginalised populations. There is a need to rethink the exclusionary nature of knowledge, space, bodies, and pedagogy in the field, which perpetuates Eurocentric culture, thoughts, and practices. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

In this appreciative discussion paper I provide an overview of the reforms made to education in England, and engage with the politics of education through examining the simultaneous and inter-related processes of politicisation, depoliticisation and repoliticisation of educational matters. I engage in a discussion of the papers in this special issue through this framework. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This paper draws on interview data gathered as part of a broader study around issues of equity and schooling. It features the voices of the Executive Director and four Head Teachers from one of England's top performing academy chains, ‘CONNECT’. The notion of neoliberal responsibilisation is drawn on to examine, first, the ways in which Head Teachers describe their work and, second, the chain's expectations of them as CONNECT leaders. Responsibilisation of the self was apparent in Head Teachers' construction of themselves as ideal neoliberal workers – performing and enterprising subjects who readily accept the business principles and results-orientation of their ‘data-driven’ environment. Responsibilising of Head Teachers by the organisation was evident in the rigorous ‘non-negotiable’ standards and accountabilities at CONNECT that they were expected to comply with. These non-negotiables cultivated and rewarded Head Teachers’ entrepreneurial identity of achievement motivation. The paper illustrates how such neoliberal responsibilisation is both a crucial and highly troubling element in the work of academy chains as new modalities of state power. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This paper explores the decisions made by one secondary school in a major English city to become a co-operative academy. This school is located in an area affected by economic hardship and social and cultural tensions. The school, prior to its conversion to an academy, was well known in the local area for its commitment to social justice principles. Drawing on interview data collected from senior administrators, teachers, governors and students in the school, this paper seeks to understand why a school with a commitment to social justice would go down the academy route given the social justice concerns raised by such a move. This paper also considers if becoming aco-operativeacademy presents an ironic opportunity to resist many of the current regressive educational trends epitomised by academisation. This paper suggests that within the current English context, as in many other locations, a socially just approach to schooling requires alternatives to be explored and that the case study school's engagement with the Co-operative Society might present one such exploration. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This paper explores the relationship between education, social exclusion and globalization, especially as it is found in the policies of the emergent supranational 'state' or sub-global bloc. The paper leads to an analysis of the discourse of social exclusion, and focuses on the part that education and training (ET) policies play in the individualization, pathologization and criminalization of socially excluded people. Following an initial sketch of the concept of globalization, the paper considers the development of supranational and nation state ET policy. The next section provides a brief sketch of the historic development of supranational ET policy. The final section returns to the main theme of the paper, namely education and the discourse of social exclusion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In line with the increasing policy emphasis on inclusive education, there is now a greater focus on how best to provide for students special educational needs (SEN) in mainstream schools. However, there is little consensus internationally as to the most equitable way in which to support these students. Despite ongoing evaluations of the existing funding structures, there has been little discussion to inform future changes and ensure an equitable distribution of resources. This paper examines the system of SEN funding in Ireland during a period of policy change. Using data from a National Survey of Schools, we examine the profile and distribution of students across different school contexts to assess the extent to which the existing funding model targets those most in need. Findings show that the current through-put funding system broadly targets students with SEN but in any new model, there is room for greater differentiation in the allocation of funding, particularly within disadvantaged school contexts. The paper highlights the need for further discussion around how we conceptualise special education in mainstream education. We argue for greater emphasis on student outcomes and school accountability where SEN funding is received to support students. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

There is increasing recognition of the importance of focusing on people with disabilities (PWDs) in international efforts aimed at poverty alleviation. While universal education has been central to these efforts, the specific and additional needs of children with disabilities are often overlooked in policies and programmes. In order to gain a nuanced appreciation of the lives of young PWDs in a Ghanaian context, this paper draws on research conducted with young PWDs and their significant others in order to understand their educational journeys, employment prospects and perceptions towards disability of those around them. In addition to collecting primary data, the latest policy documents related to disability, education and employment are reviewed and statistical analysis is undertaken based on the Housing and Population Census 2010. Our research highlights the barriers facing those with disability in accessing quality education. While education was recognised as paramount to leading a better life and participants noted benefits beyond employment such as gaining self-sufficiency and social benefits, unequal educational opportunities underpin some of the reasons for the widening of gaps between those with disabilities and their non-disabled counterparts. Furthermore, while education was perceived as important for gaining employment, this was not the case in reality, as young people faced difficulties due to both physical and attitudinal barriers limiting their opportunities for economic and social participation. The paper concludes by noting that systematic changes in the policy arena are needed to enable youth with disabilities to take their rightful place in mainstream society. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

In Australia, recent policies for educational development have emphasised the importance of stakeholder involvement and advocacy in the promotion of student outcomes. There is robust support for the promotion and development of inclusive educational communities able to respond to the various educational needs of students, communities and staff. This paper advocates a practice perspective and establishes a direct correlation between leading practices and the formation of more inclusive school communities. It provides a consideration of the practice architectures which co-construct the ways in which six educational leaders draw on the potential ofteacher talkas a vehicle for practice modification. Teacher talk, as a characteristic of leading practice, responds to the increasing dynamism in the profile of schools, students and teachers in rural New South Wales (NSW), socially, cognitively, economically, linguistically and culturally. This paper uses the medium of teacher talk to: explore the relationship between leading and inclusion –leading-for-inclusion– and interrogate socially just (inclusive) practices in the domain of the professional advocacy of the community. The paper reflects upon the practices of leading-for-inclusion (in the context of change management) and the development of more inclusive school cultures. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

In this paper, recent research into the global movement of teachers [C. Reid, J. Collins, and M. Singh. 2014.Global Teachers, Australian Perspectives: Goodbye Mr Chips, Hello Ms Banerjee. Singapore: Springer] and their experiences in rural areas of Australia are discussed in order to make the case for a cosmopolitan education theory and practice. The paper is divided into four sections. First, is an overview of cosmopolitanism and the rural drawing on Appadurai's [1996.Modernity At Large: Cultural Dimensions of Globalization. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press.] conceptualisation of scapes (1996) and Vertovec's [2007. “Super-Diversity and its Implications.”Ethnic and Racial Studies30 (6): 1024–1054] notion of super-diversity. Second, a brief comparison of the key elements of multiculturalism and cosmopolitanism are outlined in order to reveal the ways in which they differ, and why cosmopolitanism might be useful in understanding rural education. Third, a slice of data from the study of the global movement of teachers is examined to mount the argument that there is a need to consider cosmopolitan social and education theory to respond to new conditions. In doing so, rural spaces are opened up as transformative and transformed, rather than ‘Other’ to the metropolis. The paper concludes with key points regarding the usefulness of cosmopolitanism for understanding education in rural areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper draws on a case study of a small alternative Indigenous school in Queensland, Australia. From the perspective of several of the school's Indigenous Elders, the paper foregrounds the significance of group differentiation at the school on the basis of Indigenous representation. However, it also considers how such differentiation/representation can be problematic in perpetuating cultural reductionism. Beyond such reductionism, the paper examines the possibilities of the Indigenous epistemology of relationality. The school's vision and governance around this epistemology – where community, kinship and family networks are at the centre of all relations – enabled both the articulation of a stable identity but also recognition of the complexity and diversity of Indigenous disadvantage. This paper argues that a prioritising of relationality within alternative Indigenous-led schooling contexts offers significant potential for addressing the complex educational needs of Indigenous students. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents findings from a qualitative study of Irish Traveller parents' experiences of their own schooling, and their views on education. An indigenous minority ethnic group, Irish Travellers, historically and contemporaneously, have experienced disadvantage and exclusion in many domains, including education, health, housing, and employment. Traveller parents' own educational experiences may affect their expectations for their children's education. Drawing on interpretivism and critical theory, we sought in this study, the only major study undertaken about Traveller preschools in Ireland, to give voice to Irish Travellers, whose views on education are rarely heard. Focus group (n = 6) and individual (n = 6) interviews were held with 36 Traveller women and men. Three main themes emerged: the importance of Traveller identity and culture, Travellers' pride therein, and their awareness of others' low valuation of it; the hurt and disappointment Travellers feel when they recall the negativity of their own schooling experiences of unchallenging pedagogy, curricular alienation, racist name-calling, and cultural misrecognition; and the positive value that they place on education for their children. Despite being deeply disappointed by their own negative schooling experiences, and by aspects of their children's schooling, they reported considerable optimism regarding the possibilities offered by education for their own children. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Absences, in terms of lacks, are identified by researchers as explaining factors of failure in inclusive education, for example, the absence of minority ethnic students’ native language from instruction. However, there is a lack of a clear framework against which to discuss issues of absence in the education of poor minority ethnic students. In this paper, I draw on the notion oflaminated systemsfrom Roy Bhaskar’s critical realism philosophy, in order to provide a conceptual theoretical tool for identifying and addressing absences in the education of poor minority ethnic students in a more structured and conscious way. This is done by drawing on qualitative empirical data, collected from a school with a high concentration of poor minority ethnic students in Cyprus, as part of a PhD thesis. Findings illustrate thatabsence(s) are interrelated and emergent features which occur indifferent levels of reality. Absences need to be identified and decided a posteriori for each case, whereas mono-dimensional, non-specific or ‘one-size-fits-it-all’ strategic actions should be avoided. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This paper uses Ireland - one of Europe's most rapidly changing societies - as a case study and examines progress towards an inclusive education system. It explores policy and progress on developing an inclusive system under a number of key headings: social class, ethnicity, gender and disability. On the basis of analysis of official statistics and of research evidence from a study of the inclusion of children with disabilities and special educational needs, this paper assesses whether the impact of recent state policy and legislative change has significantly increased the degree of inclusion in the education system under the four headings. There is a particular focus on the area of disability. The particular questions explored in this paper are whether the unprecedented changes which have taken place in Ireland since the mid-1990s have resulted in a more inclusive system, an increase in equality, and an increase in inclusive practices in schools. On the basis of the available evidence, the results appear to be mixed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper is an analysis of the work of three principals in an impoverished black township in post-apartheid South Africa. Based on qualitative approaches, it discusses the principals' entry into the township, and their navigation of their schools' surrounding social dynamics. It combines the lenses of 'space' and 'performance' to analyse the reflexive basis on which they establish their principal roles. The paper suggests that their identities as principals were established in light of a range of engaged pedagogical performances. It is argued that these were enacted based on nuanced readings of their discursive environment and the enactment of strategic practices that provided them an authoritative platform for their principal roles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper emerges from an ongoing study which involved, firstly, key informant interviews with strategic personnel within the Irish education system, such personnel representing both service providers and service users. The first part of this paper provides a brief summary of the findings of that aspect of the study in relation to the key characteristics of an inclusive school. A conceptual model of inclusion is proposed, outlining three interrelated core constructs of inclusion, namely Expertise, Structures and Processes. A second empirical aspect of the study involves working intensely with a small number of mainstream schools with a view to exploring, in conjunction with school personnel, the challenges of, and the opportunities for, developing and evaluating more inclusive practices in these schools. The methodology for this phase of the study is theoretically placed within the organizational psychology paradigm, adapting a systemic approach to school development and incorporating the concept of schools as learning organizations. The application of the organizational psychology to schools and the notion of schools as learning organizations are explored in the second part of this paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper is written by democratic educators who stand for the idea that is it worth developing, through classrooms and schools, a socially just (egalitarian), anti-discriminatory society where interdependent relationships are valued. This paper significantly develops some of the ideas explored in the authors' earlier contribution concerned with progress in Northern Ireland towards educational inclusion, and how this might more effectively advance in a post-conflict transforming society. In particular, the paper poses the 'so what' question, and it responds by exploring the practical implications of six key ideas thought essential for transforming learning environments supportive of cultural diversity, equity and excellence for all. In addition, it includes examples of how school staff, along with collaborating partners, might utilize these key principles in order to facilitate school improvement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper focuses specifically on the needs and concerns of 'very young adolescents' who as defined by the Population Council are young people aged between 10 and 14 years. The title of this paper, 'Where Do We Start?', acknowledges that attitudes towards and knowledge of HIV and AIDS are best looked at in a situated way. We look at classes of sixth-grade students from four quite different cultural contexts within the province of KwaZulu-Natal: a deeply rural school made up of black students; a township school again made up exclusively of black students; and two more urban and affluent schools, one a public school made up primarily of white and Indian students, and one faith-based school which, while made up of various racial and ethnic groups, is predominantly white. The paper maps out ways of using arts-based approaches with young people so that they are positioned in engaging and participatory ways. It is argued that 'one size does not fit all' when it comes to planning HIV and AIDS interventions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Drawing from data collected during interviews with grade 2 teachers who work in a black working-class township school, this paper explores the meanings that teachers attach to HIV and AIDS education. It is argued that the relationship of many teachers to the subject of HIV and AIDS is inscribed within regulatory forces based on the notion of childhood sexual innocence which uphold and construct a particular version of childhood which is racialized, 'classed' and gendered. Despite the urgency of addressing young children's right to HIV and AIDS education, teaching discourses mobilize a notion of innocence which culminates in fear and anxiety around expressions of sexuality in early childhood. Throughout the paper shows that while teachers' constructions of childhood are formidable, they are not irreversible since teachers point in contradictory ways to young children's sexual agency. The significance of starting early with young children together with the calamitous effects of HIV and AIDS in South Africa indicate that we must begin confronting the HIV and AIDS pandemic and start to develop HIV and AIDS reduction and prevention programmes appropriate to the early years of schooling. The findings reported herein have implications for teachers' work in the development of such programmes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores the ways in which pedagogies for social inclusion can be informed by the context of postcoloniality. Both 'postcolonialism' and 'pedagogy' are treated as contentious and ambiguous constructs, yet their unity is to be found in a critical discussion about knowledge, power, culture and politics. In confronting the ambiguity of postcolonial theories, this paper examines how these theories contribute to challenging contemporary debates that seek to present globalization as a neutral experience. The paper also highlights and interrogates how human capital and human rights approaches to a specific global agenda of Education For All create both opportunities and challenges for developing countries. The case of a Caribbean response is used as an example. Finally, the paper turns its attention to the work of public pedagogues to foreground how dialogic spaces present opportunities for social inclusion through engaged pedagogy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is some ambiguity and contention surrounding the role and potential of education and training measures beyond formal schooling. While labour market integration is generally the assumption underlining such projects and programmes, there is clearly another significant side to those measures that target educationally excluded youth; namely, its broader social inclusion dimension. An important aspect to this dimension is the consideration as to how social inclusion is articulated at a policy intervention level. This paper argues the importance of individual relationships, meaningful interactions and ‘everyday allegiances’ for authentic educational inclusion. Such social practices operate in ways to support the capabilities and personal resources required to compensate for the psychically and biographically damaging effects experienced through the institution of schooling. This paper details the contours of inclusive social practices and relationships surrounding a ‘second chance’ education and training intervention in Ireland known as Youthreach, which, it can be argued, bears some resemblances to what might be categorized as ‘positive welfare’. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Efforts to increase senior secondary retention rates and improve schooling for marginalized students have been influenced by the school effectiveness perspective. This paper outlines several problematic aspects of this perspective and proposes an alternative orientation centred around ‘care’. Drawing on research with students and teachers at two alternative schools, this paper argues that successful teaching and learning in these settings relied on a recognition of teaching as a caring profession and of the emotional dimension of schooling. These findings provide evidence for ‘practice‐with‐hope’, indicating that critique of aspects of school effectiveness research can provide an alternative approach for schools to make a difference. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper focuses on the ways in which many researchers working in the area of gender and mathematics make sense of their data. In particular, it is argued that their use of the oppositional framing, separation versus connection (and others, such as cognition versus affect and objective versus subjective), operates to fix difference, and so to fix gender and mathematics within a structure of binary thinking that ultimately serves to re/produce gender inequalities. The aim is to suggest a more productive approach to understanding the continued gendering of participation in mathematics. This approach is based in deconstructing these oppositional patterns. This theoretical approach is illustrated using readings of interviews with two young mathematics students, Analia and Phil, talking about their relationships with the subject. The paper ends by looking at what this unfixing of difference means for mathematics pedagogy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]