Inclusive Education at the Crossroads: Exploring Effective Special Needs Provision in Global Contexts

Description

Inclusive Education at the Crossroads explores the short and long-term effectiveness of government plans to reform policy for special needs education, confronting difficult questions on policies about inclusion and suggesting alternative ways forward for achieving more effective education of children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). Inclusion has been a central concern for education systems globally for over three decades. However, has preoccupation with inclusion been at the expense of effective education for children with SEND? Where do policies for inclusion lead, and do they amount to the special education reform that is needed? What do the worldwide experiences of inclusion and special education reveal about how to improve the quality of education systems for all children in the future? How effective is the provision for children with SEND today? Through this informative and topical book, Gordon-Gould and Hornby shine an interrogating spotlight on current provision for SEND and ask if current legislation and policy inadvertently reinforce problems; if they cause many children with SEND to fall short of their potential, as well as preventing many schools from improving their levels of overall academic attainment. Inclusive Education at the Crossroads provides theory and research for teachers, school leaders, governors, policy makers, researchers, parents, post graduate students and anyone seeking practical solutions to meeting the needs of pupils with SEND in any global context. It will encourage open debate about the essence of educational inclusion in order to stimulate creative thinking among all stakeholders. Cover Half Title Series Page Title Page Copyright Page Dedication Table of Contents Series editor foreword Foreword Preface Acknowledgements About the authors 1. The progress of inclusion and the elephant in the classroom 2. The Salamanca Statement: Guidance taken to its (il)logical conclusion 3. International views of inclusion: Myths, confusions and the denial of reality 4. Challenges of implementing inclusion worldwide 5. School leadership and management of SEND 6. Perspectives of parents on the inclusion of children with SEND 7. Inclusion of pupils with different types of SEND 8. Government policy and legislation for SEND provision in England 9. Research on effectiveness of inclusive education and special education 10. Equity, excellence and inclusive special education 11. Inclusion and special education or inclusive special education? The way forward Index