There is a growing emphasis on meeting the diverse educational needs of all students which has drawn attention towards inclusive education. The number of students with severe disabilities receiving instruction in inclusive education settings has steadily increased over the past decade (U.S. Department of Education, 2004). Limited research has been…

Based on special education teachers' lack of strategic professional development, as well as a lack of collaboration with general education teachers, students with disabilities are not making the expected benchmarks for academic achievement. Knowing there was a need for professional development, the purpose of this action research study using…

This article draws together findings from expert evidence and empirical studies to identify the preconditions for developing inclusive learning environments for young children on the autism spectrum. It concludes that in order to develop "best practice", practitioners need to adapt interventions to the unique needs of the individual child, work in…

This study investigates the effectiveness of a preparatory programme on the acceptance of students with physical disabilities by their peers in inclusive schools in Tehran. The classrooms which had students with physical disabilities were included in this study. Two hundred and twenty-one third- to fifth-grade students (116 girls and 105 boys)…

In this article the authors take up the invitation to respond to the previous articles in the special issue. They discuss why it is so difficult to speak and write about gender and sexuality, and difference more generally, in the neoliberalised university. They make the case that the neoliberal university engages and uses categorical difference,…

Namibia is a southern African country with national level policies promoting community inclusion and inclusive education. Despite these policies, people with disabilities are often excluded from schools and community life. This study explores the nuanced cultural beliefs about the causes of disability in Namibia, and the impacts of such beliefs on…

The Office of Special Education and Student Services asked the Office of Shared Accountability to evaluate the "Facilitated Communication Pilot." In facilitated communication (FC), people with communication impairments express themselves by typing with the aid of a communication partner, called a facilitator, who provides physical (and…

While fiscal year 2012-2013 was a year of transition for the Office of Early Learning (OEL), fiscal year 2013-2014 proved to be a year when new leadership, organizational structure, direction and vision coalesced, producing results that demonstrated the office was moving in the right direction. The first day of the fiscal year--July 1, 2013--was…

The Office of Special Education Services (OSES) in the Houston Independent School District (HISD) supports students with disabilities in gaining college, career readiness, and independent living skills through active engagement in grade-level curriculum. The purpose of special education is to minimize the impact of the students' disability, while…

Advocates for multi-age classrooms claim multi-age groupings benefit children (Brynes, Shuster, & Jones, 1994). Currently, there is a lack of research examining play among students in multi-age classrooms. If indeed there is a positive benefit of play among children, research is needed to examine these behaviors among and between young children in…

What advice do paraeducators offer regarding the work they do in inclusive classrooms? What barriers and benefits do paraeducators face? In this study, over 200 paraeducators from 38 different states in the USA volunteered to respond to a national survey. Their responses were corroborated in follow-up interviews with 27 different paraeducators at…

This study sought to obtain a current picture of special education teacher recruitment and retention in rural districts and to understand the professional development needs of rural special educators. Surveys, administered through telephone interviews with a national sample of special education administrators and teachers, confirmed the…

Social inclusion has become a key focus for public policy in Australia, with governments supporting interventions that aim to improve the lives of those who are disengaged or disadvantaged. One of the key areas of concern is raising the educational levels of individuals. Vocational education and training (VET) has long played an important role in…

This qualitative study explored the relationship between content-area teachers' attitudes, beliefs, and professional experiences and their decisions to seek preparation in working with English language learners (ELLs). Six in-service teachers, who were enrolled in a graduate-level Sheltered Instruction course at a large U.S. Midwestern university,…

Those who teach college students have extensive training in their disciplines, but unlike their counterparts at the high school or elementary school level, they often have surprisingly little instruction in the craft of teaching itself. "The Chicago Handbook for Teachers, Second Edition", is an extraordinarily helpful guide for anyone facing the…