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INCLUSION RESEARCH
Still the questions get asked...does inclusion work? What makes
effective inclusion? Will children get a better education?
The research is clear to us.The human rights issue is even clearer.
All children should be in mainstream schools and no more children
should be placed in special schools.
Yes there will be problems to solve if this dream comes true, but
there are now anyway! Lets move on. Work on figuring it out. Its
time to change!
There is plenty of research if you need it....
Check out this unequivocal quote in the most recent TASH Journal
Spring 2004 from Mary Falvey – Professor at California State
University in LA:
"Since (1977) hundreds of rigorous research studies have been
undertaken to determine the effectiveness of integrating and including
students with severe disabilities. As a result of a comprehensive
review of the extant literature by myself and my colleagues, we
were unable to identify even a single research article that that
found that segregated service delivery models are more effective
than integrated models for students with severe disabilities."
If you need to read more research before you can change your team
or organisation check out the following as a start:
Two ideal primers that will point you in the direction
of more in depth studies that have researched a wide range of
strands relating to educational inclusion
Gary Bunch and Angela Valeo 1997: Inclusion - Recent Research
Gail McGregor and R. Timm Vogelsberg 2000: Inclusive
Schooling Practices Pedagogical and Research Foundations -
A synthesis of the literature that informs best practices about
inclusive schooling. This is really useful and will bring you speedily
up to date with key research in the field Pub by Paul Brookes Co.
Baltimore. Paul Brookes are the main US pubs on inclusion issues
- worth getting their catalogue
Also we really like anything that comes out of The Institute
on Disability at the University of New Hampshire. Try Restructuring
High Schools for All Students - Taking Inclusion to the next
level ed. by Cheryl
Jorgensen 1998 also pub by Paul Brookes
Check out....Dana Zohar's Quantum Society, Margaret Wheatley's Leadership and the new science, (The Dancing Wu Li Masters ), anything by John O'brien (see quote below) and Connie Lyle O'brien.
The Making of the Inclusive School
by Gary Thomas, David Walker, Julie Webb in 1997 provides what some would deem a 'balanced' UK
perspective. This book can be located from the Amazon
site. Click to purchase.
Restorative Justice Research 2007
As part of a forthcoming book 'Restorative Solutions' we can provide you here with a word document summary of current research in this area. Click here for document.
Resourcing Special educational Needs
This issue causes school, LEAs and parents all kinds of headaches
and if not done effectively can become a serious obstacle to
inclusion. We are very interested in approaches to resourcing that
do not rely on statements. We worked in Nottinghamshire and Nottingham
and were involved in the development of the Mainstream Support
Group system of resourcing that has reduced reliance on statements
for resourcing in these two LEAs.This approach involved increasing
the involvement and ownership of the process by school based
staff. Such approaches support inclusion and increase trust.
We offer training and development work based on these experiences.
A recent research publication which shows the benefits of reducing
reliance on statements can be downloaded here.
Reducing reliance on Statements
Circles of Friends Research
If you are interested in research on Circles of Friends you might
wish to look at:
Utilising the Classroom
Peer Group to Address Children ’s Social Needs.
An Evaluation of the ‘Circles of Friends’ Intervention
Approach.
Norah Frederickson and Jane Turner (2001)
(University College London and Buckinghamshire Local Education Authority)
Circles of Support: Stirling Scotland. The Circles Project facilitates school based circles of support for disabled children. A circle usually consist of 6-8 volunteers from the child's class who agree to meet weekly with the child and an adult facilitator, to work together to increase the child's social opportunities and choices. Read the 2007 Full Review of this work.
Interim Evaluation Results
February 2006 to July 2007
It was not possible or appropriate to formally evaluate every Circle with PLUS involvement. From a total of 25 Circles 19 contributed to this data, involving 10 focus children and 83 volunteers.
The following data are the result of formal evaluations completed by Circle members, school staff (normally class teacher and playground supervisor) and parents or carers of focus children at the end of each block of 6 to 8 sessions. Evaluation forms were reviewed and improved during the first year of operation, so not all questions were asked of all participants.
Focus Children
- No Focus Child wished to withdraw from their Circle
(True for all children, all Circles)
- 100% of Focus Children rated their enjoyment of the Circle at 8 or above (on a scale of 0 to 10)
(True for all children, all Circles)
- Of the 10 children who responded to the question, 90% (9) felt they had made new friends or had become better friends since having a Circle
- 100% (4) of all Focus Children questioned felt better about themselves as a result of being part of a Circle
- 50% (2) of Focus Children reported that they now play more with others out with school and 25% (1) was unsure if this was the case.
All Circle Members
- 97% of all members rated their enjoyment of being part of a Circle at between 8 and 10 (on a scale of 0-10)
(True for all children, all Circles)
- 92% (43) of all Circle members who were asked felt better about themselves since being part of a Circle
Parents of Focus Children
- The main benefits to focus children reported by their parents were:
- Increased confidence
- Increased independence
- Happier
- Opportunity to socialise with peers
- Made new friends
- Increased awareness of issues facing focus child
Parents were given the opportunity to detail any problems that had arisen as a result of the Circle. No issues were reported although a desire for greater involvement out with school was expressed.
School Staff
- The main differences school staff noticed in the focus children’s behaviour were:
- Increased confidence
- Increased tolerance towards others
- Appeared happier
- Making positive relationships with peers
School staff were also given the opportunity to comment on any concerns they had regarding the impact of the Circle on the focus child. Final evaluations before PLUS withdrawal did not contain negative responses.
Centre for Studies in Inclusive Education:
Research
and literature link
Segregation Trends and Statistics across Local Authorities
Mark Vaughan OBE, Founder & Co-Director, CSIE said:
'All LEAs are working to the same laws and regulations, which call for inclusion of disabled pupils. It is time for the Government to take a firmer hand and get the higher segregating authorities to develop stronger inclusion policies. If Newham can do it with academic and social success, then so can every other authority.'
Newham LEA, which has actively pursued a policy of inclusion in education for 21 years, placed 0.06% of its 0-19 year olds with statements in special schools and other segregated settings, while South Tyneside placed 1.46%.
'It is simply unfair and unjust for families that moves towards inclusion have been so slow, and that these variations still exist 22 years after the law to include disabled pupils in mainstream education first came into force'
said Mark Vaughan.
We totally endorse the Inclusion Charter
Ten Reasons for Inclusion
Inclusive education is a human right, its good education and it makes good social sense
HUMAN RIGHTS
1
All children have the right to learn together.
2
Children should not be devalued or discriminated against by being excluded or sent away because of their disability or learning difficulty.
3
Disabled adults, describing themselves as special school survivors, are demanding an end to segregation.
4
There are no legitimate reasons to separate children for their education. Children belong together -- with advantages and benefits for everyone. They do not need to be protected from each other.
GOOD EDUCATION
5
Research shows children do better, academically and socially, in inclusive settings.
6
There is no teaching or care in a segregated school which cannot take place in an ordinary school.
7
Given commitment and support, inclusive education is a more efficient use of educational resources.
SOCIAL SENSE
8
Segregation teaches children to be fearful, ignorant and breeds prejudice.
9
All children need an education that will help them develop relationships and prepare them for life in the mainstream.
10
Only inclusion has the potential to reduce fear and to build friendship, respect and understanding.
Effective Classrooms and Schools
Effective Classroom Instruction (downloadable pdf file by Robert Marzano 2005)
Did you know that based on research the top 6 most effective instructional strategies in the classroom are as follows?
- Identifying similarities and differences
- Summarising and note taking
- Reinforcing effort and providing recognition
- Homework and practice
- Non Linguistic representations
- Cooperative learning
This was based on meta analysis, combining the results of numerous studies.
Grouping by Ability? No way does it work!
Key Research Findings
Organizing students in heterogeneous cooperative learning groups at least once a week has a significant effect on learning (Marzano, Pickering, & Pollock, 2001).
Low-ability students perform worse when grouped in homogeneous ability groups (Kulik & Kulik, 1991, 1997; Lou et al, 1996)
We hate the label 'low ability' and find it meaningless in the face of Multiple Intelligences work or when viewing pupils from a 'Gifts' perspective. Yet grouping by ability is still a dominant approach in primary and secondary education across UK.
Where is the research to support the efficacy of such activity?
'Students of low ability actually perform worse when they are placed in homogenous groups' Marzano, 2005.
This American research is supported by that carried out by NFER in 1998 concluded ' there are no significant differences between streaming, setting and mixed ability teaching on pupil achievement'. Also they conclude that: 'within homogenous groups teachers are predisposed to make negative judgemental of low ability pupils which, in turn, negatively affects these pupils' self perceptions, levels of achievement and experience of schooling'. (Streaming, Setting and grouping by ability, NFER,1998
For more information on grouping go to Focus on Effectiveness or check out the American National Association of school Psychologist position on grouping by ability.
Listening to Young People
Inclusion: What Young People Tell Us Research by Anne Darby and Ailsa Fairley Compiled by Penny Barratt, Anne Darby, Julia Hayes, Ruth Jobs

Nottingham City Council demonstrated its endorsement of inclusion through consultation and publication of an Inclusion Policy Statement in 1999. The statement explicitly adopts the social model of disability with its focus on the removal of barriers. The social model contrasts with the traditional medical model of disability which identifies the individual's impairment as creating a special problem in need of treatment.
This 17 page book presents the views of some of the young people who attend schools in Nottingham. They were encouraged to comment on their experiences of the inclusion process to highlight good practice.
WHAT ARE Inclusive Solutions' RESEARCH INTERESTS?
Our current research interests/developing themes include:
- Friendship and relationships
- Facilitated Communication
- Leadership for inclusion
- Trust and effective team management
- Curriculum and Connection: How do our typical ways of delivering
the curriculum in schools support the making (or breaking) of
relationships for students with a disability or difference?
- Beyond the IEP: How can teacher planning for pupils with additional
learning needs become better integrated into the life and work
of schools?
- Transition to Life after School: recognising the need to be
mindful of the danger of developing a segregated planning system
for students with disabilities? How can curricula, community
partnerships and support systems help students with and without
labels to plan and prepare for the future?
- From Peer Supporters to 'Community Connectors': -developing
further tools to support the intentional building of relationships
in schools and beyond.
- Building Collaborative Teams: moving towards new ways of working
together
- Useful research links can be found from this useful site in Sheffield, UK
Snapshots of Possibility from around the UK.....

This highly visual book was researched and created in collaboration between Inclusive Solutions and the Alliance for Inclusive Education. Inclusive Education is based on a dream in which all children are given the safety to develop into whole human beings, able to think and learn, love and understand each other, be creative, feel empathy and compassion.
'In a time when we attend very much to the mechanisms and techniques
for delivering curriculum, we need to keep remembering that teaching
is first and foremost a matter of the development of human beings
as moral actors, as citizens, as people who are going to live in,
and need to make a difference to, a very diverse and very complex
world. And that requires far more than simply the delivery of instruction
as marked by test results. It's a matter of the heart as marked
by the kind of relationships and the sense of community that develops
over time in a school.' (John O'Brien). |