The attainment of inclusion in any setting is largely reliant on how the stakeholders manage the changes required. Looking at Ambrose’s (1987) managing complex change model, this essay will analyse what considerations would need to be made to include a child with disability, and how the relevant stakeholders could each contribute towards an outcome of motivated change in a year two classroom, in a public primary school setting.
According to Ambrose’s (1987) Managing Complex Change, as cited by Highsmith (2013) five essential requirements need to be met in order for motivated change to take place, successfully. Initiating, supporting and carrying out a desired change requires leaders who are able to judge the complexity that the proposed changes may actually possess as the change relates to the status quo (Ambrose, 1987).
Inclusive education should therefore be seen as an approach to improve schools’ environments, that inclusive education makes quality education available to everyone and is not just a numbers game, putting children with disabilities in classrooms and not meeting their needs (Skritic, Sailor & Gee, 1996). This is supported by Department of Education, (2012); Dyson, Howes & Roberts, (2003); Skrtic et al. (1996) Christensen, (1996) and Shaffner & Buswell, (1996), who provide that having children with disabilities in mainstream classrooms goes way beyond just the physical placement. That inclusive education needs to have nothing less than the changing of regular education by encouraging positive beliefs, systems and practices in the schools and classrooms (Department of Education, 2012; Dyson, Howes & Roberts, 2003; Skritic et al., 1996; Christensen, 1996 & Shaffner & Buswell, 1996). Howes & Roberts, (2003) and Shaffner & Buswell, (1996), provide that when instigating inclusive education, there are three levels that need attention, they are: the local community, the education system, the schools and the classrooms.
At the local community and education system level, three areas of influence were identified as being pivotal to embracing diversity they were: (a) the policy perspective of the community, (b) collaboration amongst non-government and government agencies, and (c) the partnerships amongst all stakeholders - educators, parents, peers, all school staff, and community agencies (Dyson, et al. 2003; Department of Education, 2012 & King-Sears, 1997).
Oliver (1996) provides that changes must be made at every level of society. The changes needed are; positively valuing inclusion, support and promotion for all children to be part of one education system coming from the education system, having welcoming environments in schools, educators being dedicated to the positive education of all children and the curriculum modified to include differentiation (Oliver, 1996).
At schools, the most significant question is, what proof is available to show that schools can perform in ways that empower all student body participate? (Oliver, 1996). Dyson, et al. (2003) only found six studies that related to this question and gave reliable and trustworthy evidence. From these studies they found that, the degree to which schools enable or in some instances prevent inclusion, had two important, prominent themes a) the morals and beliefs held by the schools b) policymaking and leadership. The latter was also highlighted by Stanovich & Jordan (1998), Schaffner & Buswell (1996) and Ainscow (1995). Stanovich & Jordan (1998) looked at the education system in Canada, they discovered that the strongest forecaster of successful inclusive was the adoption by principals’ that inclusive education was the norm, that their attitudes towards heterogeneous classrooms allowed for success across the whole school setting. Aniscow, (1995); Shaffner & Buswell, (1996) & Skritic et al., (1996) all looked at the development of strong school support networks as a high priority for successful inclusion in education, as well as building positive collaborative relationships between professionals, paraprofessionals and parents. Dettmer, Thurston & Dyck, (2003) provide an overview of the characteristics of an inclusive school, they provide that six aspects are essential if inclusion is to succeed, they are:
Inclusive education also necessitates building collaboration between all stakeholders such as regular class teachers, specialist teachers, teaching assistants, therapists, and parents. Williams, Williams & Ullman (2002) and Davis & Hopwood (2002) provide that the main components of successful consultation models include (a) the general educator having the main accountability for students’ overall programmes, (b) equal status of professionalism of general educators and special educators, (c) collaboration with families in planning and programming, (d) teachers’ aides working with teachers to provide additional support and (e) additional support being given in the classroom, where appropriate, rather than through withdrawal .
Waldron & McLesky (1998); Salend & Duhaney (1999) and Hobbs & Westling (1998) all support the need for effective inclusion and state that schools who successfully apply inclusion highlight the importance of learning for all students. This involves teachers and all other stakeholder working in collaboration to foster an environment where all students can succeed. They go on to state that the best measure for judging successful inclusion the progress students with disabilities make. Salend & Duhaney (1999) highlight that students without disabilities did not indicate that their learning was hindered in any way and that the educators saw many social benefits for all students. Hobbs & Westling (1998) also support this finding, they found that children with disabilities coped better than students in special classes, and the inclusion did not have any disadvantageous effect on other students.
Every school who adopts inclusive education looks different, but the characteristics of belonging to their community, high expectations, teamwork and collaboration, flexible roles, varied support services, collaborative relationships with parents, learning environments that are flexible, research based strategies, accountability for learning, and continued professional development are all the common threads that bind these schools. What has been shown is that the attainment of inclusion in any setting is largely reliant on how all the stakeholders manage the changes required, how they each contribute towards an outcome of motivated change.
Bibliography
Ainscow, M. (1995). Education for all: making it all happen. Support for Learning 10 (4) 147-155.
Ambrose, D. (1987). In Highsmith, J. (2013). Adaptive Software Development: A Collaborative Approach to Managing Complex Systems ebook - http://books.google.com.au/books?hl=en&lr=&id=CVcUAAAAQBAJ&oi=fnd&pg=PA1&dq=ambrose+1987+managing+complex+change
&ots=5qFEaAMCxG&sig=mJBkTwkS6wELpA_-1UFaWTEEoto#v=onepage&q&f=false – Accessed 3/3/2014.
Christensen, C. (1996). Disabled, handicapped or disordered: What’s in a name? In C. Christensen and F. Rizvi (eds.), Disability and the dilemmas of education and justice (pp.63-78). Buckingham: Open University Press.
Davis, P. & Hopwood, V. (2002). Including children with a visual impairment in the mainstream primary school classroom. Journal of Research in Special Educational Needs, 2(3), 139-147.
Dettmer, P., Thurston, L., & Dyck, N. (2005). Foundations and Frameworks for Collaborative School Consultation (pp. 30-45). Consultation, Collaboration and Teamwork for Students with Special Needs. New York: Pearson.
Department for Education and Skills (2007). Every parent matters. Nottingham: Author.
Dyson, D.A., Howes, A. & Roberts, B. (2003). What do we really know about inclusive schools? A systematic review of the research evidence. Paper presented at the AERA Meeting, Chicago.
Evans, P. (2004). Educating students with special needs: a comparison of inclusion practices in OECD countries. Education Canada, 44(1).
Hobbs, T., & Westling, D.L. (1998). Inclusion promoting successful inclusion. Teaching Exceptional Children, 31, 12-19.
King-Sears, M. E., & Mooney, J. F. (2004). Teaching content in an academically diverse classroom. In B. K. Lenz, D. D. Deshler, & B. R. Kissam (Eds.), Teaching content to all: Evidence-based inclusive practices in middle and secondary schools (pp. 221-257). Boston, MA: Pearson/Allyn and Bacon.
Lipsky, D.K. & Gartner, A. (1999). Inclusive education: a requirement of a democratic society. In H. Daniels & P. Garner (eds.) World yearbook of education 1999: Inclusive education (pp.12-23). London: Kogan Page.
Mastropieri, M. A., & Scruggs, T. E. (2010). Career and technical education and transitions. In The inclusive classroom: Strategies for effective instruction (4th ed., pp. 391-414). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Merrill.
McDonnell, J. (1998). Instruction for students with severe disabilities in general education settings. Education and Training in Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities, 33(3), 199-215.
Oliver, M. 1996). Education for all? A perspective on an inclusive society. In M. Oliver, Understanding Disability: From theory to practice (pp.78-94). Basingstoke: Macmillan.
Salend, S. J., & Duhaney, L. M. (1999). The Impact of Inclusion on Students With and Without Disabilities and Their Educators. Remedial and Special Education, 20, 114-126.
Shaffner, C.B. & Buswell, B.E. (1996). Ten critical elements for creating inclusive and effective school communities. In S. Stainback and W. Stainback (eds), Inclusion: A guide for educators (pp.49-65). Baltimore: Paul H. Brooks.
Skrtic, T.M., Sailor, W. & Gee, K. (1996). Voice, collaboration, and inclusion: democratic themes in educational and social reform initiatives. Remedial and Special Education, 17(3), 142-157.
Stanovich, P.J. & Jordan, A. (1998). Canadian teachers’ and principals’ beliefs about inclusive education as predictors of effective teaching in heterogeneous classrooms. Elementary School Journal, 98(3), 221-238.
UNESCO (1994). The Salamanca Statement and Framework for Action on Special Needs Education. Paris: Author.
Waldron, N., & McLeskey, J. (1998). The impact of a full-time Inclusive School Program (ISP) on the academic achievement of students with mild and severe learning disabilities. Exceptional Children, 64, 395–405.
Williams, B., Williams, J., & Ullman, A. (2002). Parental Involvement in Education. London: Department of Education and Skills.
According to Ambrose’s (1987) Managing Complex Change, as cited by Highsmith (2013) five essential requirements need to be met in order for motivated change to take place, successfully. Initiating, supporting and carrying out a desired change requires leaders who are able to judge the complexity that the proposed changes may actually possess as the change relates to the status quo (Ambrose, 1987).
Inclusive education should therefore be seen as an approach to improve schools’ environments, that inclusive education makes quality education available to everyone and is not just a numbers game, putting children with disabilities in classrooms and not meeting their needs (Skritic, Sailor & Gee, 1996). This is supported by Department of Education, (2012); Dyson, Howes & Roberts, (2003); Skrtic et al. (1996) Christensen, (1996) and Shaffner & Buswell, (1996), who provide that having children with disabilities in mainstream classrooms goes way beyond just the physical placement. That inclusive education needs to have nothing less than the changing of regular education by encouraging positive beliefs, systems and practices in the schools and classrooms (Department of Education, 2012; Dyson, Howes & Roberts, 2003; Skritic et al., 1996; Christensen, 1996 & Shaffner & Buswell, 1996). Howes & Roberts, (2003) and Shaffner & Buswell, (1996), provide that when instigating inclusive education, there are three levels that need attention, they are: the local community, the education system, the schools and the classrooms.
At the local community and education system level, three areas of influence were identified as being pivotal to embracing diversity they were: (a) the policy perspective of the community, (b) collaboration amongst non-government and government agencies, and (c) the partnerships amongst all stakeholders - educators, parents, peers, all school staff, and community agencies (Dyson, et al. 2003; Department of Education, 2012 & King-Sears, 1997).
Oliver (1996) provides that changes must be made at every level of society. The changes needed are; positively valuing inclusion, support and promotion for all children to be part of one education system coming from the education system, having welcoming environments in schools, educators being dedicated to the positive education of all children and the curriculum modified to include differentiation (Oliver, 1996).
At schools, the most significant question is, what proof is available to show that schools can perform in ways that empower all student body participate? (Oliver, 1996). Dyson, et al. (2003) only found six studies that related to this question and gave reliable and trustworthy evidence. From these studies they found that, the degree to which schools enable or in some instances prevent inclusion, had two important, prominent themes a) the morals and beliefs held by the schools b) policymaking and leadership. The latter was also highlighted by Stanovich & Jordan (1998), Schaffner & Buswell (1996) and Ainscow (1995). Stanovich & Jordan (1998) looked at the education system in Canada, they discovered that the strongest forecaster of successful inclusive was the adoption by principals’ that inclusive education was the norm, that their attitudes towards heterogeneous classrooms allowed for success across the whole school setting. Aniscow, (1995); Shaffner & Buswell, (1996) & Skritic et al., (1996) all looked at the development of strong school support networks as a high priority for successful inclusion in education, as well as building positive collaborative relationships between professionals, paraprofessionals and parents. Dettmer, Thurston & Dyck, (2003) provide an overview of the characteristics of an inclusive school, they provide that six aspects are essential if inclusion is to succeed, they are:
- Positive Leadership,
- Collaboration,
- Changed assessment,
- Supports and
- Building Collaborative Relationships with Families.
Inclusive education also necessitates building collaboration between all stakeholders such as regular class teachers, specialist teachers, teaching assistants, therapists, and parents. Williams, Williams & Ullman (2002) and Davis & Hopwood (2002) provide that the main components of successful consultation models include (a) the general educator having the main accountability for students’ overall programmes, (b) equal status of professionalism of general educators and special educators, (c) collaboration with families in planning and programming, (d) teachers’ aides working with teachers to provide additional support and (e) additional support being given in the classroom, where appropriate, rather than through withdrawal .
Waldron & McLesky (1998); Salend & Duhaney (1999) and Hobbs & Westling (1998) all support the need for effective inclusion and state that schools who successfully apply inclusion highlight the importance of learning for all students. This involves teachers and all other stakeholder working in collaboration to foster an environment where all students can succeed. They go on to state that the best measure for judging successful inclusion the progress students with disabilities make. Salend & Duhaney (1999) highlight that students without disabilities did not indicate that their learning was hindered in any way and that the educators saw many social benefits for all students. Hobbs & Westling (1998) also support this finding, they found that children with disabilities coped better than students in special classes, and the inclusion did not have any disadvantageous effect on other students.
Every school who adopts inclusive education looks different, but the characteristics of belonging to their community, high expectations, teamwork and collaboration, flexible roles, varied support services, collaborative relationships with parents, learning environments that are flexible, research based strategies, accountability for learning, and continued professional development are all the common threads that bind these schools. What has been shown is that the attainment of inclusion in any setting is largely reliant on how all the stakeholders manage the changes required, how they each contribute towards an outcome of motivated change.
Bibliography
Ainscow, M. (1995). Education for all: making it all happen. Support for Learning 10 (4) 147-155.
Ambrose, D. (1987). In Highsmith, J. (2013). Adaptive Software Development: A Collaborative Approach to Managing Complex Systems ebook - http://books.google.com.au/books?hl=en&lr=&id=CVcUAAAAQBAJ&oi=fnd&pg=PA1&dq=ambrose+1987+managing+complex+change
&ots=5qFEaAMCxG&sig=mJBkTwkS6wELpA_-1UFaWTEEoto#v=onepage&q&f=false – Accessed 3/3/2014.
Christensen, C. (1996). Disabled, handicapped or disordered: What’s in a name? In C. Christensen and F. Rizvi (eds.), Disability and the dilemmas of education and justice (pp.63-78). Buckingham: Open University Press.
Davis, P. & Hopwood, V. (2002). Including children with a visual impairment in the mainstream primary school classroom. Journal of Research in Special Educational Needs, 2(3), 139-147.
Dettmer, P., Thurston, L., & Dyck, N. (2005). Foundations and Frameworks for Collaborative School Consultation (pp. 30-45). Consultation, Collaboration and Teamwork for Students with Special Needs. New York: Pearson.
Department for Education and Skills (2007). Every parent matters. Nottingham: Author.
Dyson, D.A., Howes, A. & Roberts, B. (2003). What do we really know about inclusive schools? A systematic review of the research evidence. Paper presented at the AERA Meeting, Chicago.
Evans, P. (2004). Educating students with special needs: a comparison of inclusion practices in OECD countries. Education Canada, 44(1).
Hobbs, T., & Westling, D.L. (1998). Inclusion promoting successful inclusion. Teaching Exceptional Children, 31, 12-19.
King-Sears, M. E., & Mooney, J. F. (2004). Teaching content in an academically diverse classroom. In B. K. Lenz, D. D. Deshler, & B. R. Kissam (Eds.), Teaching content to all: Evidence-based inclusive practices in middle and secondary schools (pp. 221-257). Boston, MA: Pearson/Allyn and Bacon.
Lipsky, D.K. & Gartner, A. (1999). Inclusive education: a requirement of a democratic society. In H. Daniels & P. Garner (eds.) World yearbook of education 1999: Inclusive education (pp.12-23). London: Kogan Page.
Mastropieri, M. A., & Scruggs, T. E. (2010). Career and technical education and transitions. In The inclusive classroom: Strategies for effective instruction (4th ed., pp. 391-414). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Merrill.
McDonnell, J. (1998). Instruction for students with severe disabilities in general education settings. Education and Training in Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities, 33(3), 199-215.
Oliver, M. 1996). Education for all? A perspective on an inclusive society. In M. Oliver, Understanding Disability: From theory to practice (pp.78-94). Basingstoke: Macmillan.
Salend, S. J., & Duhaney, L. M. (1999). The Impact of Inclusion on Students With and Without Disabilities and Their Educators. Remedial and Special Education, 20, 114-126.
Shaffner, C.B. & Buswell, B.E. (1996). Ten critical elements for creating inclusive and effective school communities. In S. Stainback and W. Stainback (eds), Inclusion: A guide for educators (pp.49-65). Baltimore: Paul H. Brooks.
Skrtic, T.M., Sailor, W. & Gee, K. (1996). Voice, collaboration, and inclusion: democratic themes in educational and social reform initiatives. Remedial and Special Education, 17(3), 142-157.
Stanovich, P.J. & Jordan, A. (1998). Canadian teachers’ and principals’ beliefs about inclusive education as predictors of effective teaching in heterogeneous classrooms. Elementary School Journal, 98(3), 221-238.
UNESCO (1994). The Salamanca Statement and Framework for Action on Special Needs Education. Paris: Author.
Waldron, N., & McLeskey, J. (1998). The impact of a full-time Inclusive School Program (ISP) on the academic achievement of students with mild and severe learning disabilities. Exceptional Children, 64, 395–405.
Williams, B., Williams, J., & Ullman, A. (2002). Parental Involvement in Education. London: Department of Education and Skills.
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