Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-v9fdk Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-06T01:09:48.943Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Designing and Rating Options for Special School Expertise to Support Mainstream Educational Inclusion

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  16 December 2019

Teresa Iacono Open the ORCID record for Teresa Iacono [Opens in a new window] ,
Carol McKinstry ,
Elena Wilson ,
Kerryn Bagley  and
Amanda Kenny
Teresa Iacono*
Affiliation:
La Trobe University, Australia
Carol McKinstry
Affiliation:
La Trobe University, Australia
Elena Wilson
Affiliation:
La Trobe University, Australia
Kerryn Bagley
Affiliation:
La Trobe University, Australia
Amanda Kenny
Affiliation:
La Trobe University, Australia
*
*Corresponding author. Email: [email protected]
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

The Victorian Government, Australia, committed to deliver recommendations from a review of the Program for Students with Disabilities. We report on the implementation of Recommendation 7: to explore options for how special schools could become ‘centres of expertise’ to support inclusion in mainstream schools. Informed by evidence reviews of inclusive education practices and interviews of special and mainstream staff and parents, stakeholders were engaged in a forum to develop a range of options. A larger sample of stakeholders then completed a survey to evaluate them. Forum attendees were parents, education staff, and allied health professionals from special and mainstream schools. They worked in small groups to develop options, which were later grouped into 5 categories. These options were entered into an online survey for distribution to a wider group of stakeholders. Survey respondents were 142 stakeholders from special (71%) and mainstream primary and secondary schools (parents, education staff, and allied health professionals). They rated each option, such that 8 with high ratings for feasibility and acceptability were recommended to support inclusive mainstream education through utilisation of special school expertise. The final list of options focused on collaboration, development, and coordination of networks of special and mainstream schools, and building capacity and leadership to support mainstream schools to meet diverse student need.

Keywords

special educationinclusionmainstream schoolspolicy
Type
Original Articles
Information
Australasian Journal of Special and Inclusive Education , Volume 44 , Issue 1 , July 2020 , pp. 15 - 27
Copyright
© The Author(s) 2019

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

Footnotes

†

This manuscript was accepted under the Editorship of Umesh Sharma.

References

Brock, M. E., Biggs, E. E., Carter, E. W., Cattey, G. N., & Raley, K. S. (2016). Implementation and generalization of peer support arrangements for students with severe disabilities in inclusive classrooms. The Journal of Special Education, 49, 221–232. https://doi.org/10.1177/0022466915594368CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Cologon, K. (2013). Inclusion in education: Towards equality for students with disability: Issues paper. Retrieved from National Library of Australia website: http://nla.gov.au/nla.arc-140909-20140612-0056-www.cda.org.au/_literature_159457/Inclusion_in_Education_-_2013_PDF.pdfGoogle Scholar
Department of Education and Training Victoria. (2016a). Inclusive education for all students with disabilities and additional needs: The government’s response to the review of the Program for Students with Disabilities. Retrieved from http://www.education.vic.gov.au/Documents/about/department/PSD-Review-Response.pdfGoogle Scholar
Department of Education and Training Victoria. (2016b). The education state: Review of the Program for Students with Disabilities. Retrieved from http://www.education.vic.gov.au/Documents/about/department/PSD-Review-Report.pdfGoogle Scholar
Iacono, T., Keeffe, M., Kenny, A., & McKinstry, C. (2019). A document review of exclusionary practices in the context of Australian school education policy. Journal of Policy and Practice in Intellectual Disabilities. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1111/jppi.12290CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Iacono, T., Keeffe, M., Kenny, A., & McKinstry, C. (2017). Development of options to enable specialist schools to become “Centres of Expertise” to support local mainstream schools to implement inclusive education. Retrieved from https://apo.org.au/node/102176Google Scholar
Kourkoutas, E., Eleftherakis, T. G., Vitalaki, E., & Hart, A. (2015). Family-school-professionals partnerships: An action research program to enhance the social, emotional, and academic resilience of children at risk. Journal of Education and Learning, 4, 112–122. https://doi.org/10.5539/jel.v4n3p112CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lapham, K., & Papikyan, H. (2012). Special schools as a resource for inclusive education: A review of the Open Society Foundations’ experience working with special schools in Armenia. Retrieved from Open Society Foundations website: https://www.opensocietyfoundations.org/sites/default/files/special-schools-resource-inclusive-education-20121005.pdfGoogle Scholar
Lindsay, G. (2007). Educational psychology and the effectiveness of inclusive education/mainstreaming. British Journal of Educational Psychology, 77, 1–24. https://doi.org/10.1348/000709906X156881CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Lindsay, G., Muijs, D., Harris, A., Chapman, C., Arweck, E., & Goodall, J. (2007). School federations pilot study 2003–2007 (Research Report No. DCSF-RR015). Retrieved from Department for Children, Schools and Families website: https://www2.warwick.ac.uk/fac/soc/cedar/projects/completed07/federations/federationsrb30_xr253651.pdfGoogle Scholar
Mitchell, D. (2015). Education that fits: Review of international trends in the education of students with special educational needs (2nd ed.). Retrieved from Department of Education and Training Victoria website: http://www.education.vic.gov.au/Documents/about/department/psdlitreview_Educationthatfits.pdfGoogle Scholar
PhillipsKPA. (2015). Evaluation of the More Support for Students with Disabilities Initiative 2012-2014: Final evaluation report. Retrieved from Australian Government Department of Education website: https://docs.education.gov.au/documents/phillips-kpa-mssd-final-evaluation-reportGoogle Scholar
Punch, R. (2015). Literature review: The use and efficacy of integration aides with students with disabilities in general education settings. Retrieved from Victoria State Government Department of Education and Training website: http://www.education.vic.gov.au/Documents/about/department/psdlitreview_IntegrationAides.pdfGoogle Scholar
Sailor, W. (2015). Advances in schoolwide inclusive school reform. Remedial and Special Education, 36, 94–99. https://doi.org/10.1177/0741932514555021CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Shaddock, A., MacDonald, N., Hook, J., Giorcelli, L., & Arthur-Kelly, M. (2009). Disability, diversity and tides that lift all boats: Review of special education in the ACT. Retrieved from Researchgate website: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/265494993_Disability_Diversity_and_Tides_that_Lift_All_Boats_Review_of_Special_Education_in_the_ACTGoogle Scholar
Shaddock, A., Packer, S., & Roy, A. (2015). Schools for all children and young people: Report of the expert panel on students with complex needs and challenging behaviour. Retrieved from National Library of Australia website: http://nla.gov.au/nla.arc-155699-20151127-0947-www.det.act.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0009/795186/62074-Expert-Panel-Report-Web.pdfGoogle Scholar
Strogilos, V., Lacey, P., Xanthacou, Y., & Kaila, M. (2011). Collaboration and integration of services in Greek special schools: Two different models of delivering school services. International Journal of Inclusive Education, 15, 797–818. https://doi.org/10.1080/13603110903431550CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Tremblay, P. (2013). Comparative outcomes of two instructional models for students with learning disabilities: Inclusion with co-teaching and solo-taught special education. Journal of Research in Special Educational Needs, 13, 251–258. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1471-3802.2012.01270.xCrossRefGoogle Scholar
UNESCO & Ministry of Education and Science, Spain. (1994). The Salamanca statement and framework for action on special needs education. Paris, France: UNESCO.Google Scholar
Victoria State Government. (2018). Stakeholder engagement toolkit. Retrieved from Department of Health and Human Services, Victoria, website: https://dhhs.vic.gov.au/publications/stakeholder-engagement-and-public-participation-framework-and-toolkitGoogle Scholar
Victoria State Government. (2019). Delivering for all Victorians: Victorian budget 19/20. Retrieved from https://www.dtf.vic.gov.au/2019-20-state-budget/2019-20-budget-overviewGoogle Scholar
Winter, E., & O’Raw, P. (2010). Literature review of the principles and practices relating to inclusive education for children with special educational needs. Retrieved from the National Council for Special Education website: http://ncse.ie/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/NCSE_Inclusion.pdfGoogle Scholar