Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-2brh9 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-30T20:36:32.176Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Using Evidence to Encourage Inclusive School Development: Possibilities and Challenges

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  26 February 2016

Mel Ainscow*
Affiliation:
University of Manchester
Ian Kaplan
Affiliation:
University of Manchester
*
Mel Ainscow, School of Education, University of Manchester, Oxford Road, Manchester M13 9PL, United Kingdom. Email: [email protected].

Extract

Recent research suggests that inquiry‐based approaches can be powerful in stimulating the development of inclusive practices. However, the implementation of such approaches can be difficult, particularly in contexts where there is a strong emphasis on improving standards, as measured by test and examination scores. This article describes and reflects on the authors’ experiences in working with staff in an English secondary school. It illustrates how the use of evidence, particularly the views of students themselves, can be a powerful lever for change. The paper argues that the successful use of such approaches will depend on forms of leadership that foster a willingness to address the challenges that emerge as a result of listening to the voices of different people.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © The Australian Association of Special Education 2005

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.)

References

Ainscow, M. (1999). Understanding the development of inclusive schools. London: Falmer Press.Google Scholar
Ainscow, M. (2000). Reaching out to all learners: Some lessons from international experience. School Effectiveness and School Improvement 11(1), 19.Google Scholar
Ainscow, M. (in press). Developing inclusive education systems: What are the levers for change? Journal of Educational Change Ainscow, M., Farrell, P., & Tweddle, D. (2000). Developing policies for inclusive education: A study of the role of local education authorities. International Journal of Inclusive Education, 4, 211229.Google Scholar
Ainscow, M., Hargreaves, D. H., & Hopkins, D. (1995). Mapping the process of change in schools: The development of six new research techniques. Evaluation and Research in Education, 9, 7589.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ainscow, M., & Howes, A. (2001, September). LEAs and school improvement: What is it that makes the difference? Paper presented at the British Education Research Association Conference, Leeds, UK.Google Scholar
Ainscow, M., Howes, A., Farrell, P., & Frankham, J. (2003). Making sense of the development of inclusive practices. European Journal of Special Needs Education, 18, 227242.Google Scholar
Ainscow, M., Howes, A., & Tweddle, D. (in press). Making sense of the impact of recent education policies: A study of practice. In Ainscow, M., and West, M. (Eds.) Leading Improvements in urban schools. Milton Keynes: Open University Press Google Scholar
Ainscow, M., & Tweddle, D. (2003). Understanding the changing role of English local education authorities in promoting inclusion. In Allan, J. (Ed.) Inclusion, participation and democracy: What is the purpose? (pp. 165177). Netherlands: Kluwer.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ainscow, M., & West, M. (Eds.) (in press). Leading improvements in urban schools. Milton Keynes: Open University Press Google Scholar
Bartolome, L. I. (1994). Beyond the methods fetish: Towards a humanising pedagogy. Harvard Education Review, 54, 173194.Google Scholar
Booth, T., & Ainscow, M. (2002). The index for inclusion. Bristol: Centre for Studies in Inclusive Education.Google Scholar
Copland, M. A. (2003). Leadership of inquiry: Building and sustaining capacity for school improvement. Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis, 25, 375395.Google Scholar
Giroux, H. A., & Schmidt, M. (2004). Closing the achievement gap: A metaphor for children left behind. Journal of Educational Change, 5, 213228.Google Scholar
Hopkins, D., Ainscow, M., & West, M. (1994). School improvement in an era of change. London: Cassell.Google Scholar
Kugelmass, J., & Ainscow, M. (2005). Leading inclusive schools: A comparison of practices in three countries. Journal of Research in Special Needs Education, 4(3), 312.Google Scholar
Lambert, L. (1995) The constructivist leader. New York: Teachers College Press.Google Scholar
Miles, S., & Kaplan, I. (in press). Using images to promote reflection: An action research study in Zambia and Tanzania. Journal of Research on Special Educational Needs. Mittler, P. (2000). Working towards inclusive education. London: Fulton.Google Scholar
Reynolds, M., & Ainscow, M. (1994). Education of children and youth with special needs: An international perspective. In Husen, T., & Postlethwaite, T.N., (Eds.), The international encyclopedia of education (2nd ed.) (pp. 552564). Oxford: Pergamon.Google Scholar
Riehl, C. J. (2000). The principal’s role in creating inclusive schools for diverse students: A review of normative, empirical, and critical literature on the practice of educational administration. Review of Educational Research, 70, 5581.Google Scholar
Skrtic, T. M. (1991). Students with special educational needs: Artifacts of the traditional curriculum. In Ainscow, M. (Ed.), Effective schools forali. London: Fulton.Google Scholar
Slee, R. (1996). Inclusive schooling in Australia? Not yet. Cambridge Journal Of Education, 26(1), 1932.Google Scholar
Thrupp, M. (2001, September). School quasi-markets in England and Wales: Best understood as a class strategy? Paper presented at the conference of the British Education Research Association. Leeds, UK.Google Scholar
Timperley, S. H., & Robinson, V. M. J. (2001). Achieving school improvement through challenging and changing teachers’ schema. Journal of Educational Change, 2, 281300.Google Scholar
Trent, S. C., Artiles, A. J., & Englert, C. S. (1998). From deficit thinking to social constructivism: A review of theory, research and practice in special education. Review of Research in Education, 23, 277307.Google Scholar
UNESCO (2001). The open file on inclusive education. Paris: UNESCO.Google Scholar
Vitello, S. J., & Mithaug, D. E. (Eds.). (1998). Inclusive schooling: National and international perspectives. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.Google Scholar