The sociology of disability and the struggle for inclusive education

This article charts the emergence of the sociology of disability and examines the areas of contestation. These have involved a series of erasures – of the body from debates on the social model of disability, of the Other from educational policies and practices, and of academics from political discourses and action. The paper considers the contribution of the sociology of disability to inclusive education and examines some of the objections currently being voiced. It ends with some reflections on the possibilities for academics within the sociology of disability to pursue alternative forms of engagement and outlines a series of duties that they might undertake

Emerging Patterns of School Leadership: Current Practice and Future Directions

This research report outlines the key findings from a study examining emerging forms of school leadership. It highlights possible future directions in leadership, management and governance that may support the further development of the education system.<p></p> The study was conducted by the University of Manchester and involved a literature review plus original research in schools. It underlines that there is a range of interesting developments taking place regarding the conceptualisation and implementation of leadership practices, and management and governance arrangements.<p></p> Many of these seem to have the potential to increase the capacity of schools to innovate. Such developments are vital if the system is to find ways of continuing to improve overall standards while, at the same time, reducing the gap between high and low achieving groups of learners. Since this report was written, more research has been carried out on how new developments within the system dictate a new approach to leadership