Wherefore art thou, inclusion? Analysing the development of inclusive education in New South Wales, Alberta and Finland

Over the last two decades, moves toward “inclusion” have prompted change in the formation of education policies, schooling structures and pedagogical practice. Yet, exclusion through the categorisation and segregation of students with diverse abilities has grown; particularly for students with challenging behaviour. This paper considers what has happened to inclusive education by focusing on three educational jurisdictions known to be experiencing different rates of growth in the identification of special educational needs: New South Wales (Australia), Alberta (Canada) and Finland (Europe). In our analysis, we consider the effects of competing policy forces that appear to thwart the development of inclusive schools in two of our case-study regions

Finnish reform of the funding and provision of special education : the views of principals and municipal education administrators

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TECHNO-school for Technologically Talented Underachieving Students

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Perusopetuksen tuen tarjonnan muutokset 1970–2016 – erityisopetuksesta oppimisen ja koulunkäynnin tukeen

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The factors that contribute educational outcomes of adolescents placed in care due to severe behavioral problems

According to multiple studies, adolescents placed in out-of-home care (OOHC) are less well-educated than their peers in the general population. Reform school (RS) is an institution for youth placed in OOHC due to severe behavioral problems. The educational outcomes of former RS residents are not known. We examined the possible differences in educational level by comparing Finnish national register data for 814 former RS residents in four cohorts (placed in out-of-home care in 1991, 1996, 2001 and 2006) to 4021 of their peers in the general population matched by gender, age, and place of birth. The educational level differences were analyzed by the chi(2) test of association. Logistic regression models were performed to identify the predictors of having a basic education only. Based on the results, individuals with an RS background have a high risk of low education. Among the RS population, being in the youngest cohort, lack of aftercare provided by RSs, and a diagnosis of substance-related disorders predict lower levels of education. These results call for immediate action. Long-term aftercare programs should be provided for former RS residents. Extending compulsory school attendance to upper secondary study is likely to improve the educational level of the RS population. In addition, effective programs for intervening substance abuse problems should be provided both in RS and aftercare. By these actions, it may be possible to reduce current social exclusion and poor long-term prognosis associated with RS placement.Peer reviewe

Erityisopetuksen järjestämisen muutokset kunnissa 2000-luvulla

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Immigrant-origin youth and the indecisiveness of choice for upper secondary education in Finland

The educational transitions of Finnish youth of immigrant background are challenging. They confront more difficulties in a twofold manner: they have more difficulties in transitioning to upper secondary education and they seem to drop out of education more often than their Finnish-origin counterparts. This study aimed to accomplish a view of the complex intertwinement of attitudes and experiences with upper secondary education choices, gender and origin. We compared immigrant- origin students (n = 161) with Finnish-origin students (n = 156) in a survey conducted during the final year of comprehensive school. Our objectives were to analyse the variation in attitudes, experiences and aspirations concerning post-comprehensive transition in gender and origin of the youth, and to analyse the factors behind the indecisiveness of the transitions. We concluded that youth with immigrant origin in general, and boys in particular, share a contradiction we termed the ‘paradox of immigrant schooling’, which refers to the combination of a positivity toward education and difficulties in learning and studying. We also found an immigrant-related contradiction between determinant and quite high occupational aspirations, and uncertainty of upper secondary choices. Our outcomes indicate that the immigrant-origin youth confront the upper-secondary choices in a much more complex and multidimensional situation than their Finnish-origin counterparts.Peer reviewe

Incidence of urinary tract infections in infants with antenatally diagnosed hydronephrosis-A retrospective single center study

Objective: To evaluate the incidence of urinary tract infections (UTIs) in infants with antenatal hydronephrosis (AHN). Materials and Methods: A cohort of AHN patients admitted to our institution between 2003 and 2013 were identified. Altogether 192 patients with nonrefluxing hydronephrosis (HN, n = 135), nonrefluxing hydroureteronephrosis (HUN, n = 21), or vesicoureteral reflux (VUR, n = 36) were identified. Patients with complex anomalies or neonatal decompression of the urinary tract were excluded. Information about UTIs diagnosed among the AHN patients was collected and compared with data from 58 controls. Results: During the median follow-up time of 2.6 (0.3-11.2) years, 24 (13%) patients (15 (10%) males and 9 (19%) females) and 2 (3%) controls experienced at least one UTI (p = 0.033). Eighteen (69%) UTIs were febrile. The males had the first UTI at significantly younger age than the females (0.3, 0.0-1.7 years vs. 1.0, 0.4-4.8 years, p = 0.010). UTI was detected in 15 (63%) patients with grade 4-5 VUR, in 8 (6%) patients with HN, and in one (5%) patient with HUN (p-values 0.999 against the controls). None of the patients with grade = 3 VUR had UTI. Fifty-eight percent of the patients with UTI were on antimicrobial prophylaxis. In five (12%) cases UTI appeared within one week after voiding cystourethrography (VCUG). Conclusions: Infants with AHN and grade 4-5 VUR had the highest risk of UTI. UTIs tented to be more common in females than in males; however, males experienced UTI at younger age than females. VCUG caused UTI in 2.3% in our material. (C) 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.Peer reviewe