Educational practices and strategies that promote inclusion: Examples from the U.S.

In this article, the authors review promising practices and strategies that have been demonstrated to support and promote inclusive education in the U.S. at school, in classrooms, in small groups, and at individual levels. Selected strategies that promote instructional, social, and psychological inclusion (e.g., response to intervention, inclusive service learning, guided reading, and incremental rehearsal) are discussed in detail. Potential adaptions and adoption of these strategies are suggested in order to assist in promoting inclusion within the Czech education system

Universal Factors and Tier 1 Interventions Associated with Quality Student-Teacher Relationships

University of Minnesota Ph.D. dissertation. August 2020. Major: Educational Psychology. Advisor: Amanda Sullivan. 1 computer file (PDF); ix, 134 pages.Past research has shown student-teacher relationships (STRs) are associated with a variety of positive and negative student-outcomes including academic achievement, engagement, school adjustment, attendance, disruptive behaviors, suspension, and risk of dropping out. Schools can support student-teacher relationships universally by implementing school- and class-wide programs and practices that facilitate positive, high-quality STRs. Due to the volume of studies that have examined the relationship between school- and class-wide factors and programs with STRs, high quality research synthesis is needed. Study 1 contributed a systemic review of school- and class-wide factors found to be associated with STRs. Study 2 applied meta-analytic and common element techniques to determine effect sizes and practice elements of interventions that improve STRs. The programs with the largest effects sizes were Establish-Maintain-Restore (EMR) and BRIDGE. Other programs demonstrated larger effect sizes in one study; however, their overall combined effect sizes revealed smaller effects. The common elements procedure identified 44 total practices across all organizational categories teachers can use to promote positive STRs. More specifically, this procedure identified 14 proactive practices that directly impact relationships between students and teachers. Programs with the largest effect sizes contained the most proactive and direct practices for improving STRs. Implications of these findings and future research recommendations are discussed

Moving Toward an Inclusive Education System: Lessons from the U.S. and Their Potential Application in the Czech Republic and Other Central and Eastern European Countries

In this article, we present the historical and current developments of inclusive education (IE) in the U.S. in the context of recent changes toward a more inclusive approach to education (IE) in the Czech Republic. We highlight the lessons learned with respect to the implementation of IE practices in U.S. schools as a means to uphold the right to education for all. Research findings of the impact of IE on the academic and social outcomes of children and youth with disabilities, from other diverse backgrounds and for students without disabilities are summarized. The goal of this article is to inspire educators and scholars in the Czech Republic and other countries in Central and Eastern Europe to utilize the presented information on IE research and implementation practices in their local educational contexts, taking into account both the local context and current needs