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

Education for Diversity in Initial Teacher Preparation Programmes: a Comparative International Study

Despite the growing diversity in school polulation, many teacher educators fail incorporating diversity-related content into the courses they teach. As a result, numerous preservice teachers lack quality learning opportunities to become well versed on issues of diversity in meaningful ways. This article reports the results of an international study which explores preservice teacher perceptions of opportunity to learning to teach in diverse inclusive classrooms. A questionnaire was used to document the perceptions of a cohort of kindergarten and elementary student teachers from Spain and the US. Results indicated that strong international differences existed in the perceptions of respondents towards opportunity to learn theoretical aspects of teaching for diversity (e.g., know intervention strategies to meet student diverse educational needs), opportunity to learning to teach inclusively (e.g., learn how to develop an inclusive curriculum), and opportunity to observe and analyse practical aspects of diversity teaching (e.g., conduct diversity-related field-work), all these differences favouring US respondents. The results highlight the need for increased attention to teaching diversity in preservice teacher education programmes. Implications for ongoing development of initial teacher preparation are discussed within the context of improving educators and student teachers’ training for diversity.This study was supported by a grant from the Spanish Ministry of Education, Culture, and Sport (Secretary of State of Education, Professional Training and Universities) within the framework of the Programme “State Programme for the Promotion of Talent and its Employability” I+D+i 2013-2016 (Ref. PRX16/00530), and by the University of Alicante, Office of the Vice-Chancellor for Academic Planning (Ref. 2015/00003670)

Advances and gaps in policy, practice, and research in transition for students with intellectual and developmental disabilities across four countries

The difficulties faced by youth with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDDs) and their families as they move into adulthood are widely documented. The aim of the paper is to explore the current situation in terms of transition processes and outcomes in four countries (the US, UK, Australia and Czech Republic) and identify commonalities and differences that help elucidate what might determine different outcomes. Two research methods—expert knowledge and rapid literature review—were combined to identify sources from which information on transition policy, processes, support practices and outcomes was extracted and synthesised. This review identified gaps in the research evidence including inadequate collection and use of data to drive policy and determine effectiveness, limited evidence‐based models or frameworks for successful transition. There was little transition research that included the voices of young people with IDD. More research is necessary to study the practices of highly successful programmes, and to explore the impact of transition programmes and disability support services on a broader range of outcomes, capturing the experiences of young people themselves and identifying factors that determine successful outcomes

Planning and Development of Social Services for Persons with Disabilities

Soziale Dienste zur Unterstützung von Menschen mit Behinderungen haben sich in den letzten Jahren dynamisch entwickelt und unterliegen auch aktuell einem erheblichen Veränderungsdruck. Die Forschungsarbeiten, die in diesem Band versammelt sind, haben die Entwicklung hin zu einer inklusionsorientierten Unterstützung in zahlreichen Projekten auf unterschiedlichen Ebenen aktiv begleitet.Social services to support persons with disabilities have developed dynamically in recent years and are currently subject to considerable pressure to change. The research work collected in this volume has actively accompanied the development towards inclusion-oriented support in numerous projects at different levels

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

The Spanish version of the teacher efficacy for inclusive practice scale (TEIP-e): a tool to measure competence for teaching in inclusive settings

There is little doubt that the movement towards inclusion has made enormous impact on education systems and schools worldwide (UNESCO, 2007). While initially focusing on providing for students with disabilities in mainstream schools, inclusion now encompasses a much broader definition that refers to all students who may have been historically marginalized from meaningful education, who come from varied multicultural and multidiverse backgrounds or who are at risk of not achieving their full potential (Forlin, 2013). This educational trend has been encouraged internationally as a positive means of enhancing students’ overall development and functioning and basically means giving access and bringing support services, when necessary, to all. Inclusion requires generalist teachers to be able to cater to the needs of the most diverse student population academically, socially, and culturally, responsibility that has impacted the task of teachers more than anything