Inclusive Education: Global Issues and Controversies

This edited book considers the main issues and controversies within the current educational context of inclusive education, from an international perspective. Authorities in the field such as Norwich, Kauffman, and Boyle, amongst many other international scholars, provide an enticing insight into many of the issues and controversies around inclusive education, and whether it is achievable or not. We have reached a point in time where inclusive education has been the prevailing doctrine for universal education policies. However, there are still many challenges facing those working within the inclusive education space, with some countries actually becoming less inclusive.

International and national legislation has continued to move towards inclusive education, yet there seems to be many gaps between the philosophy and the principles of inclusive education and systemic practice.

The book aims to address the current debates surrounding the implementation of inclusive education, and also offers insights into the inconsistencies between policies and practices in inclusive environments. Moreover, it analyzes contemporary research evidence on the effectiveness of inclusion and identify directions for future research.

Contributors are: Kelly-Ann Allen, Dimitris Anastasiou, Joanna Anderson, Adrian Ashman, Jeanmarie Badar, Christopher Boyle, Jonathan M. Campbell, Heather Craig, Leire Darretxe, Julian Elliott, Zuriñe Gaintza, Betty A. Hallenbeck, Divya Jindal-Snape, Marguerite Jones, James M. Kauffman, George Koutsouris, Fraser Lauchlan, Gerry Mac Ruairc, Sofia Mavropoulou, Daniel Mays, Brahm Norwich, Angela Page, Kirsten S. Railey, and Federico R. Waitoller.

Christopher Boyle, Ph.D. (2009), University of Dundee, is Associate Professor of Educational Psychology at the University of Exeter. He has published over 100 articles, books, chapters, reports, and reviews including Pathways to Belonging: Contemporary Research in School Belonging (Brill, 2018).

Joanna Anderson, MEd., is a PhD student at the University of Exeter, and has worked as a teacher and school leader in the area of inclusive education for more than 20 years. Her research interests include inclusive education and school leadership, and inclusive education within the current sociopolitical zeitgeist, and she has a growing body of publications in these areas.

Angela Page, Ed.D. (2012), University of Otago, is Senior Lecturer in Special and Inclusive Education at the University of Newcastle, Australia. She has published in the areas of classroom management and inclusive education in New Zealand, Australian and Pacific contexts.

Sofia Mavropoulou, Ph.D., is Senior Lecturer of Inclusive Education at the Queensland University of Technology in Australia. She has extensive experience as a lecturer in autism education in universities in Greece, Cyprus and Australia. Her research, being conducted in Greece and Australia, is focused on educational strategies for students with autism in inclusive contexts, and social inequalities and families raising children with autism.