This study was undertaken to examine the instructional practices of teachers in inclusive classrooms in Ghana. It also assessed the influence of selected teacher background variables on inclusive practices. Thirty-seven (37) teachers from 20 primary schools in two districts completed a background information questionnaire and were observed during…

This article describes a program designed to foster authentic inclusion and excellence in an elementary school learning community and research results from the first phase of this on-going project. Actively Building Capacity for Diversity sees successful inclusion of students with exceptional needs as part of a continuum of excellent educational…

This work addresses the politics of speech and language communication with respect to Africans in the Diaspora in Jamaica and in the United States of America. Language hegemony is an expression of the power and control sustained by means of institutions such as schools. Depending on their linguistic choices or situational language use, post…

Social inclusion of students with disabilities into the school system is a primary goal for many educators as well as advocates for this population. One program that seeks to increase levels of social inclusion for students with disabilities is the Circle of Friends Program (COFP). Its purpose is to widen the social network of students with…

This phenomenological case study examines one family's lived experience as they advocated for appropriate and effective services in inclusive classes for a member of their family who had significant disabilities. Findings suggest the need for effective professional development if school personnel are to effectively educate students with…

Inclusion in education is based on the premise that given the right educational opportunity and support, every student can achieve to his/her optimum level. This paper reports a study of 50 Junior Secondary Students' experiences of schooling using phenomenon auto-driven photo elicitation approach. The paper examines issues of school place in…

All across the country, individuals are being recognized for successfully promoting inclusion in schools. These persons have helped make it more possible for students who have disabilities to participate in meaningful ways with their peers in a wide range of activities. Although the quality of inclusion does indeed depend on many factors related…

This paper reports on a study that examined teachers' concerns and attitude toward inclusive education of students with disabilities in Ghana. A 20 item Attitudes Toward Inclusion in Africa Scale (ATIAS) was completed by 100 teachers from five "Inclusive Project" schools and five Non-Project coeducational basic schools in three different…

The advent of a democracy in South Africa ushered in refreshing changes within the South African context. Given South Africa's dark apartheid history, every policy intervention had to ensure a human rights ethos prevails. Inclusive Education, through the publication of the policy document Education White Paper 6 on Special Needs Education:…

This article describes a multiage classroom led by three co-teachers who facilitate the education of 42 students ages six through nine years. The classroom is located in a public school district that practices inclusion and subscribes to the principles of whole schooling. A literature review defines the concepts of co-teaching, multiage education,…

In school classrooms, teachers are always asking their students to tell stories about their lives in the contexts of family and neighbourhood. But what are the conventions and expectations that govern the stories that are told and written in classrooms? In what ways are students encouraged and constrained in writing the stories of their lives? Why…

This paper discusses the creation of essential conditions in schools and school jurisdictions in order to support the inclusion of the diverse range of learning preferences and needs found in today's classrooms. In order for inclusion to be successful educators need to work towards an educational climate and set of practices which include the…

There are many factors that influence the academic success and motivation of students. Social cognitive theory contends that individuals learn and perform based upon a triadic reciprocality of personal factors, behavior, and the environment. Personal factors such as beliefs, behaviors, and the environment equally influence one another. Existing…

There are many valid reasons for participating in an educators' tour of Germany. It is a nation that has a legacy of literary and political thought that has had a profound impact on the evolution of Western civilization. Germany has offered the world artistic and scientific genius and been the source of devastating war and unprecedented genocide.…

This paper, which employs a narrative method, draws upon my personal experiences of L1 (Chinese) and L2 (English) literacy acquisition through a particular era--China's Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution, during which time regular schooling was interrupted. In this paper, I seek to illustrate that the process of acquiring literacy reflects…