This study investigated group and individual differences in beginning secondary school teachers' self-efficacy for the inclusive classroom in Canada and Germany. This research complements previous Canadian and German research that compared the self-efficacy of pre-service teachers in each country, as well as those experiences that contributed to…

The current study aimed to estimate the cost associated with special education among children (5 to 14 years) with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) in elementary and middle school by sex, age group, and province and territory in Canada. It was estimated that there were 6,520 students with FASD receiving special education in Canada in…

In Canada little research has been conducted on inclusive education practices in secondary schools. The purpose of this study is to report, for a diverse group of four secondary school teachers in a single school board in southeastern Ontario, their descriptions of facilitating the inclusion of exceptional students in general classrooms. The four…

Teachers who show high teacher efficacy affect student achievement positively. Teaching is sometimes seen as an overwhelming profession because of classroom diversity and expectations placed on teachers. It is important to bring beginning teachers to the point at which they feel they are capable and will be more emotionally equipped to take on the…

The purpose of this article is to present the scale items, the statistical characteristics, and evidence of validity of the previously unpublished Beliefs about Learning and Teaching Questionnaire that examines elementary teachers' epistemological beliefs and their beliefs about learning and teaching in inclusive classrooms. In this study, 186…

Inclusive educational practices vary across Canada, and perhaps most especially in secondary schools. Researchers use the term authentic inclusion to describe exemplary inclusive educational institutions. Using an appreciative inquiry framework, two such high schools were identified and profiled within the Canadian province of Saskatchewan.…

Rarely are the views of children with learning disabilities elicited. In this study, we used focus groups involving eight students with learning disabilities to explore their self-perceptions as learners and writers using assistive technology (AT). Three groups of two to three Grade 4-8 students and their parents participated in the qualitative…

There is a limited body of research examining how students' beliefs about intelligence and about their abilities relate to different learning environments. As reported here, I examined secondary school students' beliefs, goals, and expectations guided by Zimmerman's (2000) model of self-regulated learning. In this exploratory study, 230 secondary…

In its final report, the At-risk Working Group, which reported to the Ontario Minister of Education, described at-risk secondary students as performing significantly below the provincial standard, failing to meet curriculum expectations, and being disengaged from school (O'Connor, 2003, p. 5). In this special issue, authors examine this topic,…

The global economic downturn and high youth unemployment have created a challenging context for Ontario secondary-school teachers to meet the compulsory half-credit career studies course objectives intended to support school-to-work (STW) transition. Bronfenbrener's (1979) ecological systems theory provided a clear framework to examine influences…

The transition from school to the workplace has been identified as challenging for at-risk youth who have already disengaged from learning and feel disenfranchised in the context of school. Work-based education (WBE), including co-operative education, has been recognized in recent years as an effective strategy for enabling at-risk youth to…

This study examined relationships between three factors related to teacher self-efficacy (use of inclusive instruction, collaboration with others, and managing disruptive behaviour) and practicing teachers' sentiments, attitudes, and concerns about inclusive education of students with developmental disabilities. We calculated Pearson…

The primary objective of this mixed methods study was to identify educators' professional development needs to determine how best to support them in providing quality programming for children with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) within an inclusive educational system. Information was collected through focus groups with key school board informants…

This article discusses School-wide Positive Behaviour Support (SWPBS), an evidence-based approach to teaching social competencies and enhancing the school social environment. The focus of this article is on the value of evaluation and evaluation plans at a district level for maintaining and increasing the effectiveness of SWPBS in a district. We…

This article reviews three studies that provide evidence that students with learning disabilities (LD) display optimistic academic self-beliefs, even in the face of relatively poor academic performance. In the first study, a quantitative approach was used to explore the spelling and writing self-efficacy of 133 adolescents with and without LD.…