Doctoral Writing Strategy 1: Just keep writing

I have been told by many people during my studies that the first goal of writing is to actually write.  That is one of the goals I have for myself this semester and this blog is one avenue I've created to help me get that done.  Many wise friends, colleagues and mentors have shared with me the secret wisdom of writing and all have said, in one form or another, "it doesn't matter what you write.  In the beginning you just need to write."  Therefore, I plan to write almost everyday and I plan to use this forum to do so.

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Today I will write about my current work- A qualitative research project studying the implementation, impact and needs of a school wide shift from segregated to inclusive education.

Historically this school educated students with different labels such as autism, down syndrome, learning disabilities (or one of the other 13 diagnostic categories in American special education) in special education classrooms apart from children without labels. The practice of educating students with disability labels in separate classrooms apart from students without disabilities is called segregated education.

inclusionkids.jpg

 2 students working together in aninclusive classroom

tash.org

Over the past year and a half the school has changed how they do business.  The school is now inclusive.  This means that ALL children are educated together in the SAME class.  I have emphasized the words ALL and SAME because in this model all children being educated together in the same class regardless of label or need (real or perceived) is one of the defining features of inclusion.  Therefore, significant changes have occurred in the last year and I am interested in why such a shift occurred, how it has occurred, the impact it has had, and what else is needed.

What I am most interested in is the administration of and change to the educational system & way of work at the school level that occurred (or needs to occur) to accommodate and embed such a change into the culture of the school.  Of course, along with this, I cannot separate from the system the impact this shift has had on teachers, administrators, students and families.  Therefore I am equally interested in those variables.  One can only imagine the difference in teacher's roles, administrative support, resource allocation, classroom pedagogy and curriculum that exists.  Interesting and critical to this particular case study is the broader political context of the district that this school is situated in.  As far as I can tell this school is the only school in the district to attempt such a shift.  All others seem to maintain segregated education for students receiving special education.  Interesting, don't you think?!

Now to be fair, it is probably important for you to know that I am a strong believer and advocate for inclusive education, and have been for more than a decade.  It is actually a defining feature of who I am.  My reasons are many, some of which I will share with you from time to time, but all in all I stand firmly behind my belief (until I find evidence to the contrary) that the most effective and just education is education that is inclusive of all children.

More about this later.  Consider this your introduction to my world!

(The images in this blog entry ARE NOT from the school I am discussing. They are images from the web.  I have cited where I got the images from.  Also, to maintain confidentiality I will not be sharing any identifying information on the school.)