Inclusive Healthy Schools

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Background

Both the World Health Organization’s “Health 2020” European framework and the United Nations Disability Rights Convention focus on the creation of equality of opportunity, empowerment, and participation. They aim to improve the health of all people and to enable a common life for all people with and without disabilities. In line with this, inclusive healthy schools focus on establishing equality of opportunity, empowerment and participation, in order to reduce strain across the entire school system while strengthening personal and social resources so as to overcome difficult situations. The relevant conceptions of health and special educational needs invoked here are based on a bio-psychosocial understanding, which means that biomedical, psychological, and social aspects (as well as their mutual effects) are all considered. Moreover, the actions of inclusive healthy schools emphasize both individuals and the school setting.

Research activity in the area of inclusive healthy schools is divided into three main branches: (1) The first branch focuses on promoting and supporting development and individual learning as well as on promoting the health of students with special educational needs, the inclusion of children and young adults in their regular schools and peer groups, and therefore on supporting interdisciplinary competencies and multi-professional cooperation. (2) The second branch emphasizes promoting the health of teaching staff in order to find a healthy approach to dealing with stress factors. (3) The third branch focuses on the school itself, in examining, for example, multi-professional cooperation within school teams, or leadership by school principals and its effects on inclusion and health in schools.

The research topic seeks to address key questions on how school life and teaching have to be designed to strengthen pupils’ and teachers’ competencies in order to facilitate a healthy and successful school career and life for all children. By focusing both on demands and resources as well as on the underlying associations of antecedents and consequences of inclusion and health at school, it aims to fill a number of important research gaps. Crucial areas of focus in this context include, for instance: managing life skills in inclusive schools and classrooms, the interrelations between leadership and health in schools, prevention and intervention strategies for challenging behavior in schools, teachers’ beliefs and attitudes towards inclusion, the social, emotional and academic inclusion of children with special educational needs in inclusive classrooms, and cooperation between parents and schools.

This Research Topic therefore aims to present innovative research on the factors governing inclusive and healthy schools in which optimal support is provided to every person in the school context, in order to promote not only health and well-being but also willingness and ability to perform. This means that the development, individual learning and behavioral needs of the students are all considered and supported. To address these questions and important topics, we welcome the following article types:
• Brief Research Reports,
• Original Research,
• Systematic Reviews.

Important note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.

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