About this Research Topic
This year marks the 30th anniversary of the Salamanca Declaration (UNESCO, 1994) which began the global movement towards inclusive education for students with special educational needs (SEN). Inclusive education for this student group represents a paradigm shift in providing quality education for all students. Around the globe, this universal ideal has progressed a strengths-based approach to student learning and encouraged mixed-ability classrooms. Notwithstanding this milestone, recent studies have highlighted persistent disparities in the formulation and implementation of inclusion policies, inadequacies in teacher preparation, and imbalances in access to resources. Factors such as these continue to pose challenges in achieving truly inclusive education for students with SEN.
Given this context, it is both timely and essential to undertake a critical reassessment of the inclusive education agenda for this student group. While policy frameworks may emphasize inclusion, their real-world translation often falls short, leading to gaps between intention and realization. Moreover, the limited enactment of evidence-based practices at school and classroom levels continue to impede student engagement and learning. Furthermore, there is a need to consider how inclusive education interfaces with the broader concepts of diversity, equity, and individualized learning. The goal of this Research Topic is to explore these complex issues, identify underlying barriers, and promote strategies that can genuinely move inclusive education forward for students with SEN.
Proposed themes related to this topic on including students with SEN in mainstream schools are (but not limited to):
- Evolving perspectives on global policy reforms.
- Evaluating local policies and their impact on schooling.
- Identifying cultural and socio-economic factors influencing policy and practice.
- Overcoming barriers and creating levers for change.
- Enhancing teacher training and development.
- Evaluating the impact of school leadership.
- Promoting inclusive school culture.
- Investigating the roles and responsibilities of key stakeholders.
- Exploring parental involvement and community partnerships.
- Examining curriculum models and instructional strategies to meet student need.
- Fostering Inclusive pedagogical approaches.
- Assessing peer interaction and social inclusion.
- Promoting student social and emotional well-being.
- Predicting future directions for policy and practice.
We welcome the following article types (see website for further details):
A-type articles (max. 12,000 words); Original Research, Systematic Review, Review, Policy and Practice Reviews, Hypothesis and Theory.
B-type articles; Perspective, Policy Brief (max. 3,000 words), Curriculum, Instruction, and Pedagogy (max. 5,000 words), Conceptual Analysis (max. 8,000 words).
Given this context, it is both timely and essential to undertake a critical reassessment of the inclusive education agenda for this student group. While policy frameworks may emphasize inclusion, their real-world translation often falls short, leading to gaps between intention and realization. Moreover, the limited enactment of evidence-based practices at school and classroom levels continue to impede student engagement and learning. Furthermore, there is a need to consider how inclusive education interfaces with the broader concepts of diversity, equity, and individualized learning. The goal of this Research Topic is to explore these complex issues, identify underlying barriers, and promote strategies that can genuinely move inclusive education forward for students with SEN.
Proposed themes related to this topic on including students with SEN in mainstream schools are (but not limited to):
- Evolving perspectives on global policy reforms.
- Evaluating local policies and their impact on schooling.
- Identifying cultural and socio-economic factors influencing policy and practice.
- Overcoming barriers and creating levers for change.
- Enhancing teacher training and development.
- Evaluating the impact of school leadership.
- Promoting inclusive school culture.
- Investigating the roles and responsibilities of key stakeholders.
- Exploring parental involvement and community partnerships.
- Examining curriculum models and instructional strategies to meet student need.
- Fostering Inclusive pedagogical approaches.
- Assessing peer interaction and social inclusion.
- Promoting student social and emotional well-being.
- Predicting future directions for policy and practice.
We welcome the following article types (see website for further details):
A-type articles (max. 12,000 words); Original Research, Systematic Review, Review, Policy and Practice Reviews, Hypothesis and Theory.
B-type articles; Perspective, Policy Brief (max. 3,000 words), Curriculum, Instruction, and Pedagogy (max. 5,000 words), Conceptual Analysis (max. 8,000 words).
Keywords: inclusive education, inclusive education policy, inclusive pedagogical practices, special educational needs, disability, mainstream schooling, teacher training, professional development, stakeholder engagement, social inclusion, equity and social justice
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.
