Best Practices for Students with Learning Disability in Inclusive Schools from the US and UK - Research Proposal Example

BEST PRACTICES FOR STUDENTS WITH LEARNING DISABILITY IN INCLUSIVE SCHOOLS FROM THE US AND UK: THEORETICAL ANALYSIS AND APPLICATION TO SAUDI ARABIA {Insert student’s name} August 16, 2013 BEST PRACTICES FOR STUDENTS WITH LEARNING DISABILITY IN INCLUSIVE SCHOOLS FROM THE US AND UK: THEORETICAL ANALYSIS AND APPLICATION TO SAUDI ARABIA Introduction There is an increasing consensus all over the world that all children have the right to be inclusively educated. For the last years it has been evident that most key international statements have been affirming inclusive education principle and the necessity of working towards schools for all- institutions which celebrate everyone, support learning, include everybody and respond to needs of individuals. According to the UN standard rules on the equalization of opportunities for persons with disabilities 1993, the United Nations Conventions on The rights of the Child 1989 and the UNESCO’s statement and framework for action are some of the powerful tools that have struggled to abolish segregated education which have denied children with disabilities the right to mainstream education in addition to reinforcing society’s discrimination and prejudices against them. The mentioned documents provides a strong case for inclusion, an aspect that makes inclusive education to be firmly on the national governments agenda. The UK and the US formally supports the aforementioned documents. For instance in 1994, UK was one of the 92 nations that endorsed the Salamanca statement as well as ratifying the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child in 1991. Drawing from the fundamental human rights perspective, children with disabilities should not be excluded from ordinary communities and institutions in addition to being segregated on the grounds of their disability. This project will theoretically examine the best practices for students with learning disability in inclusive schools in US and UK and application of the same to Saudi Arabia. Aims of the project To theoretically analyze policies of inclusive schools in US and UK and apply the same in the educational system of Saudi Arabia Theoretically analyze teaching of students with disabilities in US and UK and compare the same with the practices in Saudi Arabia. The significance The research is of significance in improving teaching of students with learning disability in Saudi Arabia in line with recommended international/ UN standards adapted by countries such as US and UK. Additionally, the work is of significance as no research has been done on comparative educational policies in UK, US and Saudi Arabia. The findings are further of significance as they are likely to provide information that may assist Saudi Arabia teachers and policy makers to adapt best practices for children with learning disabilities. Additionally, the study may assist Saudi Arabia minister for education to serve the identified population; children with learning disabilities. Research questions What are the policies of inclusive schools in UK and US? To what extent has US and UK adhered to UNESCO and UN standards on inclusive education policies. What are the educational policies for children with learning disabilities in Saudi Arabia? To what extent has Saudi Arabia adhered to UNESCO and UN standards on inclusive education policies? What are the teaching practices for students with learning disability in US, UK and Saudi Arabia? Literature review Definition of learning disability Learning disabilities is defined as learning problems as a result of difficulty in cognitive processing in which the dysfunction affects either one or more cognitive processes of an individual, but does not obstruct the overall intellectual ability. The mentioned types of disabilities are characterized by inconsistency between their actual performance and their measured potential on given academic tasks. Learning disabilities results into creation of gaps between the true capacity of a person and her or his daily performance. However, appropriate intervention, early diagnosis as well as critical components for identifying people with learning disabilities. But with early detection as well as intervention, learning disabilities can cause not only complete loss of self-esteem but also substance abuse, juvenile delinquency, school drop-out, and illiteracy. Reviews of previous studies Proponents of the inclusive schools hold the belief that students with learning disabilities should not be removed from mainstream classrooms. This is because doing so is likely to highlight their disabilities in addition to violating their rights and disrupting their education (Ainscow, 1999). In certain jurisdictions, studies have failed to demonstrate that removal to special school or class delivers significantly for students. According to Au & Hui (2003), Inclusion students in special units and are attached to mainstream schools or those students who are drawn to individual support may not be perceived as to truly inclusive. The mentioned can make the students with learning disabilities to be isolated an aspect that is likely to perpetuate ongoing segregation forms. According to Bender (2002) the rights perspective invalidates the argument that the needs of children can be best catered for in any kind of special setting. CAST (2013) indicates that segregation to special schools entails small number of students. In some schools in UK, approximately 40 percent of the mainstream school population is reported to have some form of additional or special need. However, Dyson & Ainscow (2003) point out the weight of discussion need to be within the mainstream as well as its capacity to address the student’s needs. Consequently, international policies supporting inclusion schools for children with learning disabilities is driven by human rights and moral imperatives, nonetheless it is essential to gather an evidence base for the purpose of inclusive education effectiveness. Kagan (1994) points out that it is essential to distinguish the issues of values and rights from the aspect of the relative effectiveness of distinct educational approaches. Even though both are essential, the issue of efficacy is on the empirical evidence whereby all the values are subject to evaluation. According to Mercer & Mercer (2001), researching on the inclusive practice is fraught with numerous problems with lack of operational definition of inclusion education as well as methodological difficulties regarding to non-comparability of samples receiving distinct types of education in different inclusive educational contexts. Additionally, lack of consistency across different studies makes comparison challenging and hence some scholars have concluded that studies regarding inclusive education has limited validity (Kagan, 1994). However, despite the aforementioned difficulties, there have been a number of reviews. Farrell (1997), in his study pointed out small to moderate positive benefits of inclusive education on academic and social outcomes of the students with special needs. Similarly, in reviewing about 20 studies, Fuchs & Fuchs (1994) found both social and academic benefits linked with special education. Another longitudinal study in US that tracked approximately 8,000 of young people indicated that students with learning disabilities who are in mainstream education, 40 percent are likely to be employed immediately after leaving school compared to their counterparts who are segregated schooling (Kagan, 1994). However, the studies evidence are not unequivocal: a review of about eight model programmes were impressive. Other reviews conducted during 1990s did not provide sufficient evidence to prove superiority of inclusive education. Nonetheless, in several studies, positive effects of inclusive education among studies with learning disabilities have been reported. A US study based on students with learning difficulties in comparison of a pull out model of support with inclusive education, found that inclusion group perform better in a number of academic measures (Kershner, 2003). The mentioned successful model entailed teacher’s planning and collaboration. Other studies have however indicated that students with or without learning disabilities, inclusive classes have been linked to higher levels of academic performance. Lenz, Deshler, & Kissam (2004) in their studies highlights the importance of ensuring that students become effective leaders in a society that is intellectual in nature. Hence, it is essential for the provided education to ensure opportunities for engaging with students with diverse characteristics and abilities. The diversity which is represented in the inclusive classroom provide challenge and stimulus to deep thinking that do not dominate segregated classes. Situation in UK and US The concept of integration and mainstreaming mainly focused on educational policy. Movement towards inclusive education was impacted upon by the Salamanca statement in 1994, which stated that all children need to be valued equally. Moreover, as a result of international trend towards inclusive education, in 1997 UK began to start to include students with special needs in the mainstream education. Both US and UK have a key challenge for inclusive educators is to realize the best way to nourish students with distinct needs as individual learners. The two countries have adapted two key instructional strategies. One of them is use of cooperative learning while the second one is teaching of learning strategies. Additionally, in the 1970s, the United Kingdom and the United States provided policies that stated that students with disabilities too have human rights just like other children to access general educational settings. For instance in US, in 1975 the Public Law 94-142 was passed, additionally, the mainstream policies mandated students with disabilities to attain majority of their education with their peers who are non-disabled (Putnam, 1998). In 1981, in UK, the Education Act became the law and hence it accepted the integration concept which was presented in the Warnock Report (1978). The mentioned report suggested functional integration which was similar to that of US mainstream practice, and students with special needs were allowed to join regular classes in full-time or part-time mode, so as to encourage them to take part in the school activities (Tomlinson, 2001). Situation in Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabia is a country that is growing fast and follows the international community standards in their aim to reform their education system. For instance, the emirates children enjoy free public education and health care via the universality level. Additionally, there is no discrimination of persons with disability in education and the Saudi Arabia government supports inclusion education. However, up today, there is no study or research regarding children with disabilities in Saudi Arabia in comparison with US and UK. In other words, there have been no comparative or systematic study that analyses the issue of inclusive education for children with learning disabilities in Saudi Arabia in comparison with UK and US (Tomlinson, 2001). Furthermore, in the fields of learning disabilities, specifically in Saudi Arabia, available information entail descriptive data which only records the number of students, programs and teachers but no comparison with other nations on inclusive schools for children with learning disabilities. The Saudi Arabia has emphasized on the public education that ensures that all students are capable of affording opportunity for maximum growth and hence students with special needs are allowed to attend public schools. Nonetheless, the failure of the schools not only to identify and serve but also meet the students’ needs has been an indictment in Saudi Arabia’s society and a problem that need to be addressed (Walther-Thomas, Korinek, McLaughlin, & Williams, 2000). According to Tomlinson (2001), in the 1990s, the teacher preparation program in Saudi Arabia was launched. Nonetheless, due to lack of research as well as understanding of the commencement of the aforementioned programs and lack of government support in Saudi Arabia made it challenging for teachers to easily identify students with learning disabilities. Research method Analytical method will be used for the research whereby there will be theoretical comparison of the educational policies and practices adapted for students with learning disabilities. This analysis will include an analysis of UK and US education policy and initiatives toward students with learning disability in terms of inclusive schools within the theoretical frameworks. Additionally, there will be a comparison of the special education policies in UK and US with other countries in order to adapt the best strategies. Organization of the Study The study will be divided into five chapters. Chapter one entails introduction to the research study which is the aim of the research, the rationale, the research questions, the rationale and the significance. Chapter two of the research will provide a comprehensive literature review and research related to inclusive education for students with learning disabilities drawing from US, UK and Saudi Arabia. Chapter three of the project will provide information on the method that will be used to conduct the study and it will entail research design, research questions, procedures and data analysis. Chapter four of study will present the results as well as interpretation of data analysis and application of the same. Chapter five will entail findings and provide summary in addition to key conclusions, implications as well recommendations for further studies. References Ainscow, M. (1999). Understanding the development of inclusive schools. London: Falmer Press. Ainscow, M. (1997) Towards Inclusive Schooling, British Journal of Special Education, 24(1), 3-6. Au, M. L., & Hui, L. H. (2003). Inclusion or integration for Hong Kong? In M. H. H. Leng, C. R. Dowson & M. G. Moont (Eds.), Inclusive education in the new millennium (pp. 49-57). Hong Kong: Association for Childhood Education International-Hong Kong & Macau and Education Convergence. Bender, W. N. (2002). Differentiating instruction for students with learning disabilities: Best practices for general and special educators. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press. CAST. Summary of universal design for learning concepts. Retrieved September 20, 2004, from http://www.cast.org/udl/index.cfm?i=7 Dyson, A. and Ainscow, M. (2003). Standards and inclusive education: schools squaring the circle, unpublished paper. University of Manchester,Faculty of Education. Kagan, S. (1994). Cooperative learning. San Clemente, CA: Kagan. Mercer, C. D., & Mercer, A. R. (2001). Teaching students with learning problems. Upper Saddle River, N.J.: Merrill/Prentice Hall. Farrell, P. (1997). Teaching Pupils with Learning Difficulties: Strategies and Solutions. London: Cassell. Fuchs D., & Fuchs L. S. (1994). Inclusive schools movement and radicalization of special education reform. Exceptional Children, 60(4),294-309. Kershner, R. (2003). Teaching strategies and approaches for pupils with special educational needs. Unpublished briefing paper, University of Cambridge. Lenz, B. K., Deshler, D. D., & Kissam, B. R. (2004). Teaching content to all: Evidence-based inclusive practices in middle and secondary schools. Boston, MA: Pearson Education. Putnam, J. W. (1998). The process of cooperative learning. In J. W. Putnam (Ed.), Cooperative learning and strategies for inclusion: Celebrating diversity in the classroom (pp. 17-47). Baltimore: Paul H. Brookes. Tomlinson, C. A. (2001). How to differentiate instruction in mixed ability classrooms (2nd ed.). Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development. Walther-Thomas, C., Korinek, L., McLaughlin, V. L., & Williams, B. (2000). Collaboration for inclusive education: Developing successful programs. Boston: Allyn & Bacon. Read More