Norwichs Argument about Global Inclusion - Essay Example

Global Inclusion: A Series of Dilemmas Introduction Social, cultural, and educational inclusion has been a topic discussed globally with utmost importance. There has been an international plea for inclusive education, and this is a concept that has been a central part of several international discussions on development and improvement of education system. While inclusive education is a concept which generally means the education of all the children in mainstream schools irrespective of any consideration, it has been comprehended differently in different nations. Though the process of inclusive education has been implemented in some nations, it is immensely affected by the diversity in the understanding. "Inclusive practices are a reality in at least some schools in many education systems... The more inclusive a setting, the more it is challenged by diversity and difference." (Ballard 1999. P. 1). It is, however, indubitable that there has been a global attempt in favour of educational inclusion, in spite of the fact that there are challenges from various aspects. In this context, it is relatable that Brahm Norwich understood global inclusion or the move towards inclusion around the world as problematic. Norwich's argument that the move to global inclusion can be described as a series of 'dilemmas' needs to be analyzed in great detail to determine the international factors that contribute to the situation. In this paper, an attempt to make a profound analysis of Norwich's statement is undertaken and the ultimate objective is to determine the factors or the series of 'dilemmas' affecting global inclusion. This will also help in a critical consideration of the current educational policy, practices and provision concerning special educational needs and inclusion as well as an evaluation of the impact of government and international legislation on the provision for special educational needs. Outline of Norwich's argument One of the most serious challenges facing the school systems all over the world has been the one concerning educational inclusion. It is a global issue in the sense that educational inclusion relates to wealthy nations as well as economically poorer nations, and, in the poor countries, this issue is raised mainly by the millions of children who are incapable of attending formal education of any kind. Similarly, "in wealthier countries many young people leave school with no worthwhile qualifications, whilst others are placed in various forms of special provision away from mainstream educational experiences, and some simply choose to drop out since the lessons seem irrelevant to their lives." (Ainscow and Cesar 2006). Inclusion is a concept that has been a central unifying factor of social and educational policy on a consistent base globally. There have been several collaborative efforts incorporating different international agencies, which aim at enhancing educational inclusion as an implanted component of more general social inclusion. Governments of every nation have been engaged in formulating policies that affect global educational and social inclusion. "Initiatives forthcoming within the European Union (EU) provide good examples of ways in which governments, acting collaboratively in the interest of a particular region or country, have begun to highlight inclusion as a major strategy to secure economic and social cohesion." (Daniels and Garner 2000. P. ivx). However, these efforts encounter a serious intimidation from several dilemmas in the matter. Many often these challenges affect the international efforts to counter issues related to inclusion. Therefore, inclusion is an international issue and it calls for a wider understanding of the global efforts to counter these problems. In fact, the global efforts for inclusion, as suggested by Norwich, can be comprehended as encountering a series of dilemmas. The move towards social and educational inclusion is an international phenomenon, and this global inclusion, according to Norwich, encounters several dilemmas. A dilemma may be comprehended as an issue which does not have an easy or simple solution, and the fact that there are a number of such issues which affect global inclusion points to the significance of the topic. There are three main aspects to be considered when referring to global inclusion as problematic. Thus, it is relatable that special education needs (SEN) is understood differently in different countries; inclusion refers to different things in different countries; and the concepts regarding inclusion are comprehended within diverse contexts. As there are several ways of understanding the concept of inclusion all over the world, international perspectives such as Salamanca and UNCRC need to be explained in local contexts. As a result, the practices in different countries will be different. There are also several other dilemmas such as the historical development and understanding of schooling, disability, etc, state funding, system, and policies, the focus of curriculum, teaching and learning etc. All these factors suggest that the global inclusion involve a number of serious dilemmas and Norwich's arguments become loud and clear. According to Daniels and Garner, "the equal opportunities movement has presented the field of special needs education with a number of dilemmas and challenges." (Daniels and Garner 2000. P. ivx). Global Inclusion Inclusion, a term used often in the modern socio-educational context, is concerned with people and societies which value diversity and overcoming barriers. The global move in favor of inclusion started with SEN or 'special education needs'. In the previous centuries, it was regarded as a special category in the educational sphere. However, in the current days, it has become a serious topic of discussion and there have been ongoing debates on the effectiveness of special schools for such students. It is important to relate here that "much of the subsequent movement in political and public opinion towards the 'integration' or 'reintegration' of pupils with learning difficulties into 'mainstream' schools stemmed more from ethical arguments than from any functional rationale." (Topping and Maloney 2005. P. 2). It is important to comprehend that there is a common understanding of inclusion as principally dealing with educating students with disabilities or students who are categorized as 'having special educational needs', in the mainstream schools. However, there have been debates on this kind of an understanding of the term, primarily because such an approach, when attempting to enhance the involvement of students, emphasizes a 'disabled' or 'special needs' aspect of these students and overlooks all the other ways in which participation for any student may be impeded or enhanced. While an attempt to reject the observation of inclusion as related to the special educational needs may be justified, it can deflect the attention from the continued isolation of disabled students and the students who are categorized as having special educational needs. "Inclusion," writes Ainscow and Cesar, "can be seen to involve the assertion of the rights of disabled young people to a local mainstream education, a view vociferously propounded by some disabled people." (Ainscow and Cesar 2006). An exact understanding of educational inclusion and the special needs of students invalidates various arguments on the issue. Therefore, it is important to consider that enforced segregation can lead to the oppression of disabled people, similar to the practices which marginalize people on account of race, gender or sexual orientation. In an analysis of global inclusion, it is of paramount implication to comprehend the various aspects of inclusion as well as the essential requirements of the process. Is inclusion a mere consideration for the special needs of students "Inclusive education extends beyond special needs arising from disabilities, and includes consideration of other sources of disadvantage and marginalization, such as gender, poverty, language, ethnicity, and geographic isolation." (Mitchell 2005. P. 1). Mitchell also asserts that inclusive education is a problematic and complex concept. There are a number of composite inter-relationships among these different factors which along with their interaction with disability must be the center of focus in global inclusion. According to Sayed et al, the inventive approaches to educational inclusion need to deal with issues at the macro, micro, personal and interpersonal levels, along with considering the various political and social aspects contributing to the issue. "Educational inclusion requires careful consideration of every aspect of schooling and the social context in which it finds itselfConnections between school and community cultures have to be drawn, as well as between educational and community programs of inclusion." (Sayed, Soudien, and Carrim 2003. P.245). Global Inclusion: Series of Dilemmas Brahm Norwich has dealt with the issue of educational inclusion in great detail and he argues that the move to global inclusion can be best explained as a series of 'dilemmas'. (Norwich, 2008.) In a reflective analysis of the argument by Norwich, it becomes lucid that the global situation substantiates his statement. Here, it is most commendable that inclusion requires genuine relationships and intentional efforts to construct relationships where diversity is accepted. Global inclusion requires the collaborative efforts of different nations and the major challenges facing such efforts is the difference in understanding of SEN as well as inclusion in different nations. The social and cultural aspects of the nations determine the process of inclusion immensely and, therefore, the social system of different nations must be taken into consideration. "Inclusion is more in tune with the social model of disability which sees the system as the problem. The school and the education system, as a whole, is enabled to change in order to meet the individual needs of all learners."(Miles 2000). The challenges in global inclusion are different in various nations and the special education needs of the students are comprehended differently all over the world. Similarly, the concept of inclusion means different things in different countries. It is relatable that the concepts are located within context and this is a serious dilemma in global inclusion. As the international perspective requires an understanding of the local context, many often the efforts of global inclusion face decisive dilemmas. As a result of the differing views of Salamanca, UNCRC etc, the practices will be different in different countries. This fact points to a specific issue under question. Along with these challenges, the historical development of schooling across the world and the historical development and understanding of SEN and disability contribute to serious dilemmas in global inclusion. State funding as well as state system of education differ across the world. All these are determining issues in global inclusion. Inclusive Schools: A comparative analysis of three nations Inclusive education has been a global issue and nations all over the world have engaged in the attempts of social and educational inclusion. However, as suggested by Norwich, a number of dilemmas have been identified in the progress of global inclusion. A reflective analysis of the global situation in educational inclusion contributes to this investigative study. Such analysis would also set the socio-cultural phenomena essential to the advance of inclusive schools across different settings. Kugeimass provides a case study of this type which contributes to the investigative purpose of this study as well. He collected the relevant data for the comparative analysis from two European schools and an American school. Significantly, the two European schools provided the best counterparts to the analysis of the American situation of inclusion. Most importantly, the three case-studies summarize the best picture of global inclusion and a useful description of the challenges in different nations. Summarizing the situation in the USA, the study concentrated on Betsy Miller School in the State of New York. Several inclusive reforms happened in the school which characterized its operation left in 1995. Most of the staff sustained their commitment to inclusive education, although the principal kept changing during each of the following seven years, i.e., 1995-2002. The reforms in the educational inclusion program required substantial effort and skill. "Although national and state statutes articulated support for diversity, special education regulations reflect deficit models that conflicted with the strengths' based and child-centered focus of the school. The school faced additional challenges from new regulations requiring student achievement of mandated learning standards that were to be assessed by statewide, standardized assessments." (Kugeimass 2006. P. 284). England was represented by the Eastside School of London which provided the next case for analysis, and this also confirmed that there are several challenges to educational inclusion in different nations. Considerably, majority of children in England go to their local neighborhood schools, although there is a practice of the schools fulfilling the role of 'sorting offices' which decide and prepare children for their future destinations in life. In spite of the current efforts to introduce a more comprehensive orientation, the practice of selecting and grouping children on the basis of their apparent academic ability is a long rooted factor. There are also different cases of highly focused and segregated forms of special education in the nation which is evident in this particular school. "In this context, 'Eastside' primary school is particularly vulnerable. Additional challenges include being cited by the Office of Skills, Teaching and Education (OFSTED) for poor academic performance in literacy and numeracy" (Kugeimass 2006. P. 285). Costa school of Portugal provided the third case study for the analysis, and the obligation to inclusive education could be realized here in its broadest sense. In the general education classrooms of this school there have been special education 'support teachers' as well as teaching assistants to shore up children with special educational needs. The teachers were engaged in the modification and development of curriculum. They also worked with individual children in the resource support room, providing support to all the children who need any assistance, as against those who had special educational needs. The strength of the classrooms that include students with special educational was fixed at 20 students. "The lack of enough school buildings to serve the growing population of students in the community surrounding the school has, however, required two shifts of classes at Costa, with some students attending school in the morning shift and others in the afternoon shift. This is a common practice throughout the country." (Kugeimass 2006. P. 285). All these case analyses indicate that inclusion is comprehended differently in different countries, and the focus of SEN change considerably from one nation to another. The cultural and social impacts of global inclusion need to be realized in an analysis of the issue. Conclusion Inclusion, social as well as educational, has been a global phenomenon, and different international agencies are engaged in such efforts. Brahm Norwich has been right in arguing that the move to global inclusion can be described as a series of 'dilemmas' and this investigation holds his view as exact. Bibliography AINSCOW, Mel., and CESAR, Margarida. (2006). Inclusive education ten years after Salamanca: Setting the agenda. European Journal of Psychology of Education. Vol. XXI, n3. 23I-23S 6.1.S.P.A. BALLARD, Keith. (1999). "International Voices: an Introduction." Inclusive Education: International Voices on Disability and Justice. Keith Ballard (Ed). London: Routledge. P. 1. DANIELS, Harry., and GARNER, Philip. (2000). Inclusive Education: Supporting Inclusion in Education Systems. London: Routledge. P. ivx. MILES, Susie. (2000). [online]. Enabling Inclusive Education: Challenges and Dilemmas. Last Accessed 27 November 2008 at: http://www.eenet.org.uk/theory_practice/bonn_2.shtml KUGEIMASS, Judy W. (2006). Sustaining cultures of inclusion: The value and limitation of cultural analyses. European Journal of Psychology of Education. Vol. XXI, n3. -6, I.S.P.A. P. 279-292. MITCHELL, David R. (2005). Contextualizing Inclusive Education: Evaluating Old and New International Perspectives. London: Routledge. P. 1. NORWICH, B. (2008). Dilemmas of difference, Inclusion and Disability. London: Routledge. SAYED, Y., SOUDIEN, C., and CARRIM, N. (2003). "Discourses of exclusion and inclusion in the South: Limits and possibilities." Journal of Educational Change. 4. P. 231-48. TOPPING, Keith., and MALONEY, Sheelagh. (2005). The Routledge Falmer Reader in Inclusive Education. London: Routledge. P. 2. Read More