This book challenges the assumption that special schools are a second-best educational option for their pupils. It celebrates the success and importance of special schools within England and the support of local education authorities (LEAs) in maintaining them. Full of examples highlighting good practice, including the views of parents, pupils and ex-pupils who have all experienced a positive special school education, the book:

• clearly outlines the principles at the heart of the inclusion debate
• discusses the tension in schools between raising standards and being inclusive
• assesses the future role of special schools
• offers an alternative vision of 'optimal education' for each child.

Celebrating the Special School will be of interest to parents of children attending special schools or considering placement, LEA officers, special school staff, staff working in units for pupils with SEN and parents of these children.

Teaching is most effective when certain general principles are followed; however, not all students are alike, and not all teaching methods are equally effective. Including a pre-test, post-test, and key vocabulary terms, Effective Instruction for Students With Special Needs presents the key components of highly effective instruction and the accommodations and modifications that should be made for special-needs students when: o Planning Instruction: deciding what and how to teach while communicating realistic expectations o Managing Instruction: preparing for instruction, using time productively, and creating a positive environment o Delivering Instruction: presenting content, monitoring student learning, and adjusting instruction o Evaluating Instruction: monitoring student understanding and engaged time, recording student progress, using data to make decisions, and making judgments about student performance For cases in which more than slight adaptations may be necessary, this helpful guide also highlights special instructional aids and specific teaching methods proven to enhance the success of students with special needs.

Supporting Disabled Students in Higher Education is a practical and inclusive handbook designed to ensure disabled students are supported in their journey through mainstream higher education. Informed by case studies, this essential guide highlights how this can be achieved through the adoption of practical, reasonable adjustments. Coupled with recommendations for best practice across higher education, this book outlines experiences and barriers to inclusion and provides detailed guidance for inclusive practices including: adjustments to accommodation, accessing physical and virtual learning spaces, teaching activities, developing the curriculum, and assessment. Written by an experienced dyslexia and disability coordinator within higher education, chapters encourage readers to develop a greater understanding of the impact that disabilities may have on students' academic progress. Areas explored include: Specific learning difficulties (SpLD) Mental health conditions Visually impaired and blind students Deaf and hearing-impaired students Physical impairments Long term medical conditions This book lays out the step-by-step process to enable effective communication between disability staff, academic staff and students and is a crucial guide for anyone with an interest in promoting and facilitating accessibility, inclusion and widening participation in higher education.

The award-winning creators of Intensive Interaction bring this groundbreaking book up to date with new material covering inclusion and emotional literacy. The book also includes:

• a brand new section looking at the program's implementation in preschool settings
• the particular benefits of Intensive Interaction for children who have Autistic Spectrum Disorders
• a 'how to do it' chapter including ideas for assessment
• case studies to help practitioners get to grips with the realities of using Intensive Interaction.

This book has been updated to include the new SEN Disability Act (SENDA), and developments in new technology.

Winner of the 1999 NASEN/TES Academic Book Award 'Inspiring, enriching and empowering' TES Special By engaging children with stories and poems, teachers can encourage children to make subsequent critical evaluations. This book is in line with current guidelines and will help practitioners to: Get started straight away using the book's storylines, character maps and story frames; Learn from the experiences of real children and practitioners; Reduce workload with photocopiable and CD resources; For Teachers, SENCOs, English advisors and lecturers on PGCE courses.

English as an Additional Language is packed full of straightforward ideas to help teachers get a grip on good classroom practice and will help teachers: understand language development and its impact upon pupils attainment use the latest teaching strategies and interventions to help pupils access the curriculum and enjoy all aspects of school life anticipate problems for later-stage pupils and be ready to support their independence keep up-to-date withthe DfES English as an Additional Language Strategy and Race Relations Act Amendments.

By understanding why children struggle with maths, teachers are better equipped to provide effective support and nurture confidence in low-achievers.

Numeracy and Learning Difficulties includes how to tackle common learning difficulties by following different teaching practices and principles, identifying gaps in students' knowledge and developing curricula that bridges these gaps, improves numerical literacy using problem-solving strategies and skills, and a handy checklist of benchmarks in achievement.

As students with disabilities and learning differences are included in general education settings in greater numbers, educators need easy and simple access to authentic information about effective teaching. This resource provides all teachers, regardless of level, experience, or area of specialization, with effective instructional strategies for students with/without disabilities and across grade levels and content areas. Drawing from evidenced-based models of instruction, 55 Tactics for Teaching Diverse Learners in Inclusive Settings is organized around four components of instruction-planning, managing, delivering, and evaluating-and allows teachers to respond to instructional diversity by using classroom-tested tactics backed by relevant research. Readers will also find: - A reproducible checklist of accommodations/modifications - A worksheet for planning and implementing accommodations/modifications - References and additional readings - A list of selected Internet resources for accommodations/modifications This is the third volume of a collection of practices for use at the elementary level, at the secondary level, and practices designed specifically for teaching students with disabilities. Also see: 63 Tactics for Teaching Diverse Learners, Grades 6-12 63 Tactics for Teaching Diverse Learners, K-6

Teaching assistants are increasingly being asked to take on more and more responsibilities within schools, whilst more money and effort is being devoted to recruiting and training teaching assistants. This new guide covers the essentials of what every teaching assistant should know. information, this book provides a trouble-shooting guide to help teaching assistants deal with a wide variety of classroom situations. Some of the issues and dilemmas confronted in the book are: - who's who in the school - child protection - inclusion - self esteem - how to use individual learning styles to support students - dealing with unacceptable behaviour - supporting students with various special needs - coping with the job and personal development. looking up specific concerns, this is an essential book for all teaching assistants in primary, secondary and special needs schools, those starting out, and teaching assistants enrolled on training programmes such as NVQ 2, NVQ 3 and the higher level teaching assistants award.

The goal of this book is to encourage educators and researchers to understand the complexities of adolescent gang members' lives in order to rethink their assumptions about these students in school. The particular objective is to situate four gang members as literate, caring students from loving families whose identities and literacy keep them on the margins of school. The research described in this book suggests that advocacy is a particularly effective form of critical ethnography. Smith and Whitmore argue that until schools, as communities of practice, enable children and adolescents to retain identities from the communities in which they are full community members, frightening numbers of students are destined to fail. The stories of four Mexican American male adolescents, who were active members of a gang and Smith's students in an alternative high school program, portray the complicated, multiple worlds in which these boys live. As sons and teenage parents they live in a family community; as CRIP members they live in a gang community; as "at risk" students, drop-outs, and graduates they live in a school community, and as a result of their illegal activities they live in the juvenile court community. The authors theorize about the boys' literacy in each of their communities. Literacy is viewed as ideological, related to power, and embedded in a sociocultural context. Vivid examples of conversation, art, tagging, rap, poetry, and other language and literacy events bring the narratives to life in figures and photographs in all the chapters. Readers will find this book engaging and readable, yet thought provoking and challenging. Audiences for Literacy and Advocacy in Adolescent Family, Gang, School, and Juvenile Court Communities include education researchers, professionals, and students in the areas of middle/high school education, at-risk adolescent psychology, and alternative community programs--specifically those interested in literacy education, sociocultural theory, and popular culture.

The goal of this book is to encourage educators and researchers to understand the complexities of adolescent gang members' lives in order to rethink their assumptions about these students in school. The particular objective is to situate four gang members as literate, caring students from loving families whose identities and literacy keep them on the margins of school. The research described in this book suggests that advocacy is a particularly effective form of critical ethnography. Smith and Whitmore argue that until schools, as communities of practice, enable children and adolescents to retain identities from the communities in which they are full community members, frightening numbers of students are destined to fail. The stories of four Mexican American male adolescents, who were active members of a gang and Smith's students in an alternative high school program, portray the complicated, multiple worlds in which these boys live. As sons and teenage parents they live in a family community; as CRIP members they live in a gang community; as "at risk" students, drop-outs, and graduates they live in a school community, and as a result of their illegal activities they live in the juvenile court community. The authors theorize about the boys' literacy in each of their communities. Literacy is viewed as ideological, related to power, and embedded in a sociocultural context. Vivid examples of conversation, art, tagging, rap, poetry, and other language and literacy events bring the narratives to life in figures and photographs in all the chapters. Readers will find this book engaging and readable, yet thought provoking and challenging. Audiences for Literacy and Advocacy in Adolescent Family, Gang, School, and Juvenile Court Communities include education researchers, professionals, and students in the areas of middle/high school education, at-risk adolescent psychology, and alternative community programs--specifically those interested in literacy education, sociocultural theory, and popular culture.

Who Benefits From Special Education?: Remediating (Fixing) Other People's Children addresses the negative consequences of labeling and separating education for students with "disabilities," the cultural biases inherent in the way that we view children's learning difficulties, the social construction of disability, the commercialization of special education, and related issues. The theme that unifies the chapters is that tension exists between professional ideology and practice, and the wishes and expectations of the recipients of professional practice--children, adolescents, and adults with disabilities and their families. These voices have rarely taken center stage in formulating important decisions about the quality and characteristics of appropriate practice. The dominant view in the field of special education has been that disability is a problem in certain children, rather than an artifact that results from the general structure of schooling; it does not take into consideration the voices of people with disabilities, their families, or their teachers. Offering an alternative perspective, this book deconstructs mainstream special education ideologies and highlights the personal perspectives of students, families, and front-line professionals such as teachers and mental health personnel. It is particularly relevant for special education/disabilities studies graduate students and faculty and for readers in general education, curriculum studies, instruction theory, and critical theory.

"Who Benefits From Special Education?: Remediating (Fixing) Other People's Children" addresses the negative consequences of labeling and separating education for students with "disabilities," the cultural biases inherent in the way that we view children's learning difficulties, the social construction of disability, the commercialization of special education, and related issues.
The theme that unifies the chapters is that tension exists between professional ideology and practice, and the wishes and expectations of the recipients of professional practice--children, adolescents, and adults with disabilities and their families. These voices have rarely taken center stage in formulating important decisions about the quality and characteristics of appropriate practice. The dominant view in the field of special education has been that disability is a problem in certain children, rather than an artifact that results from the general structure of schooling; it does not take into consideration the voices of people with disabilities, their families, or their teachers. Offering an alternative perspective, this book deconstructs mainstream special education ideologies and highlights the personal perspectives of students, families, and front-line professionals such as teachers and mental health personnel. It is particularly relevant for special education/disabilities studies graduate students and faculty and for readers in general education, curriculum studies, instruction theory, and critical theory.

As wider access to higher education becomes a top priority for governments in the UK and around the world, this ground-breaking piece of work raises the challenging questions that policy-makers, vice-chancellors and government officials are reluctant to ask. A highly qualified team of authors have closely analyzed rates of participation and the experiences of disabled students in higher education over a two year period. They compare the responses of eight different universities to the new anti-discriminatory practice, contrasting their social profiles, academic missions, support systems for disabled students and approaches for the implementation of change. Change comes under particular scrutiny, with a close examination of each university's interpretation of 'reasonable adjustments', and the extent to which they have modified their campuses and teaching accordingly. Student case studies are used throughout to illustrate the real impact of institutional responses to the legislation. Disabled Students in Higher Education will make fascinating reading for students of education, social policy, politics, and disability studies, and for those working towards accredited university teacher status.

The inclusive schools movement has been around since the mid 1980s, yet many teachers find themselves ill-equipped to make the transition. This superb book offers information, guidance, and training ranging from history of the inclusion movement to recommended activities for use with students. The authors draw upon their personal experiences as classroom teachers and describe ways of implementing curriculum change, grading procedures, partnering with parents, and other key strategies to assist the teacher in setting up a successful inclusive classroom to meet the needs of all students in the 21st century.

Considerable challenges can face all those involved in teaching children with special educational needs. Complex policy and legislation, bureaucracy, inspection and limited resources can all appear difficult obstacles to those seeking to provide effective tuition. In this highly practical book, Michael Farrell unpicks and clarifies the role of educational standards in today's schools. Drawing extensively on detailed, real-life case studies, he closely explores such issues as: the definition of standards, identifying and providing for special educational needs, assessment and benchmarking, curriculum provision and target-setting, the role of the Code of Practice. Special educational needs coordinators, senior managers in schools and students completing initial training courses will find this an invaluable resource, which effortlessly simplifies an often complicated process.

Learning support units (LSU) are an important piece in the jigsaw of educational and social inclusion. This book will help plan and run an effective LSU that is part of a whole school approach.

First Published in 2005. A new and diverse role s emerging for Support Services, yet many schools and Early Years settings are unaware of the wealth of specialist skills and expertise contained therein. The editors have drawn together contributions from experienced colleagues working in a variety of roles with Special education needs. They illustrate how support services and schools can work together to develop best inclusive practice and enable children to thrive both socially and academically.

The "Access to the Curriculum Series" books are practical guides to teaching subject areas of the British National Curriculum; they highlight good practice and offer help with planning teaching and learning objectives and give suggested lesson activities.Written in plain English and full of ways to broaden pupils' learning experiences, this book looks at: the effective use of resources through good planning and the work of City Learning Centres and how to use that expertise to meet specific needs.

The movement towards inclusive education is undoubtedly an international phenomenon, and it has resulted in the development of policy initiatives impacting on schools in all nations.
This informative, wide-ranging text brings together key illustrative material from an international field. It adopts a critical perspective on policy issues, but goes beyond this by making explicit the assumptions that drive policy development. Readers will be encouraged to develop their own framework, allowing them to conduct policy analysis and evaluation within their own educational context.
Students and researchers interested in how principles of inclusive education are being translated into educational practices around the world will find this book an enlightening read.

First Published in 2005. This is Volume 12 in the Exceptionality series with the focus of Critical Issues in Training Special Education Teachers. This title features guest editor Laurie U. deBettencourt. The articles in this issue of Exceptionality discuss several issues relevant to special education teacher training: the meaning of highly qualified teachers, especially in the area of special education; the comparison of traditionally and alternatively trained special education teachers; and the reflections of alternatively trained first-year special educators. In addition, this issue provides a reflection of the past 20 years of preparing special education teachers as alternatives to traditional teacher preparation develop.

Federal and state laws, combined with a number of important court cases, have brought major reforms in special education. But laws, rules, and regulations are always changing. Practices that were followed yesterday may be illegal today. How can you be sure you are complying with the law? The Legal Foundations of Special Education summarizes landmark court cases and provides an overview of the most influential laws affecting special education services, including the Individuals with Disabilities Act (IDEA), its 2004 reauthorization, and the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB). Highlights of this helpful guide to special education law include: o Key vocabulary terms o Summaries of the court cases and laws that affect every general and special educator o A pre-test and post-test to help readers assess their understanding of current legal terms and practices This book is also available as part of: A Practical Approach to Special Education for Every Teacher: The 13-Book Collection This collection equips educators with practical knowledge and methods that will help them to better engage students in exploring - and meeting - their fullest potential.

This is an edited book based on papers presented at a 2003 invitee-only conference under the sponsorship of the Merrill Advanced Studies Center of the University of Kansas. The participants were prominent scholars in the areas of language and reading, and have research programs funded by NIH and other sources. The purpose of the gathering was to discuss theoretical issues and research findings concerning the relationship between developmental language and reading disabilities, specifically looking at neurological, behavioral, and genetic factors. In addition, it discussed other factors contributing to reading difficulties in the middle elementary school years through adolescence and literacy outcomes for children with early language impairments, and how these problems relate to children with dyslexia. The Foreword is written by Reid Lyon, Branch Chief, Child Development and Behavior Branch, NICHD-National Institutes of Health.
This book appeals to scholars in the areas of language disorders and reading disabilities, as well as to practicing speech-language pathologists, special educators, and reading specialists. It may also be used in graduate courses designed as seminars in either language disorders or reading disabilities in schools of communication disorders, as well as schools of education--especially special education departments.

This is an edited book based on papers presented at a 2003 invitee-only conference under the sponsorship of the Merrill Advanced Studies Center of the University of Kansas. The participants were prominent scholars in the areas of language and reading, and have research programs funded by NIH and other sources. The purpose of the gathering was to discuss theoretical issues and research findings concerning the relationship between developmental language and reading disabilities, specifically looking at neurological, behavioral, and genetic factors. In addition, it discussed other factors contributing to reading difficulties in the middle elementary school years through adolescence and literacy outcomes for children with early language impairments, and how these problems relate to children with dyslexia. The Foreword is written by Reid Lyon, Branch Chief, Child Development and Behavior Branch, NICHD-National Institutes of Health.
This book appeals to scholars in the areas of language disorders and reading disabilities, as well as to practicing speech-language pathologists, special educators, and reading specialists. It may also be used in graduate courses designed as seminars in either language disorders or reading disabilities in schools of communication disorders, as well as schools of education--especially special education departments.

Since the mid-1980s, most developing countries launched decentralization reforms. At least sixty claim to be devolving some natural resource management functions. These reforms are lauded for their potential to increase efficiency, equity, democracy and resource sustainability in the local arena. But what is taking place in the name of decentralization? Is the discourse on decentralization being codified in law? Are the laws being translated into practice? What are the effects of the reforms that are taking place? Natural resource decentralizations provide powerful insights into these questions-for natural resource decentralizations and for decentralizations writ large.
Natural resources are a major point of conflict and cooperation between local people and national governments and elites. They are an important source of both national wealth and local livelihoods and, hence, a historical a point of struggle between rural people and elites. As such, they are a lens into the contentious relations and negotiations that constitute decentralization reforms. More significantly, because of their significance to local people, natural resources are also key to the success of decentralization reforms. They provide powers to local authorities that can help to make these authorities relevant and legitimate. But, their devolution meets resistance because it threatens central authorities and elites who fear losing income or patronage resources.
This volume queries the state and effect of the global decentralization movement through the study of natural resource decentralizations in Africa, Asia and Latin America. The case studies presented here use a comparative framework to characterize thedegree to which natural resource decentralizations can be said to be taking place and, where possible, to measure their social and environmental consequences. In general, the cases show that threats to national-level interests are producing resistance that is fettering the struggle for reform. They also, however, show that even these fettered reforms can be pulled along by local demand.
Where do we go from here? Though the particular circumstances and needs vary from country to country, the authors conclude that an important first step forward would be to implement the decentralization experiment; open public dialogues with governments, development institutions, NGOs and local communities about the appropriate division of powers; build representative locally accountable institutions; and create multiple channels that grass roots movements and individuals can use to influence the authorities who wield power over them.
This volume was previously published as a special issue of the "European Journal of Development Research."