The genesis for this book, and the strategy within it, is a longstanding commitment from Essex County Council to improve the life chances and life choices of disadvantaged pupils being educated in Essex. The purpose of the book is to set out a strategic, evidence-informed approach with pupils, families, teachers, leaders, system leaders and wider agencies which puts learners first. This approach is rooted in best practice. It centres on improving the day to day learning experiences of disadvantaged pupils, leading to better long term choice and opportunity. Unity Research School and Essex County Council hope it will support efforts to address the impact of socio-economic disadvantage on learning in schools and colleges nationally.

In today’s multicultural and inclusive classrooms, educators are faced with more challenges than ever before. Besides being interpreters and implementers of the curriculum, teachers need to understand curriculum design, curriculum approaches and models, legislation and prescribed policies. Curriculum studies in context offers sound, detailed and practical direction with reference to the CAPS, to help teachers to enhance teaching, learning and assessment.

Curriculum studies in context narrows the gap between the curriculum plan, instructional design and teaching practice. The views of Tyler, Stenhouse, Freire and various ubuntu theorists serve as a theoretical grounding for a deeper understanding of the teacher’s role as interpreter of the curriculum. Reference is made to the influence of contextual aspects, decolonisation, Africanisation and curriculum innovation.

Contents include the following:

• The theoretical framing of curriculum design
• Understanding the curriculum in context
• The role of ubuntu principles in curriculum design and innovation
• Considering policy documents during curriculum interpretation and implementation
• Practical guidance for curriculum innovation towards effective teaching, learning and assessment

Curriculum studies in context is aimed at teachers in the General Education and Training (GET) and Further Education and Training (FET) phases.

Exceptional education, also known as special education, is often grounded within exclusive and deficit mindsets and practices. Research has shown perpetual challenges with disproportionate identification of culturally and linguistically diverse students, especially Black and Indigenous students. Research has also shown perpetual use of inappropriate placement in more restrictive learning environments for marginalized students, often starting in Pre-K. Exceptional education practitioners often engage in practices that place disability before ability in instruction, behavior management, identification and use of related services, and educational setting placement decisions. These practices, among others, have resulted in a crippled system that situates students with exceptionalities in perceptions of deviance, ineptitude, and perpetuate systemic oppression. The Handbook of Research on Challenging Deficit Thinking for Exceptional Education Improvement unites current theory and practices to communicate the next steps to end the current harmful practices and experiences of exceptional students through critical analysis of current practices, mindsets, and policies. With the information this book provides, practitioners have the power to implement direct and explicit actions across levels to end the harm and liberate our most vulnerable populations. Covering topics such as accelerated learning, educator preparation programs, and intersectional perspectives, this book is a dynamic resource for teachers in exceptional education, general teachers, social workers, psychologists, educational leaders, organizational leaders, the criminal justice system, law enforcement agencies, government agencies, policymakers, curriculum designers, testing companies, current educational practitioners, administrators, post-grad students, professors, researchers, and academicians.

Research and knowledge management are important to higher education institutions as a means of improving their operations. The rapid growth of data and technologies triggers data transformation into useful information, known as knowledge. Nowadays, people are aware of the worth of knowledge and the methods used to obtain, recognize, capture, save, and leverage it, so that knowledge can be shared without losing it. Effective knowledge management programs identify and leverage the know-how embedded in work with a focus on how it will be applied. The challenge in knowledge management is to make the right knowledge available to the right people at the right time. Knowledge Management and Research Innovation in Global Higher Education Institutions investigates the cultural, financial, and social factors affecting research and knowledge management in higher education institutions. It considers the strategic decisions made by university administrators and the adoption of decisions made by individual staff members. The book further describes the factors found to affect the implementation and practice of knowledge management in educational institutions. Covering topics such as social development, knowledge systems, and developing economies, this premier reference source is an excellent resource for faculty, administrators, and students of higher education; librarians; sociologists; economists; government officials; researchers; and academicians.