"Respecting Childhood" critically examines modern day views and practices related to children and childhood.
It begins with a discussion of how Western society conceptualizes and often idealizes children as being fragile, innocent and 'incompetent' (or 'immature'). Childhood is often reduced by adults to being seen as preparation for the future, instead of being viewed as a stage of life worthy of respect in its own right. This is evidenced in parenting styles, practices and structures in schools, and media representations. As a result of these views of childhood, many extreme ways of living and working with children have been proposed, from over-permissiveness on the one hand, to a call for a 'back to basics' strict style of discipline and education on the other.
Childhood is now seen as being so complex that parents and teachers frequently feel the need to seek out and follow often conflicting 'expert advice' on how to raise and teach children, rather than following their natural instincts and common sense.
"Respecting Children" advocates a more balanced approach, calling for views of children that allow them to be children, and to live their childhood in the present, rather than constantly having to follow the dubious proposition of 'maximizing' their learning and development in order to become more competitive, successful adults in the future.

Each chapter explores a different aspect of children's lives, such as their relationships with others, their capabilities, their behaviour, and looks to how these compare in the different contexts of society, home and school life. 'Windows on research', case studies and discussion questions engage the reader, making this book accessible for undergraduate students of courses such as Childhood Studies, Early Childhood Education and Education Studies, and to those of MA Education and MA Childhood and Society programmes.

While resource provision is widely recognized as an essential element of successful inclusive education, this is the first time an entire book has been dedicated to the topic. In this volume leading experts address international perspectives on funding models, the role of resources, and the development of professionals for the implementation of effective inclusive education. Split into two parts, the first section of the book addresses funding challenges that have emerged following the implementation of an inclusive school system. The authors present a broad range of international perspectives on different funding models and collate evidence from a variety of countries. They also unearth a variety of perceptions regarding resourcing for successful implementation of inclusive education. In the second part of the book, the authors focus on international perspectives of teacher training and professional development for inclusive education, ranging from early childhood education to post-secondary teacher training. Providing critical information and empirical studies, valuable to all of those engaged in the endeavour of providing adequate resources to support inclusive education, this volume is of interest to education policy makers, school and system leaders, and economists.

Inclusive education continues to be an exciting but challenging component of the everyday life of the classroom teacher. Whist there is no recipe for successful inclusion, meaningful inclusion involves engaging in a flexible process in which educators work in partnership with parents, students, and other professionals in order to meet the needs of all children. Drawing from conceptual principles and empirical findings, this fully revised edition of Inclusive Education demonstrates how to empower teachers and leaders and foster professional practices that create a successful inclusive school community. Presenting a hands-on process that addresses evidence, partnerships, curriculum and instruction, this book strikes the right balance between theory and practice. The authors provide educational leaders and school reformers with tools for collaborating and doing the work of improving inclusive practices for equity and student learning. Including links to web resources that include a huge range of planning templates and assessment tools, as well as procedures to create school-based leadership teams to drive and sustain discussions and decision-making, this extensive text and collection of tools is invaluable for students, school leaders and teachers who are serious about ensuring success for all students.

This volume focuses on an inclusive pedagogical approach for enhancing teaching and learning in key areas of curriculum including: literacy, mathematics, science, social studies, and the arts. In the introductory chapters, the concept of inclusive pedagogy is framed in relation to the actions of teachers in providing quality teaching and learning experiences for everyone in inclusive classrooms. Unlike much of what has previously occurred in inclusive practice the approach does not differentiate by providing alternative teaching and learning for students who are different. Focusing on what is to be learned in a particular subject area, the intention is to avoid the issues associated with defining some learners as different.

In the first section, broad issues associated with assessment for, of, and in learning in inclusive classrooms; measuring the implementation of inclusive policy; identifying and removing barriers to inclusion; resourcing and financing; and, evaluating effective teacher preparation for inclusion provide the structure for discussion. The second section commences with a current and in-depth review of the literature on the development of international indicators for measuring inclusive education. Examples of some of the models presently employed to frame an evaluation of inclusive practice are studied. These provide illustrations of effective measurement strategies to evaluate inclusive educational practice at all levels of administration, from governments to classrooms, and ways to recognize the positive outcomes attained by all involved.

Inclusive education continues to be an exciting but challenging component of the everyday life of the classroom teacher. Whist there is no recipe for successful inclusion, meaningful inclusion involves engaging in a flexible process in which educators work in partnership with parents, students, and other professionals in order to meet the needs of all children. Drawing from conceptual principles and empirical findings, this fully revised edition of Inclusive Education demonstrates how to empower teachers and leaders and foster professional practices that create a successful inclusive school community. Presenting a hands-on process that addresses evidence, partnerships, curriculum and instruction, this book strikes the right balance between theory and practice. The authors provide educational leaders and school reformers with tools for collaborating and doing the work of improving inclusive practices for equity and student learning. Including links to web resources that include a huge range of planning templates and assessment tools, as well as procedures to create school-based leadership teams to drive and sustain discussions and decision-making, this extensive text and collection of tools is invaluable for students, school leaders and teachers who are serious about ensuring success for all students.

"Respecting Childhood" critically examines modern day views and practices related to children and childhood.
It begins with a discussion of how Western society conceptualizes and often idealizes children as being fragile, innocent and 'incompetent' (or 'immature'). Childhood is often reduced by adults to being seen as preparation for the future, instead of being viewed as a stage of life worthy of respect in its own right. This is evidenced in parenting styles, practices and structures in schools, and media representations. As a result of these views of childhood, many extreme ways of living and working with children have been proposed, from over-permissiveness on the one hand, to a call for a 'back to basics' strict style of discipline and education on the other.
Childhood is now seen as being so complex that parents and teachers frequently feel the need to seek out and follow often conflicting 'expert advice' on how to raise and teach children, rather than following their natural instincts and common sense.
"Respecting Children" advocates a more balanced approach, calling for views of children that allow them to be children, and to live their childhood in the present, rather than constantly having to follow the dubious proposition of 'maximizing' their learning and development in order to become more competitive, successful adults in the future.

Each chapter explores a different aspect of children's lives, such as their relationships with others, their capabilities, their behaviour, and looks to how these compare in the different contexts of society, home and school life. 'Windows on research', case studies and discussion questions engage the reader, making this book accessible for undergraduate students of courses such as Childhood Studies, Early Childhood Education and Education Studies, and to those of MA Education and MA Childhood and Society programmes.