Inclusion Policy Research Group Meets
The Inclusive Education Knowledge Mobilization Initiative (IE-KMI)

A small group of Canadian scholars met in Charlottetown, PEI in June 2006. The group met under the leadership of Vianne Timmons, Vice President of Academic Support at the University of Prince Edward Island. Dr. Timmons welcomed colleagues from other parts of Canada to discuss the development of a framework for policy development in inclusive education.

The group is shown above and are from left-to right: Gordon L. Porter, Director of Inclusive Education Initiatives, CACL; Robert Doré, Professor of Education, Université du Québec à Montréal; Judy Lupart, Canada Research Chair in Special Education, University of Alberta, Edmonton; Roger Slee, Dean of Education, McGill University, Montreal; Vianne Timmons, UPEI; Angela Aucoin, Professor at University of Moncton; Cameron Crawford, Senior Researcher, CACL/The Roeher Institute, Toronto; Anne Jordan, Professor, OISE, University of Toronto; Zana Lutfiyya, Associate Dean (Research and Graduate Programs)/Professor of Education, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg.

Knowledge Impact in Society Proposal: The Inclusive Education Knowledge Mobilization Initiative (IE-KMI)

Central hypotheses, research questions, specific objectives.
Inclusive education is implemented differently from one province and territory to another, with considerable consequences for the health and education of children and youth with disabilities. There is no national data base or information-transfer process for disseminating the results of research and evidence-informed practice. The primary goal of the Inclusive Education–Knowledge Mobilization Initiative (IE-KMI) is to strengthen the joint capacity of disability community organizations, teacher and principal/administrator associations, policy makers, and academics to identify and share both local and national knowledge, collaborate in applied research, and translate knowledge into policy/practice development in the context of inclusive education.

The five main objectives to meeting this goal are to:

1. Search and consolidate the Canadian based literature on evidence-based inclusive education research and practices, and critically evaluate the research findings applicable to the health and education of students with disabilities from the perspectives of research quality, and applicability to policy and practice development for inclusive education.
2. Identify what knowledge is currently transmitted and translated into use and how this translation occurs, by policy makers, teacher educators and classroom teachers.
3. Using the results of objectives one and two, develop and pilot an effective transfer mechanism to translate findings from highly-rated research into useful guides for practice, and to monitor how teachers implement them in a representative sample of classrooms in one province.
4. Begin the process of establishing a nationally recognized institutional capacity similar to the United States National Centre for the Disability Research.
5. Build needed linkages with international knowledge brokering initiatives in the United States, Great Britain, and elsewhere in order to provide a broader context for policy and practice in Canada, and reciprocally to enable Canadian research and knowledge development in inclusive education to be utilized more effectively in global efforts to advance inclusive education.

Sharing Success
Stories from Schools and Teachers

The new school year is upon us and we want to start a new series on our website. We want to feature short success stories from teachers, parents, school leaders and others. The ones that follow were provided by principals who participated in the “Leadership Academy on Inclusive Education” held in Charlottetown PEI in July 2006. Others will be added in the coming days. Check back to see new stories.

We thank the individuals who provided the stories and ask you to send us your success stories to add to them.

Victoria Mosley, Principal, Millidgeville North School, District 8, Saint John, NB

While working as a grade 5 teacher I had a student with “Asperger’s Syndrome” assigned to my class. As I got to know the boy’s interests and strengths, I soon could tell when he was getting off-task and needed prompting. My ability to “read” this child’s behavior helped me establish a strong and supportive relationship with him. I was able to get optimal results because I could tell when he required down time or a break from work. I gave him latitude and this made his time in my classroom more successful. When the teacher develops bonds with students by becoming “part of their world” and finding out about their interests, hobbies, skills and strengths allows one to meet their emotional, social and educational needs.

Tanya Whitney, Principal, Forest Hills School, District 6, Saint John, NB

My most notable success with inclusive education has been the establishment of an effective student services team within my school. This was partnered or linked to the intentional empowerment of the resource teacher in the school to be confident in her role as a collaborative consultant. I did this by actively elevating the importance of this role – the resource teacher - in our school. I gave the collaborative consultation role support in a very public way with the staff and communicated and explained the rationale for the approach to teachers. This has to be done on a continuous and deliberate basis.

Some of the benefits of an effective student services team and “resource teacher” who works from the “collaborative consultation model are:

• Teachers collaborate and become more self reliant as a team in terms of “solutions”;
• There is less pointing of fingers in terms of who is responsible and more assumption of responsibility;
• More confidence by all involved;
• More dialogue about students and meeting their needs in more respectful and professional terms;
• Development of a school-specific “bank” of tried and true strategies.

Charlene Carroll, Principal, Hampton High School, District 6, Hampton, NB

In January 2006 we received a student with many needs – academic, behavior and social. We investigated his school history and this allowed us to develop a good understanding of the issues affecting him. When he was registered in the district he was described as having ADHD, academic delays, bipolar condition and as being physically abusive to others. In his previous school he had been removed from classes and suspended from school several times. When in school he spent most of his time in the resource room and was not included in the classroom because of fears of his behavior.

We … (our school team) … decided we were going to set up a plan to make sure he stayed in his class, control his behavior and make academic learning a priority. We first asked for teacher assistant support on a temporary basis to get him on track. It was requested and denied three times. As a consequence we decided we were going to go ahead and make up a plan we could do ourselves. We first met with the student’s parents and received their ideas and input. The district did support us by providing release time for all 7 staff members involved in the case to meet and develop a plan.

We organized the student’s day so that he was with his peers all day. We re-assigned several teacher assistants to assist him a few times a week and we had our school behavior intervention worker support his teacher and monitor his behavior and academic progress.

The team also focused on identifying the things that triggered behavior problems and to find ways to reduce these factors. We made the student a priority for our weekly team meetings and focused on following his progress and developing intervention strategies where needed. As a result of our collaborative team effort we were able to keep him in the regular classroom 90% of the time. Violent outbursts were reduced from daily events to weekly or even bi-weekly. The student was assisted in developing a friendship circle and now participates in all aspects of school life.

We feel positive about having had the chance of working with this student. We feel good about out team meeting the challenge of developing strategies to be successful with this student.

Manitoba adopts “Appropriate Education Act”

The Government of Manitoba has adopted and is implementing a new Education law designed to provide appropriate education for all students. Proclaimed in November of 2005, the amendment to the Public Schools Act – (Bill 13 - Appropriate Education Act) specifically addresses the inclusion and appropriate support of all children within Manitoba Schools. Bill 13 has two fundamental parts, the first addressing placement and programming for children with special needs and the second addressing a formal dispute resolution process to be used when decisions regarding placement and programming are questioned.

NBACL Agrees With Report on Inclusive Education

Wayne MacKay, a Nova Scotia lawyer commissioned by the New Brunswick government to review the inclusive education program in the province has delivered his report. The NB Minister of Education released the report on March 15 in Fredericton.

Krista Carr, Executive Director of NBACL said her association was pleased that the report supports inclusive education. "Many of the recommendations MacKay made are consistent with NBACL's submissions", she said. The report has nearly 100 recommendations for legislative, policy and practices. MacKay said there are certainly stresses on the education system and that more money as well as additional training are needed. He also asserted that leadership is needed at all levels of the system to create opportunities for improvement.

The Minister of Education invited stakeholders to study the report and to take part in a symposium that will be held on May 28 & 29, 2006. The meeting will assist the ministry to develop an action plan that can be implemented in the 2006-07 school year.

Canadian Teachers Federation Issues Conference Report

CACL has been working closely with the Canadian Teachers Federation over the past two years, and was involved in the November 2005 Conference as a follow-up to the 2004 CACL-sponsored National Summit on Inclusive Education.

Participants were given opportunities through presentations, workshops and discussions to examine and develop solutions and strategies that ensure children and youth are not excluded by culture, race, language, socio-economic status, sexual orientation or ability. In March 2006, CTF issued a complete summary report.

Crucial Terms Final Report

The Marsha Forest Centre of Toronto recently released a report outlining the recommended terms to replace certain confusing or inaccurate terms currently being used to describe the special education and inclusive education approaches to teaching learners with disabilities.

The intent of the project was to lessen confusion in conversations and to provide the strongest educational service for Canadians with disabilities. Over the past few years, it has become apparent that certain terms have been misused, particularly when it comes to understanding the inclusive approach to education.