Browsing by Subject "Inclusion"

Now showing 1 - 13 of 13

Building a Culture of Inclusion: Developing an Innovative Workforce in the Public Sector
(Hubert H Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs, 2008-12-11) Belanger, Tanya; Moua, Lily
Charged to develop recommendations for the MN Department of Human Services (DHS), Health Care Administration's (HCA) workforce planning, diversity and cultural competency priorities; a diagnostic assessment of organizational culture and recommendations outlining a long-term diversity and cultural competency plan was completed by University of Minnesota's Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs graduate students, Lily Moua and Tanya Belanger
Creating opportunities for all: a qualitative study of the reintegration of students with emotional/behavioral disorders to the mainstream environment.
(2011-07) Rinkel, Michaela
Reintegrating students with emotional and behavioral disorders from alternative school settings to the mainstream school environment presents significant challenges. Students are frequently unsuccessful when they return to home districts. Most researchers address the problem in a variable-centric manner, and explore specific student, teacher, and system attributes that lead to failure. Research needs to focus on the overall process of reintegration and the interactions that create conditions for success or failure. This study analyzed the perspectives of students, mainstream and special education teachers, administrators, peers, and parents when six middle and high school students with emotional and behavioral disorders moved from self-contained settings to placements in the mainstream environment of two Midwestern suburban school districts. Data were collected over one school year using semi-structured interviews, as well as student records and observations. Data were analyzed utilizing inductive case study and grounded theory methods. Four major findings emerged from the data. First, the desire of students to fit in influenced their use of the important skills of self-advocacy and self-regulation. Second, having and seeking out an understanding of the student's disability influenced the provision of support to students. Third, parents used advocacy to increase systemic understanding of the student's disability. Finally, attributes of communication within the system and a lack of understanding of student disability created a problematic reliance on student self-advocacy. These findings suggest school policy and practice should be directed toward improving educators' understanding of student disability, supporting parental advocacy, and increasing the use of self-advocacy in the classroom for students with emotional and behavioral disorders.
Cultural Beliefs Regarding People with Disabilities in Namibia: Implications for the Inclusion of People with Disabilities
(International Journal of Special Education, 2010) Haihambo, Cynthy; Lightfoot, Elizabeth
Namibia is a southern African country with national level policies promoting community inclusion and inclusive education. Despite these policies, people with disabilities are often excluded from schools and community life. This study explores the nuanced cultural beliefs about the causes of disability in Namibia, and the impacts of such beliefs on the implementation of disability policy. Eight themes emerged from this study regarding specific myths about the causes of disability and appropriate community responses to people with disabilities. This study finds that many Namibians believe in supernatural causes of disability, such as witchcraft, and/or in the role of improper relationships of family members as causes of disability; and that community responses to Namibians with disabilities are often negative. However, many people, particularly parents with disabilities, often have strong positive views of disability as well, reflecting the complex and changing nature of cultural beliefs. This study suggests that the implementation of disability inclusion policies is more likely to be successful if it builds upon positive aspects of cultural beliefs about disability.
"Cultural Competency: A Framework for Equity, Diversity and Inclusion in the Archival Profession in the United States"
(The Society of American Archivists, 2018) Engseth, Ellen
This article explores cultural competency in the context of the archival profession in the United States. The author reviews the cultural competency framework, the pertinent literature of archives, library, and information studies (LIS) and beyond, and surveys activity within the archival field. The author also connects cultural competency to archival principles and practice, and offers a call for further research to develop cultural competency within the profession. Cultural competency is offered as a framework for equity, diversity, and inclusion work that is accessible and available to all, and as one that provides a way forward particularly for dominant-culture archivists. Furthermore, archivists can contribute uniquely to the discourse on cultural competency within LIS; this article responds to the call for, and encourages more, discourse with LIS.
Decentering and Dismantling white Prominence in Music Education: Portraits of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Initiatives
(2021-11) Diaz, Roque
As racial and ethnic diversity increases in a multicultural pluralistic society, professional music education institutions like orchestras and higher education institutions strive to incorporate diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives into their programming, missions, and values. However, there is a lack of systematic efforts to holistically portray these initiatives and their outcomes. The primary objective of this study was to portray cultural change as revealed through the initiatives of the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra (SPCO) and Augsburg University (AugU), two institutions that have undertaken specific strategies to advance DEI. Utilizing portraiture methodology, I revealed both institutions' lived experiences and the essence of their practices through the concept of “goodness” (Lawrence-Lightfoot & Davis, 1997) as revealed through written portraits in the form of a screenplay composed from original interviews, material cultures, site observations, and my worldview lens as the portraitist. The findings highlighted this concept of “goodness” from the two institutions' DEI journeys, rather than criticized research failures (Lawrence-Lightfoot & Davis, 1997). The resulting analysis depicts the why and how of these DEI trajectories within each institution, including values, goals, strategies, and progress in achieving outcomes, leading to a final integrative portrait of cultural change. This study offers a conceptual framework for cross-institutional principles that may be effective in achieving enhanced DEI initiatives in institutions with differing structures, missions, and purposes. Key themes that emerged from the SPCO were defining racial and ethnic diversity as the institution’s DEI lens, including subthemes of diversifying the institution’s mission, collaborative leadership, cultivating relationships, single-loop, and double-loop learning; and controlling Whiteness. Key themes that emerged from AugU were defining equity-mindedness as the institution’s DEI lens, including subthemes collaborative leadership, establishing pipelines for historically excluded and marginalized students, inclusive communications; and amplifying lived experiences and identities. Both institutions shared a common interest and general sense of goodness through collaborative leadership and cultivating relations/establishing pipelines. Yet, both had divergent themes that illuminated imperfections. Several recommendations for future research and practice are offered, along with concluding reflections.
The effects of microteaching on pre-service teachers' knowledge and implementation of the concept mastery routine
(2013-06) Lindell, Mary Ann
The purpose of the present study was to investigate the effects of a teacher education pedagogy (microteaching) on pre-service general education teachers' knowledge and implementation of the Concept Mastery Routine (CMR), a research-based intervention, and on their teacher efficacy. In addition, this study explored the feasibility of implementing a randomized, control-group study in the context of a teacher preparation class. One hundred pre-service teachers from a teacher education course participated in the study. Participants were assigned randomly to a treatment or control condition. Knowledge of CMR and teacher efficacy were assessed at pre and posttest and fidelity of implementation of CMR was assessed at posttest only. For knowledge and efficacy measures, a repeated measures ANOVA was conducted with time (pretest and posttest) as the within-subjects effect and condition (treatment or control) as the between subjects effect. On the knowledge tests there was a significant effect of time, but the interaction between time and condition and the within subjects effect for condition were not significant. On the efficacy measure the interaction between time and condition, the between subjects effect for condition, and within subjects effect for time were not significant. The implementation measure was analyzed using an independent samples t-test and no significant difference between groups was found. Implications for conducting rigorous within teacher education setting are discussed.
A formative evaluation of a Midwest District's integrated services pilot
(2014-06) Resch, Laurie J.
The purpose of the Integrated Services pilot was to develop models for the delivery of special education, supplemental programs, and English as a second language services that were based on a philosophy of inclusion. The intent was to provide all students with learning experiences in which they could be successful both academically and socially in the most inclusive environment. The pilot was conducted at four elementary schools in a large Midwestern public school district. The pilot schools served students with diverse needs and were situated in divergent communities, which provided four unique contexts for the pilot. Teacher collaboration and co-teaching were utilized at each pilot school to achieve pilot goals. The purpose of this formative evaluation was to inform pilot development and to determine if the Integrated Services Pilot should be expanded to other elementary schools in the district. To inform these decisions, qualitative and quantitative data were collected in five areas: (1) professional development and support; (2) collaboration and professional learning communities; (3) impact on teacher knowledge and practice; (4) impact on student engagement and achievement; and (5) overall perceptions of the pilot. Surveys, individual and group interviews, and student achievement data provided the data for analysis and evaluation of pilot results. Teachers, instructional coaches, and principals reported that the pilot positively impacted both student engagement and student achievement. Additionally, the Integrated Services Pilot had a positive impact on teacher practice and on the relationships between support service and classroom co-teaching partners. Participants indicated that they were eager to continue with the Integrated Services model and had no desire to return to past practice.
A Growing Community: Helping Grand Forks Increase Inclusion of New Americans
(2016) Cumings, Paul; Kamaboakai, E. Timotheus; Kapil, Anurag; Stone, Cathy
Inclusive Evaluation: Conducting Program Evaluations With Individuals With Cognitive Disabilities
(2015-07) Maynard, Amelia
Individuals with cognitive disabilities (IWCD), such as developmental disabilities, traumatic brain injuries and dementia, make up over 4% of our population in the United States. This number is expected to grow as our population ages, particularly in the cases of disability caused by dementia and stroke. IWCD have been historically marginalized through the suppression of their voices and a lack of power over their own lives. While the advocacy movement has helped IWCD achieve self-empowerment and abolish the inhumane research practices of the past, the inclusion of IWCD in program evaluations has been limited. Exclusion from evaluation means that IWCD have less influence over the programs and services on which they rely. This study examined the extent to which and in what ways IWCD have been included in evaluations, the common obstacles to inclusion, and why evaluators do or do not include IWCD in their evaluations. Using a mixed-method approach, the researcher conducted over 500 surveys and 12 interviews with evaluators, primarily with members of the American Evaluation Association, who have a wide range of experience working with IWCD. The results show that evaluators believe including IWCD in evaluations is an ethical necessity, but many evaluators do not know how to identify or accommodate IWCD. Many evaluators have not considered including IWCD in their evaluations as participants or on their evaluation teams. Additionally, concern over resources, ethical review, and validity limit inclusive practice. Evaluators who have conducted evaluation projects with IWCD have faced these challenges and offer solutions and reassurances. The dissertation concludes with several recommendations for increasing inclusion in the evaluation field.
Infusing Social Justice and DEI Practices into Teacher Candidate Literacy Instruction
(2022-06) Robinson, Lindsay
In response to factors in the landscape of the American education system (i.e. growing diversity of the K-12 student population, lack of diversity in the K-12 teacher workforce, current events highlighting racial and socioeconomic inequities, and a growing understanding of the opportunity gap), university teacher educators (TEs) have worked to integrate social justice (SJ) and Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) into teacher candidate (TC) preparation with the goal of preparing TCs who can teach culturally, linguistically, and racially diverse children. Research indicates that these concepts are not typically infused by teacher educators in coursework through entire programs. Instead, ideas are often siloed into introductory courses, and if SJ and DEI concepts are taken up across coursework, it is often sporadic and inconsistent across the program curriculum. Thus, current teacher preparation programs often limit or undermine the confidence of TCs to teach in socially just ways because TCs are not prepared with cohesive, well designed programmatic curriculum that makes clear connections between SJ theory and enactment. Using case study methodology, this study addressed a gap in the literature by investigating how a revised curriculum in a literacy course that follows introductory elementary education coursework, built upon, and increased the understanding and confidence of TCs to teach literacy in a socially just way. Results from this study indicate that SJ pedagogies must be modeled and explicitly discussed by TEs in the context of discipline-specific instruction. As a result, TCs grow in their literacy knowledge, pedagogies, and confidence to employ SJ concepts when they are given opportunities to design, test out, reflect upon, and receive feedback on scaffolded literacy assessments and lessons for K-6 learners. Study findings can be used to strengthen teacher education programs with a social justice emphasis, particularly in the field of literacy education, by indicating a roadmap of how to infuse social justice programmatically and disciplinarily. This includes, but is not limited to, providing TEs with a clear scope and sequence of what SJ concepts can be addressed throughout the program and how. Results from this study also note the need for agreement among TEs on the definition and application of SJ, and opportunities for TCs to enact SJ pedagogies in authentic practicum experiences. This study also points to how TEs can make intentional changes to their instruction that shift TCs’ understanding and self-efficacy; findings also point to the need for intentional collaboration and curriculum planning by TEs to continuously weave and connect SJ concepts throughout the program. All of these efforts help TCs have a more nuanced and practical understanding of SJ. Finally, explicit connections between SJ theory and enactment in a particular discipline needs to occur in order for TCs to feel confident in teaching each disciplinary subject in a socially just manner.
Privileged moves: migration, race and veteran status in post-World War II America.
(2009-03) Hall, Patricia Kelly
Internal migration--the redistribution of a country's people--is the spatial response of a population to demographic, economic, and social change. Sometimes change is so swift and intense in all these areas that it reshapes the national landscape. World War II was one of these galvanizing periods. During this major restructuring of the U.S. economy, black migration reached a historic high, white migration increased substantially following a half-century of decline, and second generation immigrants moved beyond the industrial core. By examining differences in these migration patterns, this study adds to our understanding of the social dynamics of the post-war period and fills the gap between two bodies of scholarly literature that could--but have not yet--been in conversation. One body of research locates origins of contemporary economic behavior and social inclusion in the World War II era. Some authors focus on the G.I. Bill and civic inclusion, others on the post-war clash of racial and ethnic groups in specific communities. This research largely ignores migration, analyzing populations where they are found after the war. Similarly, despite renewed scholarly interest in the migration of racial and ethnic groups in the United States, virtually no attention has been paid to the post-World War II period or to veteran status as a selective factor. To draw these scholarly threads together, I traced the evolution of veteran status as a predictor of internal migration prior to World War II. I then explored the influence of veteran status on post-war migration of three populations: whites with native-born parents, whites with foreign-born parents, and blacks. Using census microdata from the Integrated Public Use Microdata Series (IPUMS), I tracked migration levels and destinations to evaluate the extent to which each group was incorporated into the post-war economic and social order. Higher rates of internal migration were found for veterans but veteran status did not trump existing social hierarchies. Veteran gain to migration varied relative to the group's place in the pre-war social order. Thus social distance between whites with native-born and foreign-born parents was reduced in the post-war years, while that between whites and blacks increased.
Teaching Dance Concepts: Moving Toward an Inclusive and Innovative Future
(2015-05) Shinar, Anat
This research paper explores how dance education can contribute to continuing education and careers for students in all sectors, through its training in creativity. The paper also examines how conceptual dance education creates environments for inclusion and accessibility. Analyzing research in dance education, dance history, and business trends, I follow the concepts of space, time, effort, body, movement, and form, and demonstrate how these prepare students for careers that require creativity.
Two delivery models of inclusive practices for ELLs in a Midwest school district
(Minnesota and Wisconsin Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages, 2012) Lin, Yishu
The study examined how the instructional delivery models in inclusion programs were specifically implemented for Grades 1-3 English Language Learners (ELLs) at 2 elementary schools in a large Midwest inner-city school district. The nature of the 2 delivery models was diagramed and explained respectively. Interview, observation data, and relevant documents were analyzed through the use of a comparative matrix. Themes and trends were developed: (a) collaboration between the classroom teachers and resource teachers; (b) scheduling; (c) reading instruction, curricular, and instruction time; (d) workload for classroom teachers and the resource teachers; (e) use of paraprofessionals; (f) assessment of students’ ongoing progress; and (g) strengths and challenges of the implemented models as described by the teachers. The findings indicated that the participating teachers were very positive about their inclusion models even though the two models were distinctively different. The results signify that inclusion can work for ELLs, but it is difficult for one classroom teacher to accomplish the job. Collaboration is the key to the success of inclusive practices.

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