Inclusion in Secondary Schools: An Analysis of School Structure Based on Teachers' Images of Change

Abstract

The practice of providing totally inclusive schools to meet the needs of all learners is one of the emerging service delivery options gaining widespread support in public education in Canada and the United States. While many elementary schools have taken the initiative and established successful models of full inclusion, secondary schools, in part because of the historical-structural characteristics of these organizations, embody different and perhaps more complex problems in meeting the demands of inclusive educational practices. In this article, we draw on data from a study of two secondary schools in Nova Scotia, Canada, and their attempts to accommodate students with widely diverse needs in regular classrooms. Drawing primarily on teacher interview data, the paper reports on the ways teachers made sense of and adapted to, structural changes that took place in each school

Sources of Leadership for Inclusive Education: Creating Schools for All Children

“…In such schools, the formal authority of principals might decrease in importance as educators work within uncertain role definitions and engage in more collaborative practices (Mintzberg, 1979). Empirical research validates Skrtic's assertion that more adhocratic school structures emerge in the successful implementation of inclusion (MacKinnon & Brown, 1994).…”

The relationship between school culture and inclusion: How an inclusive culture supports inclusive education

“…In some ways the Connolly School resembled Skrtic & Sailor' s (1996) postmodern``adhocracy' ' in which each member of the community collaborates in decision making, creating a high level of interdependence. MacKinnon and Brown (1994) argue that structure of an adhocracy with its emphasis on team building, collaborative decision making and ability to adapt to changing circumstances is more conducive to an inclusive educational model than the traditional, bureaucratic school structure with its emphasis on standardization and hierarchy. They argue that restructuring schools to resemble adhocracies rather than bureaucracies can contribute to the success of inclusion.…”

“…Inclusion arguably requires democracy and openness to be successful (MacKinnon & Brown, 1994 ;Perner, 1991). Implementing an inclusion program is diae cult and even anxious work that can result in feelings of vulnerability as broad changes are instituted and comfortable practices and structures are dismantled.…”

Inclusive Education in the United States

“…It was undertaken to broaden the application of Galis' survey instrument by studying a special database (Galis, 1994;Galis & Tanner, 1995). MacKinnon and Brown (1994) reported that secondary schools "in part because of the historical-structural characteristics of these organizations, embody different and perhaps more complex problems [than elementary schools] in meeting the demands of inclusive educational practices" (p. 126). Anderman and Maehr (1994) argued that student motivation differed in middle school from elementary school settings.…”