'Inclusion in Practice': Does practice make perfect?

Abstract

Four sets of issues raised in the papers published in this special issue of 'Educational Review' are discussed. First problems surrounding the use of the term inclusion are sketched. Secondly, the tendency of writers to resort to reductionism is examined: can the constricting of inclusive education to a traditional special educational framework and the disconnecting of inclusive education policy from the broader educational policy context be avoided? Thirdly, the papers in this issue researching the parent and then the pupil perspective are welcomed as a counterweight to the common silencing of the voice of disabled people and their families. Finally, issues surrounding the training of teachers are raised: should not the preparation of 'inclusive' teachers be woven right across the fabric of the teacher-training curriculum?