Is a sociology of special and inclusive education possible?

Abstract

This article discusses the expansion of education systems that now, following international declarations, are expected to offer an “Education for All” to children, young people and adults. Since in these declarations special education and inclusive education are conjoined, sociological questions can be asked as to what sort of social relationships and conflicts are involved in this expansion of a sub-system that underpins mass education. The article uses recent research asking school and college heads, teachers and administrators, how they defined and treated the young people and what future they envisaged for them, given that an ideology of human capital dominates government thinking and policy.

Keywords:

• special
• inclusive
• human capital
• class
• race

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.

Notes

1. The OECD was founded in 1961 to improve the economic and social well-being of people around the world. It has, as one commentator described it, become a club led by the world’s wealthiest nations, with no democratic mandate from individual countries or the United Nations. Through development and control of international tests, notably the PISA tests, it influences governments globally in the aims and reforms of their education systems within a neo-liberal ideology (Meyer and Benavot 2013).

2. The research was funded via a grant from the Leverhulme Trust and carried out by Sally Tomlinson. The grant allowed visits to be made in three English counties, New York and Los Angeles in the United States, North Rhine Westphalia in Germany, the island of Malta, and Helsinki in Finland. Some 77 participants were interviewed in their schools or colleges, and observations of students made (see Tomlinson 2013). There are around 250 Further Education colleges in England, mainly taking in students at 16, Community Colleges in the United States take students from 18/19 on two or four year courses. In Germany the BerufsKollegs take students from 16 to 18 years old.