School Exclusion Research Articles

Vulnerable children’s right to education, school exclusion, and pandemic law-making

ABSTRACT This article draws on the impact of the ongoing pandemic to highlight the failure of the English legal regime to adequately protect children’s right to education, particularly equal access to education by especially vulnerable children. Ifirst outline key domestic and international legislative provisions positioned as securing children’s and parents’ rights in this context. Prior to the pandemic, there was growing recognition of the current regime's failings regarding illegal exclusions from school, children missing from education, and the lack of inclusive education for children with special educational needs and disabilities (‘SEND’). The protection of children’s rights relied on the benevolent exercise of discretion and key decision-makers not exploiting limited oversight and scrutiny in order to meet results-driven accountability measures. Second, I critically analyse pandemic law-making and regulation, particularly in relation to the exclusion process, the legal duty to provide education in an online environment, the law on Education, Health, and Care Plans (‘EHCPs’), and the de-registration and fines for non-attendance. Third, I argue that the educational impact of the pandemic highlights the need for law reform, rather than merely revisions to statutory guidance and focus on best practice. Such reform may also trigger improvement via the ‘reflexive regulation’ of the education system.

No Dreadlocks Allowed: Race, Hairstyles, and Cultural Exclusion in Schools

Drawing on school dress codes, this paper analyzes the exclusion of students who wear hairstyles linked to people of African descent. Whereas existing scholarship outlines how policies banning these hairstyles contribute to the social exclusion of students by removing them from the classroom and extracurricular activities, this paper conceptually elaborates and empirically illustrates how these rules also symbolically exclude students through associating them with negative attributes. Content analysis of dress codes in Texas public schools that forbid dreadlocks demonstrates how students who wear this style not only lose school-related opportunities such as attending class, but are also linked to undesirable qualities such as being extreme and disruptive. By demonstrating how school dress codes socially and symbolically exclude students who wear dreadlocks this paper not only theoretically advances understanding of culture and racial inequality in schools, it also offers important insight on recent policies around hair discrimination. Across the United States there are efforts to outlaw school policies that bar hairstyles associated with race. The argument developed in this paper suggests that passage of these laws could potentially help to curb both the loss of school-related opportunities for students who wear these styles as well as their negative stereotyping.

Clinical profile and error of inclusion and exclusion in schools for the blind in Bangalore and a review of literature.

Purpose:To determine the causes of severe visual impairment and blindness in children in schools for the blind in the city of Bangalore, Karnataka and to determine the error of inclusion and exclusion from these schools.Methods:This was a cross-sectional study. Children in four schools for the blind were subjected to a detailed ophthalmic evaluation. The World Health Organization Program for Prevention of Blindness low-vision form was used to collect data. To know the educational background of children with visual disability of 40% or more (best-corrected visual acuity of ≤6/24 in the better eye), not in schools for the blind, we collected data by telephonic conversation after procuring their phone numbers from our low-vision clinic.Results:One-hundred-seventy-eight children were examined. The major site of anomaly causing blindness in 31% of children was optic nerve, followed by retina (24%), cornea (23%), and whole globe (22%). Avoidable blindness was 35.42%. Thirteen percent of the children with no visual disability were incorrectly enrolled in blind schools. We were able to contact 92 children with a visual disability of ≥40%. Seventy-eight children (84.78%) attended regular schools; these schools were bereft of a specially trained teacher to look after the needs of the blind.Conclusion:Avoidable blindness is still a cause for concern. Children should undergo eye-examination before being enrolled in schools for the blind to avoid errors of inclusion. Though integrated education for children with vision disability is a good approach, it requires teachers trained in teaching skills particular to blindness. Education for the visually impaired in India needs a major revision.

A Simple and Inclusive Citation Ranking of U.S. Law Schools

Scholarly impact, academic influence, or faculty reputation: call it what you will, there is a general sense that the work that law professors do outside the classroom is important part of what law schools have to offer, and what distinguishes one from another. Unfortunately, the academic ranking that seems to have captured the most attention, the Sisk rankings, is not fit for purpose. The Sisk rankings arbitrarily excludes the majority of ABA accredited law schools, including several that outperform many of those ranked by Sisk and every law school based at a Historically Black College or University (HBCU). This exclusionary approach to ranking schools is unfair and unnecessary. It is unfair because it falsely implies that certain disfavored or overlooked schools are inferior to those deemed worth ranking. Moreover, even the exclusion of schools that don’t outrank Sisk’s preferred schools once the playing field has been leveled is also unfair. It suggests that the overlooked schools are not even in the same league as those that are ranked, rather than being separated by matters of degree. This unfairness is unnecessary. In this Essay, I offer a much fairer and more straightforward ranking of U.S. law school faculty impact based on the median five-year citation count of doctrinal faculty in law reviews and journals in the HeinOnline database. My rankings include every U.S. law school in the HeinOnline database, i.e. every ABA accredited school. Furthermore, to demonstrate that the unfairness of the Sisk rankings do not depend on the minutia of calculation, I provide several alternative rankings based on mean, median, and total citations within the past five years, and various combinations thereof. No matter how you crunch the numbers, several schools that ignore actually outperform the ones he chooses to rank.

Commentary: Blindness, schools for the blind: Our scenario!

The current prevalence of blindness in children in India is known to be around 0.8 per 1,000.[1] In developing countries, 30% to 72% of pediatric blindness is avoidable with most, in fact, being preventable.[23] The causes of blindness, based on studies conducted in blind schools, have shifted from preventable causes to irreversible causes due to better health care facilities.[4] Paradoxically, according to the present study’s authors (IJO_3725_20) Vasudha Kemmanu et al., study[4] and and our experience, children with low vision and correctable blindness are wrongly included in blind schools, and children who are actually blind are sent to regular schools.[45] Likewise, children with low vision are recruited in regular schools, who actually need special teachers (integrated education) to help them. There is a definite disparity in recruiting children in blind schools and regular schools.[4] This implies that we need to improve the way we are examining children, categorizing the type of visual impairment and blindness, and issuing certificates. Certifying that a child is blind needs to be standardized irrespective of the issuing authority, and if required, appropriate investigations and opinions from nearby higher centers can be obtained. This can eliminate the common problem of error of inclusion and exclusion in schools for the blind.[4] Apart from this, there is definite misuse of the whole system to obtain disability certificates so as to avail the benefits made available for these children. This can be minimized if proper guidelines are laid down to establish a diagnosis, personnel/authority to issue certificates, and how to avoid various practical problems and errors. These guidelines should be standardized and implemented universally. It is important to motivate parents of visually challenged children to allow their children to get an education in schools that are best for them. Yet another pathetic situation is that there is a gender-based difference: male children more often are privileged to get an education compared with girls.[4] Parents fear to send their girl child to a residential school, far away from home, which is a natural feeling. To overcome this, we probably need to have schools with hostels exclusively for girls with lady teachers and supporting staff. This may motivate parents and make them feel secure to send their daughters to school. To conclude, we need to standardize the guidelines to define vision impairment and blindness, certification process, and service delivery. Strengthening the schools for the blind and regular schools for integrated education with regard to infrastructure, human resources, and adequate training is very essential. Emphasis should be on equal distribution of schools for the blind, and details of the same should be uploaded on the website. Needless to say, we need to increase the awareness about vision impairment and blindness among the general public.

An investigation of coping in response to different race-related stressor experiences in school among racially diverse participants.

The landmark Brown versus Board of Education decision led to the desegregation of public schools in the United States. Consequently, Black/African American, Latinx, Asian, and Native American (BALANA) students experienced multiple race-related stressors. Not surprisingly, BALANA students still report experiences with racial discrimination, exclusion, and harassment in public schools. Encounters with race-related stressors in school can lead to maladaptive outcomes; however, for some young people, such stressors may induce a more adaptive coping response. The coping response may depend on the experience in school and the degree to which young people perceive they have control over the stressor. This study focused on the transactional nature of coping concerning different race-related stressors in school. The study investigates whether emotion-focused coping use prevailed across a sample of 165 ethnically and racially diverse participants. Results suggest that emotion-focused coping use is high among participants; however, the unique race-related stressor experienced in school can also lead to social-focused and other coping strategies. Coping with race-related stressors in school allows BALANA students to survive racism; reducing the presence of race-related stressors in school allows BALANA students to thrive. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved).

Red flags Disciplinary practices and 'school-to-prison' pathways in South Africa

ABSTRACT Testing positive for drug use at school turned into a horror story for four learners, who were channelled into the criminal justice system by their school and detained for months under 'compulsory residence orders' at child and youth care facilities. This occurred even though the referral of children to the criminal justice system following a school-administered drug test is explicitly prohibited by legislation. S v L M & Others draws startling attention to the failure of school officials, prosecutors and magistrates to comply with legislation, and the devastating impacts that a direct 'school-to-prison' pipeline can have on children. The case also raises red flags around broader punitive and exclusionary school disciplinary mechanisms, which - even where lawful -may also adversely affect children and potentially contribute to school-to-prison pathways in South Africa. We argue that S v L M highlights the need for restorative and preventative approaches to school discipline, which can transform not only learners and schools but society more broadly.

La exclusión educativa en Puerto Rico: Un abordaje histórico-crítico y decolonial del fenómeno educativo en el sistema de educación pública de Puerto Rico

The article discusses the phenomenon of school exclusion from the conceptual perspective of coloniality. It analyzes the historical background of western education from its origins in Athens to the period in which both, the Spanish colonial regime and the United States government imposes their educational systems in Puerto Rico. Also, it critically analyzes the conceptual contrasts between school dropout and educational exclusion. Finally, it reflects on the contribution of decolonial perspective to social work.

Inclusive Education for Children with Special Needs and Autism: Status in the Schools of Puducherry, India

AbstractAutism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder affecting social interaction and communication. Children with autism are at risk of school exclusion because of the inherent problems in behavior and communication. This study was performed in Puducherry to determine whether inclusive education is practiced for children with ASD and to ascertain the difficulties faced by educators in the schools that enroll children with ASD. This study was performed in the mainstream (regular) and special schools of Puducherry between November 2018 and February 2019. The mainstream schools were contacted over the telephone, by e-mail, and by regular post, and the investigator contacted the special schools in person. Data were collected using a semistructured proforma. A total of 66 schools participated in the survey (60 mainstream and 6 special schools). Among 60 mainstream schools comprising 3,967 children, 18 (0.45%) were children with special needs (CWSN) and 2 (0.05%) had ASD. In the six special schools comprising 2,167 children, 1,844 (85%) were CWSN and 323 (15%) were those with ASD. Among the 60 mainstream schools, only 14 (23.3%) schools had provision for special educators, accounting for 42 teachers. Behavioral problems were commonly reported in special schools. Enrollment of children with ASD is negligible in mainstream schools compared with special schools in Puducherry. More studies are needed to explore the reason for the same and to explore the feasibility of providing access to disabled children in mainstream schools.

The school-to-prison pipeline for probation youth with special education needs.

Juvenile justice-involved youth with special education eligibility may have distinct needs from other justice-involved youth that place them at higher risk of re-offending. This study examines the extent to which the comorbidity of risk factors, such as school challenges and mental and emotional health problems, is related to recidivism among probation youth with a diagnosis eligible for special education. Data came from the Washington State Juvenile Court Assessment provided to 4,317 youth adjudicated to probation for at least 3 months. We used independent sample t-tests and chi-square tests to assess the difference in mental health and school problems (e.g., suspension/expulsion history) between those with and without special education needs. Multiple regression models estimated the unique and cumulative role of special education status, mental health, and school problems in future recidivism. In the study sample, 39.6% (n = 1,708) of the youth had diagnoses eligible for special education; over 42% of these youth had two or more qualifying diagnoses. Controlling for demographics, mental health, and self-regulation skills, our findings suggest that probation youth with special education needs, compared to the rest of the probation youth, were more likely to recidivate. School exclusion increased the number of recidivisms significantly more for justice-involved youth with special education needs than those without special education needs. The findings of the study illuminate important factors for continued justice-involvement as well as insights into service and treatment planning for youth serving probation in the community, especially for those who are eligible for special education. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved).

CONCEITOS E PRÁXIS REFERENCIAIS DA ESCOLA CIDADÃ - LEGADOS E O DESAFIO DE REINVENÇÃO

The Citizen School project developed and reflected collectively and participatively in the Municipal Network of Porto Alegre, between 1990 and 2004, produced an extraordinary change in the Public School in dialogue with other experiences, left legacies and challenges us to its reinvention in the face of the conservative neoliberal hegemony that imposes in Brazil. Questioning the authoritarian, meritocratic and exclusionary school, it resignified curriculum, assessment, rules of coexistence and management of education, through the return of sovereignty to citizenship in the relationship with the state, the rupture of the natural mechanisms of inequality and the debate and alteration of schoolregulations, educational legislation and the meaning of the school. However, the alternation in power determined by the elections, put this proposal and its new democratizing, emancipatory and inclusive concepts in the resistance. From this place, it is necessary to reinvent them and deal with important challenges such as racism, sexism, the preponderance of large-scale evaluations and the privatization of the curriculum and educational budget.

Obstacles Faced around Mathematics Education in Nepal in Terms of Promoting Meaningful, Authentic and Inclusive Education

In this paper, we discussed some major obstacles that are existing in promoting meaningful, authentic and inclusive education in Nepal in case of mathematics education based on the experiences and reflections gained from the study of various creations of different authors. However, many Nepalese teachers are still using the traditional method of teaching in which a teacher is regarded as the only source of information and the learners as the vessels that need to be filled with knowledge; the modern concept of mathematics learning does not treat the students as the passive listeners as mentioned in the traditional approach. Creative learning in mathematics is the best learning approach as the demand of modern education fosters the engagement of the learners. Moreover, to make fruitful learning in mathematics with active involvement of the learners, there may arise some obstacles in our context. Therefore, this work is intended to explore the major obstacles faced around mathematics education in Nepal in terms of promoting meaningful, authentic and inclusive education. Indeed, from our in-depth study, we highlighted curriculum, pedagogical approaches, teachers’ role, evaluation process, political issues, social exclusion and location of schools as the emerging obstacles in developing meaningful, authentic and inclusive education in our context.

Organização Papel Marchê e a inclusão educacional dos usuários vítimas da evasão escolar:

Nosso trabalho tem como objetivo apresentar nosso estudo sobre os caminhos traçados pelo setor social da Organização Papel Marchê para inclusão na escola regular de seus usuários, vítimas da evasão escolar. A pesquisa partiu de uma perspectiva analítico-crítica da realidade social, realizada através do levantamento bibliográfico e da pesquisa de campo e documental, tendo como instrumentos de coleta de dados a observação e a entrevista semiestruturada. A partir dos dados coletados, discutimos o arcabouço técnico-instrumental que os assistentes sociais da Organização Papel Marchê utilizam para responder à demanda mencionada. Além disso, também discutimos as motivações que levam as crianças e adolescentes, usuários da supracitada Organização, a evadirem da escola; assim como, analisamos prestado pelo serviço do Busca Ativa Escolar, plataforma da Secretaria Municipal de Educação de Campina Grande (PB), parceira na resolução desta problemática.

Percepção das vulnerabilidades associadas a adesão ao tratamento por adolescentes em hemodiálise

Adolescentes com Doença Renal Crônica em hemodiálise são submetidos a uma complexa terapêutica que propicia alterações significativas em seu âmbito biopsicossocial, sendo a adesão ao tratamento um dos principais eixos da atenção à saúde para garantir qualidade de vida nessa população. Este estudo objetivou descrever os aspectos percebidos na vivência imposta pela doença, bem como a sua correlação com a adesão ao tratamento. Tratou-se de um estudo descritivo e exploratório com abordagem qualitativa. Os dados foram coletados em duas unidades de diálise entre fevereiro e junho de 2017 por meio de análise documental e entrevistas. Empregou-se o método de Análise do Conteúdo, com auxílio do Software ATLAS. ti (Analysis of Qualitative Data) 7.5.1 para a construção de redes semânticas. A amostra contou com 7 adolescentes, 7 familiares e 15 profissionais. Verificou-se que o contexto é permeado por desfavoráveis condicionantes socioeconômicos, frágil rede de apoio, exclusão escolar, isolamento social, dor e sofrimento, percebidos como vulnerabilidades para a adesão ao tratamento. Em contrapartida, a troca de experiências e a identificação de necessidades individuais sinalizou contribuir para potencializar a adesão à terapêutica pelos adolescentes.

Nutrition and physical activity environments in primary schools in Poland - COSI study.

Schools are important settings for the promotion of healthy diet and sufficient physical activity to prevent civilisation diseases related to lifestyle. To describe school physical activity and nutrition environment in elementary schools in Poland, and to asses differences in school physical activity and nutrition environments, depending on school location and size. Data was used from the World Health Organisation European Childhood Obesity Surveillance Initiative (COSI) conducted in 2016 in 135 Polish schools. Logistic regression was used to asses association between the location and individual school environment indicator. On the basis of answers to 20 questions about school physical activity and nutrition environment, a positive school environmental assessment index was compiled. Large, urban schools were characterised by a significantly greater availability of sweet snacks, whereas flavoured milk with added sugar was more often available in small and rural schools. The univariate logistics analysis parameters showed that an urban-rural location had a significant association for the availability of an indoor gym and existence of a canteen and a shop. Analysing the positive schools environmental assessment index, there were no statistically significant differences in mean values due to location, but statistically significant differences were found depending on the school size, with the highest level in large schools and the lowest in small schools. The factor which adversely differentiates the school environment in terms of healthy nutrition and physical activity is primarily the school size, and then the school location. Systemic and social solutions should aim at reducing the small school "exclusion syndrome", both in rural and in urban areas, also with regard to infrastructure and availability of conditions conducive to healthy nutrition and physical activity.

Habilidades transcomplejas para la justicia social en tiempos de pandemia y post-pandemia SARS-COV-2

La educación mundial enfrenta una verdadera crisis a causa de una pandemia viral obligando a que millones de estudiantes y miles de escuelas y universidades dejen su modo presencial hacia lo virtual ¿Cómo afrontar estratégicamente la formación estudiantil tomando en consideración las multivariables que el momento implica? La labor del docente cambia o se transforma, la escuela y su gran labor social está en resiliencia y el estudiante en su nuevo modo de autoaprendizaje, pero muchos sufren por la exclusión escolar que se profundiza con la crisis. El objetivo de este artículo es presentar alternativas para que la educación actúe de forma a comprometerse con la justicia social en las fases de supresión y de recuperación de la pandemia que ocurren durante y en el post-confinamiento. Para esta investigación bibliográfica se aplicó la Teoría Fundamentada (GLASEL; STRAUSS, 1967) para el desarrollo del R3 a partir del análisis de dos artículos de González (2009) y de OMS (2020), logrando generar procesos de codificación y la generación categorial de retos, pero también de condiciones que puedan dar respuesta a la Pandemia y Post-pandemia SARS-coV-2. Como resultados se presentan la descripción de retos institucionales, del profesor y del estudiante y reflexiones de cómo encarar as adversidades teniendo en cuenta nuevas habilidades transcomplejas vinculadas a una Educación R3: Reinventada, Religada y Resiliente.

Early Life Predictors of Suspensions from Primary School: Cross-Agency Indicators of Risk for School Exclusion in An NSW Population Cohort

IntroductionExcluding students from school via out-of-school suspensions and expulsions is a controversial practice in Australia and internationally, yet forms a key component of school welfare and discipline policies. There is growing concern that increasing exclusion at earlier grades and an over-representation of particular groups of disadvantaged students may intensify inequalities in educational, justice, health and welfare outcomes for excluded students relative to their non-excluded peers. Previous studies have focused predominantly on secondary school exclusions and on sociodemographic predictors.
 Objectives and ApproachThis study aimed to identify early life predictors of primary school suspensions using multi-agency data from the New South Wales (NSW) Child Development Study. Participants were 34,855 NSW children and their parents with linked records from education, health, child protection, and criminal justice spanning birth to the 6 th - grade (~12 years). Multinormal logistic regression examined the associations of sociodemographic, pre/perinatal, early developmental vulnerability, and parent factors with any later suspension during the 3 rd - to 6 th -grades.
 ResultsIn a multivariable model, many factors had significant independent associations with any suspension. The largest effects (odds ratios ≥4.0) were observed for male gender and child maltreatment reports, with moderate effects (odds ratios 1.5 to <4.0) for Indigenous ethnicity, socio-economic disadvantage, exposure to smoking in utero, any parental criminal offending, aggressive behaviour, school-based responsibility and respect, and sub-threshold notifications to child protection services. Small effects (odds ratios >1.0 to <1.5) were revealed for young maternal age at birth (<26 years), any parental mental illness, language and cognitive skills, any emotional or behavioural problem, hyperactivity-inattention, and any emergency department presentation for physical injury.
 Conclusion / ImplicationsBy facilitating the identification of students at risk of early (primary school) exclusion using multi-sector information available at the time of entry to school, these findings may assist educators to deliver targeted preventative interventions for at-risk students

La Educación Secundaria en Argentina: Obligatoriedad, Inclusión y Producción de Nuevas/Viejas Desigualdades Escolares

En Argentina las condiciones de acceso, permanencia y egreso a la escuela secundaria han sido modificadas en las últimas dos décadas. El derecho a la educación es la bandera política de las vigentes leyes de Educación Nacional y Técnico Profesional. A partir de investigaciones enmarcadas en el paradigma cualitativo y utilizando el estudio de casos, nos proponemos analizar y problematizar, desde los aportes de Nancy Fraser y Stephen Ball, dos instrumentos de las políticas educativas en escuelas secundarias de la ciudad de Córdoba que atienden a una población afectada por múltiples desigualdades: el Nuevo Régimen Académico, diseñado para reformar el formato escolar y las Prácticas Profesionalizantes en la figura de la pasantía, para la inserción en el mundo laboral. A modo de hipótesis orientadora sostenemos que si bien ambos instrumentos tuvieron como propósitos la inclusión educativa para efectivizar el cumplimiento de la obligatoriedad escolar se estarían produciendo nuevas desigualdades que se manifiestan en las estrategias utilizadas por las instituciones escolares para la puesta en acto de esas políticas. Los resultados alcanzados buscan contribuir a los debates actuales sobre las dinámicas y tensiones de los procesos de inclusión/exclusión educativa en la escuela secundaria.

СОЦИЈАЛНА ЕКСКЛУЗИЈА РОМСКИХ УЧЕНИКА У ОСНОВНИМ ШКОЛАМА У НИШУ

Indicating that social exclusion is one of the key reasons for low academic achievement, the authors analise social exclusion of Roma students in primary schools in Niš. The paper constists of three parts: the data of social and educational status of Roma population are presented first, then the most important laws of Roma inclusion, and finally, the results of research of Roma student’s social exclusion in elementary schools in Niš are depicted. The conclusion is that Roma students are not integrated into their peer groups and that there is a noticeable social distance towards them. Keywords: Roma students, education, social exclusion, inclusion

Including ‘difficult’ students: counter politics, play and liveability in the primary school classroom

ABSTRACT Drawing upon Judith Butler’s conceptualisation of performativity and subjectification, this article explores the effects of different kinds of counter political action to disrupt exclusionary school practices that further marginalise children who are, often already, on the edges of school life. Firstly, tracing the impossibilities sometimes encountered when taking up a politics of reinscription, the article goes on to argue that the role of the pedagogue engaged in counter politics needs further disruption in order that children themselves have more space to determine who and how to be. Here, I explore how the rigid teacher/ student hierarchical binary can be unsettled through play. A more intersubjective relationship emerges between teacher and student which can make school feel more liveable and sustainable. Given the highly pressurised conditions in schools, globally, in this time of late neoliberalism, finding ways to make school more liveable is essential work. This article suggests that whilst moments of play, such as the one detailed here, are often fleeting, their effects can be felt afterwards. Finding opportunities for play is an important counter political strategy in schools at this time.