Foster Greater Inclusion Research Articles

A Comparative Analysis of Inclusive Education Policies in China and the United States

Inclusive education has become popular to ensure equal educational opportunities for students with specific educational requirements or disabilities (SEND). This research paper compares the inclusive education policies in China and the United States with a comprehensive review of relevant literature, examining the conceptual framework, legal framework, and practices. This paper found that China adopts a pragmatic model to practice its policies while the U.S. uses an idealistic model. Furthermore, both countries are working towards attaining UNESCO's definition of inclusive education, facing conflict with neo-liberal education policies. Building on these findings, policymakers and stakeholders in both countries can draw insights to emphasize their country's high priority and foster greater inclusion in education accordingly.

Teaching in superdiverse multicultural classrooms: Ideas from New Zealand secondary school teachers

Increased migration in recent years means that New Zealand classrooms are growing in cultural diversity—and in some communities, the extent and complexity of this has reached levels of “superdiversity”. This article reports on how teachers (n = 23) in four superdiverse secondary schools in New Zealand were responding to the growing cultural diversity in their classrooms. Four key approaches that were used by teachers in all schools to develop supportive relationships and foster greater inclusion are outlined. In addition, several teaching strategies are provided to help support teachers to face the growing complexity of mixed, hybrid, and evolving identities of multi-ethnic students in their classrooms.

Engaging Underrepresented Caregiving Communities in Dementia Research

Family and friend caregivers of persons with dementia from underrepresented and traditionally underserved backgrounds are significantly underrepresented in dementia and caregiving research despite heightened disease risk, poorer outcomes, and disproportionate use of services within these populations. Efforts to develop and disseminate methods that foster greater inclusion of underrepresented caregiving populations in research are essential to ensuring that culturally specific understandings, priorities, and needs of these groups are systematically understood and addressed. In this symposium, we present a variety of studies that illustrate successful efforts to include dementia caregivers from underrepresented backgrounds in research. Two presentations focus on African American caregivers, one on caregivers residing in highly under-resourced areas, one on Latino caregivers, and one on sexual and gender minority (SGM) caregivers. The first presentation describes a capacity building approach through African American faith communities to develop a research registry and address informational needs regarding dementia. The second presentation focuses on eliciting African American caregivers experiences of crisis events. Presentation three describes a coalitional, community-informed approach to engaging caregivers in highly under-resourced areas to investigate experiences with post-acute care. The fourth presentation describes a community-network approach to implementing a text-message based support intervention among Latino caregivers; and the fifth presentation illustrates the utility of digital methods for engaging SGM dementia caregivers. Collectively, these presentations demonstrate a variety of approaches to engaging dementia caregivers from underrepresented and traditionally underserved backgrounds in research that are specific to individual communities and local contexts – as well as the findings that result from these efforts.

Market Power, Growth, and Inclusion

Before the pandemic, the South African economy remained stuck in low gear, with anemic growth, stagnant private investment, and a shrinking tradable sector. Subdued growth has raised unemployment, poverty, and inequality, hindering inclusion efforts. The pandemic has worsened economic and social vulnerabilities. Economic recovery and social inclusion hinge critically on structural reforms to boost competiveness and growth. Product markets represent a cornerstone of the reform strategy. Firms have used their market power to drive up prices and limit competition. Important state-owned monopolies provide low-quality services, while representing a fiscal drag. Existing regulations inhibit the entry of both domestic and foreign firms. Addressing product markets constraints could boost per capita growth by 1 percentage point—adding about 2½ percentage points to headline growth—and foster greater inclusion.

International Experience in a Non-Western Country, Teacher Habitus, and Level of Inclusion in the Classroom

One of the challenges with increasing diverse student populations in today?s classrooms is figuring out ways to address the needs of all students. This paper explores the role of the teacher and his/her dispositions in creating an inclusive learning environment. This paper, through Pierre Bourdieu?s interconnected theoretical concepts of habitus, capital, and field explores how an international experience in a non-Western country can help foster greater inclusion in a classroom setting. Autobiographical experiences of Bourdieu?s time in Algeria as well as the author?s international experiences in Iran and Barbados are presented as case studies. Overall, this paper seeks to advance the discussion on student disengagement beyond discourses of blame and towards exploring new avenues with potential for blossoming and unveiling of new understandings.

Title VII Sex and Race Discrimination Litigation Settlements as Opportunities for Organizational Change

This study investigated how frequently and under what circumstances Title VII lawsuit settlements resulted in mandates for substantive organizational change in HR policies and practices that, according to social science research, are likely to move beyond mere pro forma compliance to foster greater inclusion and equality. 502 consent decrees settling Title VII sex and race discrimination lawsuits in 200–2008 were collected, coded, and analyzed. Multinomial logistic regression was used. Sociological theories of organizational change and of the relationship between law and organizations informed the study. 48 % of the consent decrees examined specified no meaningful substantive changes; 31 % required formalization of personnel decision-making remedies; 21 % required more innovative measures. Certified class actions, other non-individual lawsuits, lawsuits filed in more liberal Federal District Courts, and public sector employer predicted more substantive remedies for organizational change in organizations’ EEO policies and practices, all else being equal. Single plaintiffs and a conservative District Court legal environment predicted a greater likelihood of pro forma only remedies. Discrimination lawsuit settlements are a potential impetus for improved diversity management policies. Consent decrees are an unusually direct and potentially powerful mechanism under Title VII for employment discrimination lawsuits to mandate substantive organizational change. Whereas a few studies have discussed a very small number of high-profile settlements, this is the first systematic examination of the programmatic mandates in consent decrees and how they vary.