Purpose: The initial purpose of this mixed methods study was to assess the instrument fidelity and construct-related validity of a 33-item instrument called the Schoolwide Cultural Competence Observation Checklist (SCCOC) by eliciting school leaders' views. The SCCOC was designed as one tool for use in conducting school culture audits, which…

This paper examines the role of augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) in fostering the successful inclusion of students with the most severe disabilities in general education. Best practices in AAC are identified and multiple examples of their implementation are presented. Particular emphasis is placed on the need to integrate AAC into…

For the purpose of moving towards more inclusive practices, the research literature argues that we have to investigate in greater depth the way in which universities respond to inclusive education. This paper investigates the nature of inclusive education through the practice of student teachers and sees how so-called inclusive education manifests…

Nearly one third of the more than six million students with disabilities in U.S. public schools are of traditional high school age. Though research indicates that the majority of high school-age students with disabilities and their parents are satisfied with the services they receive, many still face barriers and challenges to receiving an…

This article provides an overview of a set of articles in this special issue that synthesize current research and provide future directions for research, both conceptually and methodologically, on gender, socioeconomic, and language-minority differences in college transitions, as well as a review of college transitions research in the discipline…

In a time of ever-rising college costs, financial aid is critical to increase college access and success. Federal, state, and institutional aid programs help to ensure that students can afford higher education regardless of economic background. Financial aid is most effective when students and families learn about it early enough to make the right…

In schools today inclusion involves a challenge to attitudes and expectations within educational communities. "The New Zealand Disability Strategy" (Minister for Disability Issues, 2001), is a guide for government action to promote a more inclusive society. Out of its 15 Objectives, Objective 1 encourages and educates the community and…

This paper discusses the importance of institutionalizing practices that promote equitable outcomes for all students within the vast California Community College (CCC) system. The CCC system, which annually provides educational opportunities for almost three million students, exists at the heart of the state economy and future labor pool. Because…

In this article, the author presents a summary of a one-day conference organized by Save the Children. The conference aimed to offer a platform from which to identify key issues and barriers to inclusive practice within schools in Northern Ireland, and discussed methodologies to approach these issues through looking at best practice from Britain…

This article seeks to investigate education-related challenges encountered by internal migrant girls studying at primary schools in Turkey. From the perspectives of participants, the emerging themes included adaptation, language, low socio-economic status, peer relations, discrimination and bullying. These challenges seem to have direct or…

In this paper we examine the degree to which recent research and writing about professional development school activity indicates progress toward fulfilling the professional development school model's commitment to providing equitable educational opportunities and outcomes, especially from a critical pedagogy perspective. Our review of 95 papers…

In March 2008, the California Postsecondary Education Commission raised the concern that the needs of students with disabilities, and Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT) students have not been sufficiently addressed. While facing different issues, these groups constitute sizable proportions of the general population and of postsecondary…

This article addresses the continuing digital divide in public education, one that defines itself largely along geographic, socioeconomic, and cultural lines. The article refutes the idea that the digital divide is dwindling due to increasing access to technology within the United States, instead focusing on digital literacy and cultural barriers…

Many adult students with learning disabilities have entered postsecondary schools in recent years. Many of these students experience cognitive, emotional, and behavioral limitations that may act as obstacles in their educational processes and subsequent careers. Research has shown that self-determination skills can help ameliorate the effects of…

This article examines the effect of history and law in the segregation and integration of Latinas/os in schools. Initially, a Critical Race Theory (CRT) analysis of the question of the effects of Latina/o school desegregation history and law on their present-day educational conditions highlighted the reasons for the omni-present struggle for…