The number of young people progressing to higher education (HE) in Ireland has grown significantly over the last three decades but inequality of access and participation remain a major policy challenge. This article sets out to explore the factors which impact on levels of participation in HE by young people from lower socio-economic backgrounds,…

This article undertakes a comparative analysis of special education policy through the juxtaposition of two recent Supreme Court actions: "Allston v. Lower Merion School District" (2015) and "Endrew F. v. Douglas County School District" (2017). This comparison reveals an ordering of special education policy around questions of…

This study investigates correlations of course level, gender, and ethnic identity labels with attitudinal dimensions toward Spanish by Spanish as a Heritage Language Learners in New Mexico. Participants in first-semester (n = 327) and fourth-semester (n = 174) Spanish as a Heritage Language courses rated twelve items designed to index language…

Evidence-based programs, such as bullying prevention, often demonstrate disappointing outcomes when widely disseminated. Engaging opinion leaders--those individuals whom others emulate and go to for advice--in the process of adaptation and implementation may improve outcomes. However, opinion leaders have the most influence on individuals who are…

This article explores the ideological function of the derogatory label of "pushy parent", which, since the 1980s, has been used considerably in journalistic, popular, political and academic discourses in the UK and the USA. "Pushy parent" is not a descriptive term, but a conceptually vague label implying the existence of…

Background: Data-driven decision making continues to be a common feature of educational reform agendas across the globe. In many U.S. schools, the teacher team meeting is a key setting in which data use is intended to take place, with the aim of planning instruction to address students' needs. However, most prior research has not examined how the…

Since the 1990s many strength-based assessments (for example, inventories, checklists, interview schedules) have been developed for use with children and young people, but these have offered a limited appraisal of the contexts in which strengths are present. In this study a new form of contextualised strength-based assessment was used within the…

This article explores discriminatory discourses articulated by Italian professionals operating in educational, health and social services for refugees in Rome, in relation to the educational and social inclusion of unaccompanied asylum-seeking and refugee children. It locates such narratives within the historical 'concealment and invisibilisation…

Alternative education provides different and powerful opportunities for learning. In this article, the author focuses on students who resist stereotypes that are produced and maintained by dominant powers and ideologies, and who share their knowledge and experiences with systemic marginalization. Drawing from classroom videos, qualitative…

A recent project entitled CATALISE used the Delphi method to reach a consensus on terminology for unexplained language problems in children. "Developmental language disorder" (DLD) was the term agreed by a panel of 57 experts. Here I reflect on points of difficulty that arose when attempting to reach a consensus, using qualitative…

Historically, schools have been homogenizing institutions that often disadvantaged people of color and ethnic and religious minorities. In this article I examine Roma education in Hungary, focusing on (re)production of racial identities and the negotiation of ethnic labels. I distinguish two models of education as they relate to ideas of…

This study utilized symbolic interaction theory and a phenomenological methodology to explore the meanings and perceptions of special education by parents whose children have special needs (i.e., disabilities) and their experiences working with school professionals. Parents who accepted Individualized Educational Plan (IEP) services and parents…

Clinicians working with students of Hispanic/Latina/o background may tend to categorize these students as Hispanic/Latino/a regardless of their or their ancestors' country of origin. This article challenges the wisdom of using such broad terminology, because it masks considerable differences among Hispanic/Latina/o students, and proposes instead…

Reflecting through the Indian experiences, a brief attempt is made to explore how disability as a noun takes shape in popular common sense "call names" (adjectives) and how does the popular common sense legitimise and normalise the oppressive language and the oppressed reality of the persons with disabilities? In the Indian context, the…

Honors students are often regarded as the best and brightest at their universities, but the standard definitions of high achievement are not always useful for identifying talented undergraduate Black women. In a qualitative study of Black women in honors inside and outside the classroom at two urban predominantly white universities (PWIs), data…