In 2015 we undertook a new type of partnership for the Agency – we entered into a formal agreement with a publishing house - the Emerald Publishing Group – to write a book for commercial publication. The Agency has contributed in different ways to published books and journals in the past, but we have never entered into a formal agreement to produce work for another organisation before.
The book has now been published and is titled Implementing Inclusive Education: Issues in Bridging the Policy-Practice Gap. The essential focus is upon how the implementation of policy for inclusive education can be more effectively supported. Each chapter explores the policy-practice gap and aims to identify the factors that hinder as well as support the implementation of policy for inclusive education in practice in relation to different aspects of inclusive education.
It is an edited volume – number 8 of the International Perspectives on Inclusive Education series published by Emerald. All of the articles have been drafted by Agency staff members working in co-operation with international experts in the field of inclusive education – all the contributors to this book are widely published authors in their own right.
The book focuses on a broad variety of issues linked to inclusive education such as early childhood education and care, financing of inclusive education, teacher training, vocational education and training, the role of support systems, multicultural diversity, ICT in education and raising achievement of all learners.
The final part of the book considers three different aspects of monitoring the implementation of inclusive education – the challenges associated with inclusive approaches to learner assessment, possibilities for identifying the efficiency, effectiveness and equity within education systems and finally, the crucial aspect of listening to the voices of learners (both with and without special educational needs and/or disabilities) who are the end users of educational provision.
Overall conclusions focus on what lessons there are for bridging the policy-practice gap and better supporting the implementation of policy for inclusive education systems in countries.
The partnership with Emerald Publishing Group has provided an opportunity for us to share key findings from our work with a wider global audience that we might not otherwise reach. In particular, it has offered us an opportunity to share our work in a new way with students, researchers and academics as the International Perspectives on Inclusive Education series is widely available in public libraries, universities and higher education institutions.