SAGE Handbook of Inclusion and Diversity in Education

This handbook examines policy and practice from around the world with respect to broadly conceived notions of inclusion and diversity within education. It sets out to provide a critical and comprehensive overview of current thinking and debate around aspects such as inclusive education rights, philosophy, context, policy, systems, and practices for a global audience. This makes it an ideal text for researchers and those involved in policy-making, as well as those teaching in classrooms today. Chapters are separated across three key parts: Part I: Conceptualizations and Possibilities of Inclusion and Diversity in Education Part II: Inclusion and Diversity in Educational Practices, Policies, and Systems Part III: Inclusion and Diversity in Global and Local Educational Contexts

This outstanding collection situates inclusion and diversity in the widest possible contexts: educational, political, ethical and international. This volume is a must-read for all educators hoping to deepen their understanding of the complexities and contradictions of inclusive education. , This important new volume is published at a crucial time with regards to the idea of inclusion in education. It appears during a period when the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development is calling for international efforts to promote inclusive and equitable quality education, and lifelong learning opportunities for all. This has brought the issue to the forefront of policy developments in many countries. Directly relevant to this global agenda for change, the chapters set out to take stock of scholarship on diversity and inclusion in education in the first two decades of the 21st century, and to look forward to future trends and new directions. In so doing, it draws on a remarkable range of sources from around the world. It also includes chapters that are written from an impressive range of perspectives. I suspect that this handbook will be a major source of stimulation to many of us who are concerned with this crucial agenda. , This book is far from apolitical, and much more than a handbook. It presents high quality research by a vast array of authors, as well as in-depth critiques of the policies and systems that exist around the world to include, and exclude, individuals and groups of people based on disability, gender, ethnicity, and sexuality. The book carefully draws from a range of expertise. There is much to be gained from reading of practices in other countries and societies, as well as critiquing the way in which we all view diversity and inclusion within our own experiences, paradigms, and frames of reference.

Gary Thomas is an emeritus professor of education at the University of Birmingham. His teaching and research have focused on inclusion, special education, and research methodology in education, with a particular focus on case study. He has conducted research funded by the AHRC, the ESRC, the Nuffield Foundation, the Leverhulme Trust, the Department for Education, Barnardos, local authorities, and a range of other organisations. He has coedited the British Educational Research Journal and is currently an executive editor of Educational Review. He is author of many books, most recently Education: A Very Short Introduction published by Oxford University Press.