Creating Future Together?

Problems and
Perspectives of Inclusive Education in
Russia
926-EDU-IAR-RU

Activity Report

Short Answers:

1) If you had the funding and any other supporting resources needed, what would your
project accomplish in one year? In 5 years?

In one year my project would have accomplished the following results:

(i) interviews and focus-groups with experts on the matter of educational reform
concerning the inclusive education
(ii) survey of parents of the disabled and non-disabled children as well as students and
teachers and other professionals involved
(iii) interviews with selected parents and students
(iv) two case studies: at the special school for segregated education and mainstream
school where the disabled child is enrolled

(v) recommendations for policy implications

(vi) tv program (one or two times) on the issue of the project

in five years, i would have a possibility to implement the recommendations and to trace
the progress of reform on a local level; to disseminate the findings on federal level and
internationally; to network with those in Russia who are interested in pursuing the
inslusive education; to promote research in different aspects of this reform among my
colleagues and students as well as in other regions of Russia.

2) If awarded a fellowship, would you forego all other commitments for the period of the
fellowship year? If not, what other commitments do you plan to undertake during the
fellowship year?

I would have a chance to diminish teaching load but maintain administrative obligations
as a head of the department. Among the teaching duties, however, i would maintain a few
courses for several reasons, in that number, in order to have my results and approaches
discussed with the students.
3) In your area of interest, what do you consider to be the most important topics of debate
and discussion (locally or internationally) within the media, your academic discipline,
professional circles, and/or among politicians?

Social construction of disability, segregation as a latent function of education, unexpected

consequences of educational and economic reforms in Russia, status of social work and
social pedagogy as new profession, re-formulation of 'defectology' into special education
in today's Russia, empowerment as a principle of education and social work, social
mobilization of the oppressed, acitization of the disabled people's movement, enhancing
action and participatory perspective in public policy analysis.

4) Briefly describe what you have done in the past as a professional, researcher, or
activist which demonstrates your ability to carry out your proposed project.

I have done a research project under MacArthur grant focused on post-soviet welfare and
professionalization of social work in russia, the book is to be ready for publication by
september 2001, I collaborate with NGOs of the disabled, with local authorities,
businesses and educational organizations in regards to educational opportunities of the
disabled. Have good collaborative relations with Saratov city committee for education -
with the Head and Vice-Head - on the matter of research and expertize as well as
planning to establish a Center for Civic Education in Saratov. Have good collaborative
relations with the Ministry of Labor and Social Development of Saratov oblast on the
matters of research, policy development and expertise, projects development, further
qualification. Have done preliminary studies at a boarding school for children with
cerebral palsy and a TV program is being prepared in Saratov TV on the matters of
education for the disabled.

5) What new resources that you do not now have full access to including individuals,
organizations, libraries, archives, databases,
technologies, etc. do you intend to utilize while carrying out your proposed project?

Selected schools in Saratov city, libraries in the west (publications on

inclusive/intergrated education in english language), periodicals, archives about Russian
special schools, technologies for inclusive education - i am going to engage into
collaboration the colleagues and students from architecture, electronics, and technical
departments of my unviersity which is Saratov State Tecnical University. I have
preliminary agreements to establish a competition among the students on developing
social and technical ideas to promote independent living and social integration of the
disabled. this idea is supported by the ministry of labor and social development of saratov
oblast.

6) Briefly identify the audience you would most like to reach with the results of your
research and the related policy proposals. How do you expect this audience to respond to
your proposals?
the audience will be the local government, administration of schools, social workers and
social pedagogues, defectologists (special educators), as well as students with disabilities
and their families, non-disabled peers and theri families. there will be debate and
disagreement but i believe the idea of inclusive education is very close to its
implementation and we need to do research to promote it and to see the possible obstacles
and perspectives.

7) What are your ultimate career goals?

I would like to establish in saratov the center for civic education and also i wish to have a
phd student with disability to defend his/her dissertation about the social issues of
disability in Russia. I would like to promote the disabled students into higher education
and in particular in sociology and social work. i also would like to promote good
management in education and social work, in order to do this, i am going to establish at
our university a specialization "social management" and also, to develop international
master in social sciences in saratov so that there will not be just moscow and stpersburg
which offer such programs and therefore promote braindrains from the province.

Research Proposal (RP): the project's objective and plan for fulfillment

The research is focused on the resources and perspectives for developing the policy of
inclusive education as a factor of social equity in today's Russia. The main objective of
this project is an analysis of conditions, elaboration of the ways for implementation and
proposition of social consequences of integrative/inclusive education in a contemporary
Russia' society. Children with disabilities are in most cases in Russia taught in special
schools which effect cognitive and social development of the students. The project aims
to study the advantages and disadvantages of segregated educational system as well as
check the conditions for integrative schooling in order to give recommendations for
regional educational policy makers. I intend to do ethnographic evaluation study as well
as survey and would like to engage mass media into public discussion of the issue. The
project will have components of action and participatory research.

The specific tasks in the plan of fulfillment of the project for one year are as follows:
- Comparative analysis of policy of inclusive education in cross-cultural / international
perspectives;
- interviews and focus-groups with experts on the matter of educational reform
concerning the inclusive education
- survey of parents of the disabled and non-disabled children as well as students and
teachers and other professionals involved
- in-depth interviews with selected parents and students
- case studies at the special school for segregated education and mainstream school where
the disabled child is enrolled
(v) recommendations for policy implications, including the recommendation for re-
training of teachers, special educators and social pedagogues (school social workers)
- engaging the local authorities to the discussion of the problem and its practical solution,
including round table with administrators and tv program (one or two times) on the issue
of the project
- dissemination of the results through mass media and scholarly publications as well as
preparing handouts and information for popularization of the idea of inclusive education.
My teaching for social work students which will serve as one of dissemination chanels
for the research results.
- an explanation of how the results of the project might be applied in practice in the
relevant country(ies), and if appropriate, more broadly to the region as a whole.

Today the important issues debated in public policy are related to unexpected
consequences of educational and economic reforms in Russia, re-defining disability,
segregation as a latent function of education, status of social work and social pedagogy as
new profession, re-formulation of 'defectology' into special education in today's Russia,
empowerment as a principle of education and social work, social mobilization of the
oppressed, activization of the disabled people's movement, enhancing action and
participatory perspective in public policy analysis.
The idea of inclusive education is not debated yet in Russia but it may be very close to its
implementation if we do research and action to promote it and to see the possible
obstacles and perspectives.

A model of inclusive education will be possible to establish at one or two secondary

schools in Saratov where preliminary agreement has been arranged. The preliminary
agreement has been arranged with the Saratov committee of education
concerning the establishment of the Center for Civic Education, which will in particular
aims on re-training of teachers and other professionals involved in primary and secondary
education. This re-training should concentrate on many issues of civic education but in
that number it would be possible to have sessions on inclusive policies of schooling.

The project will create a possibility to implement the recommendations and to trace the
progress of reform on a local level; to disseminate the findings on federal level and
internationally; to network with those in Russia who are interested in pursuing the
inslusive education; to promote research in different aspects of this reform among my
colleagues and students as well as in other regions of Russia. This will be possible to do
through the arranging workshops and conference, publications, TV programs, Internet,
and disseminating video-materials.

The main results of the project work will be reported and discussed at the Ministry of
labor and social development of Saratov oblast, at the Saratov committee for education,
Russian and international conferences, lectures and seminars at university where I teach
and at specially arranged trainings and workshops. The results will be published in a
collection of papers on inclusive
education after a series of seminars and workshops. Students with disabilities and their
families will be involved into these discussions and their voices will be presented in
publication.
The outcomes of the research project will have significance for developing policy
measures and higher education in areas of teachers' training, special education, social
work, social medicine and sociology. The findings of the research will be possible to use
in new textbooks on related subjects. In particular, the textbook on disability issues for
social workers and social pedagogues
will be developed using the results of this research.

ransition - Pauline Ritchie

Transition is the process of changing from one state or condition to another. Everyday each of us
experiences transition. Sometimes its easy, other times its difficult but what is important is how we
manage transition to be successful.

SCHOOL TRANSITION
Overview

A recommendation from that evaluation study was the need to increase the linkages between the
pre-primary and primary levels. A transition study was done to determine factors operating at the
point at which pre-school students made the transition to the next level of education-Grade 1.

Why aren’t children performing better in the Readiness Skills in Grade 1.

Specific Objectives
to compare the expectations of teachers at both levels regarding

– what students should know

– what they should be able to do
– what social skills they should have at the end of their pre-school experience.

• to determine parental expectations in relation to both levels of schooling.

• To determine the extent to which resources to support teaching were evident at both levels.

• To assess the extent to which teachers at both levels were using approaches appropriate to that
level of education.

• To determine the extent to which the curriculum used at the Grade 1 level articulated with that
used at the pre-school level.

Methodology
The study was designed to trace and study students in their pre-school classrooms and then
early in their education at the primary level. Fifty four (54) basic/infant/preparatory school were
selected for the study. Data were collected from the teachers of exit classes in 49 of the 54 pre-
schools and from 89 teachers of Grade 1 classes. A total of 351 students were identified in the
pre-school exit classes and were traced to (when they made the transition) to Grade 1. 257
parents/guardians were also interviewed.

Key Findings
• Parents, pre-school and primary teachers had common opinions on

– what students should know

– be able to do and the social skills they should display at the end of pre-school
RECOMMENDATIONS
• Teachers at these levels should have specialised early childhood training
• More emphasis should be placed on children mastering skills especially those related to visual
perception, auditory perception and number knowledge.
• Teachers should be trained to use assessment procedures that focus on age-appropriate skill
acquisition rather than acquisition of facts Children entering Grade 1 should be routinely tested
for visual and hearing impairments.
• Sex differences in aspects of the Readiness Tests should be researched to identify factors that
determine the differences at such an early stage of students’ development.
• Classrooms at both levels need to be provided with adequate amounts of learning materials and
resources that allow for a greater level of self-directed student learning and less reliance on the
chalk-and-talk approach. Both curricula need to be implemented as intended – The Integrated
Approach. Community members and parents could make significant contributions.

More appropriate furniture should be made available to pre-schools and Grade 1. The Ministry of
Education should ensure that the space allocated for Grade 1 students complies with the same
regulations as for pre-school children.

GOJ/UNICEF TRANSITIONS PILOT PROJECT

The Transition Project, as proposed by U.N.I.C.E.F.,” is designed to facilitate the
implementation of strategies to improve existing structures in pre-schools and primary
schools and create new structures, which can help to bridge the gaps between the two
levels. The project will attempt to address not only the point of actual entry in primary
school, but also what happens to children over the first two years in primary school. This
is because of the recognition that, in order to help children through transition periods,
there will need to be support beyond the point of school entry. Interventions will be
designed to address problems identified at the family/community level, system level,
management level and teacher level. It is intended that the project will be designed and
developed within an action research framework where the broad strategies recommended
will be developed gradually and adapted according to feedback received from the various
stakeholders.”

To address specific problems already identified, and thereby facilitate achievement of the overall
aim of the project, five components have been conceptualised:

Project Goal and Target Population

The goal of the project is to improve school readiness and performance of children age 3+ - 8
years in pre-primary and primary schools by developing and testing methods for supporting
children’s transition to school and ensuring the school’s readiness to receive them. The target
population for the project includes the following beneficiaries in South East Clarendon.

Readiness is the readiness of children from the pre-primary school for Grade 1 in Primary
School and the readiness of Grade 1 for the children from the pre-primary schools.
Transition should be smooth between both schools. Grade 1 classrooms should look
similar to the pre-school classrooms from which children came.

It is therefore incumbent on the Grade 1 teacher to provide the stimulating print rich learning
environment for the children they receive.

List of Best Practices in the Transition Project

· Joint training of pre-primary teachers and Grades 1 & 2 teachers monthly.
· Involvement of parents in all training programmes with teachers at monthly workshops.
· Special Parent Workshops held monthly. Topics include parenting, nutrition etc.
· Provision of equipment for each class in all schools eg. CD Cassette Players, Folding Book
Cupboards, Carpets etc.
· Provision of materials including kits, books, puzzles and other teaching/learning materials.
· Use of Portfolios for Continuous Assessment.
· Use of Camcorders to record classroom performance to improve teaching/learning methods and
classroom management.
· Community involvement in W.A.S.H. Project in collaboration with the Coalition for Community
Participation in Governance. (C.C.P.G.)
· Field Trips with teachers and children from pre-primary (Basic Schools) to Primary School
· Children leaving for Grade 1 visit between June and July to meet their new teachers and
familiarise themselves with their new school.
· Summer programmes include workshops for teachers and parents and Summer School for
“Children at Risk.”
· Summer programmes include workshops for teachers and parents and Summer School for
“Children at Risk.”
· Tracer study of children leaving pre-primary and their performance in the Grade 1 Inventory. The
results will be compared to those of other pre primary children outside of the Transition Project to
see the effectiveness of the project.

http://www.jamaicateachers.org.jm/CECE/006.asp