A Sociology of Special and Inclusive Education: Exploring the manufacture of inability
About this ebook
Professor Tomlinson applies critical sociological perspectives to the social processes, policies and practices that comprise special and inclusive education, particularly in England and the USA. She clearly examines the way in which people or groups exercise power and influence to shape this area of education, and discusses the conflicts of interest that arise in resulting social interactions and relationships. Key questions asked include:
- Why and how has a whole sector of education dealing with young people regarded as having learning difficulties, low attainments, behaviour problems or disabilities developed?
- How have special education programmes and resources become subsumed into variations of inclusive education?
- Why have ideological beliefs in hierarchies of ability, limits to learning potential and IQ as measurement continued to legitimate the treatment of young people?
- What happens to young people after their special, included or lower attainers' programmes, in terms of work and life chances?
A Sociology of Special and Inclusive Education
will be of interest to a wide range of educators, professionals, practitioners and policy-makers concerned with special, inclusive and vocational education, in addition to undergraduate, post-graduate and research students and academics.About the author
Sally Tomlinson is Emeritus Professor at Goldsmiths College, University of London, UK, and an Honorary Research Fellow in the Department of Education, University of Oxford, UK. She has written and researched for over 30 years in the areas of educational policy, special education and the education of minorities. Her recent books with Routledge are Ignorant Yobs? Low Attainers in a Global Knowledge Economy (2013) and The Politics of Race, Class and Special Education (2014).
