student diversity in alberta: inclusion for all

Student Diversity in Alberta: Inclusion for all

“An inclusive education system is one that takes

responsibility for all students, focuses on their

strengths, and emphasizes what they

can do rather than focusing on their limitations. Inspiring Action on Education,

June 2010, page 12

If we are still talking about

inclusion, that means

someone is excluded

Humans are

99.9% similar

Yet we tend to focus on differences

Why isn’t “special education” enough?

“Alberta’s demographic picture continues to change, resulting in increased diversity within the province and the education system.”

Inspiring Action on Education: A Discussion Paper, June 2010

WHO?WHY?HOW?

WHO are these diverse students in Alberta schools?

In an Alberta school of 500 students,

we might expect to see…

•25 students

with learning disabilities

•40 students

with AD/HD

•45 students who live

below the poverty line

•40 students whose

first language is not English or French

•25 students who

are First Nations, Métis or Inuit (FNMI)

• 7 students

with autism

• 5 students

with FASD

• At least 1 student

with a physical disability

• 15 students with cognitive disabilities

• 8 students with severe behavioural/emotional disabilities

• 7 students requiring support for mental health issues

• 100 students who will not finish high school within 5 years

Diversity could also mean …

Differences in:– background knowledge

and experience– learning preferences– learning strengths– personal interests and

motivation– levels of engagement

Diversity could also mean…

Alberta also has Diverse School Authorities!

Student diversity is NOT a static profile.

We need to collect and use relevant data to inform future work.

2004/05 2005/06 2006/07 2007/08 2008/090

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

8070.7 70.6 71.1 70.8 71.5

50.4 50.7 53.056.2

59.0

34.1 35.2 34.7 35.634.1

53.256.5 57.1 57.3 60.7

23.7 24.525.4

24.929.0

All Students

ESL

FNMI

Learning Disability

Emotional Disability

All studentsIn percentages

3-year High School Completion Rate

2004/05 2005/06 2006/07 2007/08 2008/090

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

77.0 78.1 78.9 78.7 79.0

60.2 56.665.8

67.0 69.4

34.3 42.247.3 47.8 45.8

65.6 64.464.5 68.2 68.6

32.025.7

33.9 32.8 33.9

All Students

ESL

FNMI

Learning Disability

Emotional Disability

All studentsIn percentages

5-year High School Completion Rate

WHO?WHY?HOW?

Meeting the needs of all students

• We need to think beyondstudents currently identifiedwith special education needs.

Why consider a wider range of students?• Current special education categories describe less

than 10% of learners

• There is not a common understanding of these

categories across the province: <50% in 2008

• Medical diagnoses do not necessarily provide

implications for learning and instruction

Sykes, 2009 with permission

Diversity and Collaboration:

The case of bees

35°C = optimal temperature for bee hives

2 behaviours:

Too hot: fan out or leaveToo cold: get closer

How diversity helpsGenetically homogeneous bees: All

get cold (or hot) at the same time. Genetically diverse bees: Get cold (or

hot) at different temperatures. Temperature stabilizes.

Diversity and Problem Solving: Humans (Hong & Page, 2002)

2 Groups:1. 20 high IQ2. Diverse 20

Problem-solving activity

The Groups by IQ score

138

75

121 84

High Ability Group Diverse Group

132 135

139

135

137

135

111

31

And the winner is…

“Most of the time” the diverse group outperformed the group of the best by a substantial margin.

Hong & Page (2002)

WHO?WHY?HOW?

A3 Model: From Advocacy to Accessibility

Adapted from: Schwanke, Smith & Edyburn, 2001

Theory of societal change

How can schools make the most of diversity?

Students

Pedagogy

Curriculum Content

Teachers

Rosado, 2006

Rosado’s Four Imperatives for effectively managing diversity (adapted for education)

1) Reflect the heterogeneity of the community (affirmative action)

2) Be sensitive to the needs of the various groups (value differences)

3) Incorporate a range of contributions to the overall mission of education (managing diversity)

4) Create cultural and social ambiance that is

inclusive and empowers all groups (living diversity)

Rosado, 2006

Final thoughts

“If we are to achieve a richer culture, rich in contrasting values, we must recognize the whole gamut of human potentialities, and so weave a less arbitrary social fabric, one in which each diverse human gift will find a fitting place.”

Margaret Mead

Contact us:

Lise Belzile, PhDTeam Leader, Inclusive EducationFrench Language Education ServicesAlberta Education

Lise.Belzile@gov.ab.ca(780) 422-7794