The aim of this study was to explore the most pertinent issues relating to the education of students with disabilities and special educational needs in second-level mainstream schools in the Republic of Ireland.  A multi-perspective approach was adopted by accessing the views of a wide range of stakeholders, both within schools and within the wider education system, through a variety of means, and by conducting a multi-layered analysis of the system by examining the classroom context, the school context and the context of the wider national system. This analysis was conducted with reference to legislation, policy and practice in other jurisdictions, especially England, Finland and the United States. The empirical aspect of the study that is the focus of this paper involved a case study approach, which involved working closely with four second-level schools with a view to examining the nature of provision for students with disabilities and special educational needs in these schools and to explore, in conjunction with school personnel, the challenges of, and the opportunities for, developing more inclusive practices in these schools. It involved the conducting of interviews with the principals and the persons responsible for co-ordinating special educational needs provision in the schools and the distribution of survey questionnaires to all teachers in the schools. As part of this survey process, the teachers’ attitudes to inclusion were explored by means of an Attitude to Inclusion Scale that was constructed as part of this study. Focus-group interviews were also conducted with the teachers of one selected First Year class group in each school.

The study was informed by a psycho-social model approach to disability and special educational needs, thus emphasising the interaction between individuals and their learning environments. A particular focus of this study was on the organisational aspects of these learning environments and it was thus significantly informed by the organisational psychology paradigm. It embraced the concept of schools as systems and the idea of schools as learning organisations, in that the aim was not merely to describe current practices in the schools but to explore, with school personnel, opportunities for developing more inclusive practices in the schools. The intended outcomes of the study included the development of a conceptual organisational model of an inclusive school and the outline of the core characteristics of an inclusive classroom, within an inclusive school, within an inclusive national educational system, and the mutuality of influence of these systems was always assumed and emphasised.

            The conclusion of this study is that the development of inclusive second-level schools in the Irish education system is not merely a function of student variables, of teacher variables or resources, though these are all important. It is also about a review and a re-organisation of core aspects of the second-level education system. It demands a shift in emphasis from individual pathology to organisational pathology, it demands the articulation, acknowledgement and discussion of important dilemmas and competing principles within the education system. It demands a review of structures, policies and practices at all levels within that system. In the absence of such review, schools and school personnel will continue to operate in a philosophical and ideological vacuum with regard to inclusive education, and organisational deficits within schools and within the national system will continue to constrain the organisational restructuring that is required in order to enhance school inclusiveness and develop inclusive school cultures

Clark, C., Dyson, A., Millward, A. and Robson, S. (1999). Theories of inclusion, theories of schools: Deconstructing and reconstructing the ‘inclusive school’. British Educational Research Journal, 25 (2), 157-177. Easterby-Smith, M. and Araujo, L. (1999). Organizational learning: Current debates and opportunities. In M. Easterby-Smith, L. Araujo and J. Burgoyne (Eds.), Organizational learning and the learning organization: Developments in theory and practice (pp. 1-22). London: Sage. Florian, L. and Rouse, M. (2001). Inclusive practice in English secondary schools: Lesson learned. Cambridge Journal of Education, 31 (3), 399-412. Frederickson, N. and Cline, T. (2009) Special educational needs, inclusion and diversity: A textbook (2nd ed.). Buckingham: Open University Press. Lindsay, G. (2007). The British Psychological Society annual review: Educational psychology and the effectiveness of inclusive education/mainstreaming. British Journal of Educational Psychology, 77, 1-24. McCarthy, E. (1997). The dynamics of culture, organizational culture and change. Thornfield Journal, 20, 1-19. McDonnell, P. (2000). Inclusive education in Ireland: Rhetoric and reality. In F. Armstrong, D. Armstrong and L. Barton (Eds.), Inclusive education: Policy, contents and comparative perspectives. London: David Fulton. Mittler, P. (2000). Working towards inclusive education: Social contexts. London: David Fulton. Oliver, M. (1996). Understanding disability: From theory to practice. Hampshire: Palgrave. Prange, C. (1999). Organizational learning – Desperately seeking theory? In M. Easterby-Smith, L. Araujo and J. Burgoyne (Eds.), Organizational learning and the learning organization: Developments in theory and practice (pp. 23-43). London: Sage Roberts, M.M. (2007). The individuals with disabilities education improvement act: Why considering only one individual at a time creates untenable situations for students and educators. Accessed at: http://works.bepress.com/megan_roberts/1 Senge, P., Cambron-McCabe, N., Lucas, T., Smith, B., Dutton, J. and Kleiner, A. (2000). Schools that learn. London: Nicholas Brealey.