The Salamanca Statement (1994) is a universally acknowledged key document supporting inclusive education(Ainscow, 2007, p. 147; Vislie, 2003, p. 18). It states ‘that those with special education needs (SEN) must have access to regular schools which should accommodate them with a child-centered pedagogy capable of meeting those needs’ (UNESCO, 1994, p. viii). Ensuing legislation and policy documents in Ireland (Government of Ireland, 1998, 2004), in the UK (Department for Education, 2012; Evans, 2007; Warnock, 1978) and internationally defined the rights of children with SEN to be educated in mainstream schools. The inclusion of students with SEN in mainstream schools has placed additional demands on teachers (Greer & Meyen, 2009, p. 197) and has implications for the preparation of special education teachers (Brownell, Sindelar, Kiely, & Danielson, 2010, p. 357). The importance of preparing teachers to teach in inclusive contexts is firmly noted (Greer & Meyen, 2009, p. 197; Jordan, Schwartz, & McGhie-Richmond, 2009, p. 536),  as it is recognised that teachers possessing the necessary knowledge and skills base are central to the successful inclusion of students with SEN  (Brownell et al., 2010, p. 357; Florian, 2010b, p. 6; Jordan et al., 2009, p. 536). However, continuing professional development (CPD) for teachers in special education has received ‘little attention’ to date (Florian, 2010a, p. xix). International test results (Mullis, Martin, Foy, & Arora, 2012) indicate that attainment levels in mathematics are a cause for concern in some countries. A national strategy to improve standards in literacy and numeracy was launched in Ireland to increase attainment levels in these subject areas (DES, 2011b) for every pupil, including those with SEN. CPD is one of a number of strategies designed to achieve this aim.

The current research focuses on factors impacting on the teaching of mathematics to pupils (aged 4-12) with SEN attending mainstream schools in Ireland.  The research will examine specifically the impact of the CPD in mathematics on a post graduate diploma in special education (DES, 2011a) for the participants (special education teachers), their pupils and their wider school communities.  Other factors such as national policy initiatives, whole school approaches to SEN, teacher attitudes to inclusion, mathematical knowledge for teaching will also be investigated. The theoretical framework is guided by national and international research (Chen & McCray, 2012a, 2012b; Loxley, Johnston, Murchan, Fitzgerald, & Quinn, 2007; The Teaching Council, 2011; UNESCO, 1994). The research will be set within a theoretical framework whereby changes in attitude, knowledge and practice are strongly affected by the contexts in which teachers learn and teach (Chen & McCray, 2012a) and by national policies on mathematics, special education and CPD (DES, 2011b; NCCA, 2007; The Teaching Council, 2011). The framework will emphasis all areas of teacher development – attitudes, knowledge and practice and will examine the interrelationships between them. In this research, context has been conceptualised as a core area of study leading to an in-depth examination of  teacher context, school context and system context (Loxley et al., 2007) thereby developing a theoretical framework for the study.

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