926-EDU-IAR-RU
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.
07/03/2002