Judy-Ann Allison Auld is a final year PhD student at the University of the West Indies, Cave Hill Campus, in the Faculty of Humanities and Education. She completed a master’s degree in Inclusive Education at the University of Roehampton, London, and a bachelor’s degree in Educational Leadership and Management with honors at the University of the West Indies. Prior to that she received a Certificate in Inclusive Education from the University of Roehampton, London, and a Teachers’ Certificate in Elementary Education with honors from the T.A. Marryshow Community College/U.W.I. She has experience as a primary school teacher, principal of a special education institution and part—time lecturer at the Teacher Education Department of the T.A Marryshow Community College and the St. Georges University’s School of Arts and Science, Grenada. She considers herself an advocate for students identified with special educational needs hence her research focuses on inclusive education. She can be contacted at: ch-jauld@cavehill.uwi.edu.
Session Description
“Exploring Inclusive Education Practices in Grenada: An Ethnographic Case Study of District and School Management Teams“
The approaches to addressing inclusion globally, though laudable, often focus on the signing of laws, the development of policies, and the implementation of policy. However, in contexts such as Grenada within the Caribbean, the there are no clear guidelines for implementation, resulting in policy that is not effectively translated into practice (Blackman, Conrad, & Brown, 2019). Although many studies have investigated inclusion efforts in the Caribbean region, very few have attempted a grounded, holistic view at what is happening on site, where inclusive cultures are being developed. Such a view can allow for a focus on implementation rules and regulations that lay down specific interventions and solutions directed toward previously identified priority improvement areas. Grounded inquiry from the site of implementation can assist in improving governance and access to quality education for all learners. Through an ethnographic exploration of one educational district in Grenada, this study draws from the theories of social justice leadership (Furman (2012) and Critical Pedagogy (Freire 2020), to explore how District and School Management Teams accept, interpret, and enact inclusive education in public primary schools in Grenada. Specifically, qualitative data is collected through interviews, observation, document analysis and work diaries over a period of 12 to 15 weeks. This study will likely be of great value for the policy implementation process in the Caribbean and beyond, as it can provide an objective and in-depth insight directly from the field and a “close to context” reflection of how policy is being understood, interpreted, and enacted by administrators.