Don Howell is a Research Assistant with the Caribbean Educational Research Centre at the University of the West Indies Cave Hill Campus. Don Howell was born in Castries, St. Lucia. He began his teaching career at the St. Aloysius R.C. Boys’ Primary School and subsequently served as the Principal of St. Mary’s College. Don Howell is also an avid trade unionist contributing to the teacher trade union movement in St. Lucia and the Caribbean. Don Howell holds a Bachelor of Education in Educational Administration from the University of the West Indies and an MA in Digital Technologies, Communication, and Education from the University of Manchester. He has a keen interest in Policy Development and Management, ICT in Education, and the Advancement of Technical and Vocational Education. He is honored to join the team at the Caribbean Educational Research Centre.
Session Description
Considering the need for historicizing and consolidating Caribbean discourses on Special Education Needs, this conceptual paper aims to provide a comprehensive meta-synthesis of the status of Special Education Needs Research within the Caribbean. Particular attention will be paid to the historical development of Special Education, the barriers to the advancement of Special Education, the status of Special Education Needs research, and the challenges to conducting research related to Special Education Needs. Through this conceptual paper, it is expected that the outlined advancements, challenges, and proposed solutions will propel and further inform research, as well as, the implementation of data-driven policy and practices related to Special Education Needs within the Caribbean, and by extension, provide transferable considerations for international education partners.