Desire Collins hails from the beautiful Caribbean island of Grenada. She holds a Certificate in Education (Secondary Education), a Bachelors of Education – Social Studies (First Class Honours) and a Masters of Philosophy in Education, all from The University of the West Indies, Cave Hill. Her MPhil thesis investigated the perceptions of teachers, within the Grenadian context, on teacher training and its influence on their classroom practices. Desire has been an educator for the past twenty-four (24) years both at the secondary and tertiary levels and has served on many education committees, as she contributed toward the growth and enhancement of the education sector in Grenada. Over the last decade she has dedicated her service to the development of teacher education, as a lecturer, and more recently, as Chair of the Teacher Education Department in Grenada before joining the team at the Caribbean Educational Research Centre. Her research interests center around education for all, differentiated teaching and learning, and teacher training and professional development.
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.