Louis Olander | Graduate Center of the City University of New York (original) (raw)
Papers by Louis Olander
Journal of Teacher Action Research, 2022
This paper describes an action research project conducted to foster the inclusion of students in ... more This paper describes an action research project conducted to foster the inclusion of students in an urban school facing state sanctions for standardized test score underperformance. This project found that teachers were able to develop new understandings of inclusive education as an ideal that contrasts and challenges neoliberal "achievement," and were able to expand their use of inclusive pedagogies. However, school-level structures were unable to be addressed due to shifting institutional leadership and priorities, in addition to entrenched tracking practices. Implications are discussed for inclusive school-level organizational development as well as professional development for teachers.
Disability Studies Quarterly, 2020
Little evidence exists about how students with Learning disabilities (LD) recognize, understand, ... more Little evidence exists about how students with Learning disabilities (LD) recognize, understand, and utilize existing supports to ensure successful graduation from high school. In this article we ask: What are the supports available to high school students with LD that help them graduate? (a) What/who are some school-based supports they identify? (b) What/who are some non-school supports they identify? We share data from semi-structured interviews with forty high school students. Findings reveal: teacher support in the form of pedagogical choices, individualized support, and after-school support; counseling expertise in the form of academic advisement and emotional support; effective family-school collaboration; discrete family support outside of school; and various forms of self sustenance. Implications of these findings are discussed before recommendations are made to various stakeholders in the school community with the view to improving supports of students with LD toward helpin...
The Sage Handbook of Inclusion and Diversity in Education, 2019
In this chapter we consider the link between two important topics, Culturally Responsive Research... more In this chapter we consider the link between two important topics, Culturally Responsive Research (CRR) and Culturally Sustaining Pedagogies (CSP) within the context of inclusive education in the USA. We explore these connections to illuminate some of the complexities of inclusive research and practice. By joining insights from the discourses of both CRR and CSP we ultimately seek to increase authentic ways of including all students from diverse backgrounds (Lawrence-Brown & Sapon-Shevin, 2015). First, we discuss the benefits of educational researchers acknowledging their own personal biases and attending to how these biases might influence their research on inclusive practices. Second, we challenge the notion of culture-free research, highlighting ways in which the failure to acknowledge culture has inhibited reducing inequalities. Here, we advocate for increased pluralism of research methodologies that situate the context of the research, recognize the needs, desires, and interests of research participants, and seek out dialogical encounters among those most invested in the outcomes of our research. Third, we discuss the need to cultivate classrooms that center human diversity as the norm. This requires that we both critique current practices, as well as forge alternative ways to embrace and expand core principles of inclusive education. Fourth, we advocate for researchers to explicitly position themselves within their work and work to develop cultural cognizance in their work with teachers and children in inclusive classrooms. Finally, we advocate for school cultures that focus less on perceived deficits and more on creating a sense of belonging, noting how this is a topic applicable around the world.
Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Education
Ideological disputes about what human differences constitute disabilities undergird two very dist... more Ideological disputes about what human differences constitute disabilities undergird two very distinct positions that are known as medical and social models of disability. The positions significantly impact how inclusive education is envisioned and enacted, with proponents of each model holding fast to what they believe is “best” for students. Related areas of significant dissension among the two viewpoints include: (a) the concept of disability and “appropriate” placement of students deemed disabled, (b) the purpose of schools, (c) the nature of teaching and learning, (d) a teacher’s roles, (e) the notion of student success and failure, and (f) perceptions of social justice and disability. These interconnected and sometimes overlapping areas convey how medical or social models of inclusive education can vary dramatically, depending upon an educator’s general ideological disposition toward disability or difference.
How does access to this work benefit you? Let us know! Follow this and additional works at: https... more How does access to this work benefit you? Let us know! Follow this and additional works at: https://academicworks.cuny.edu/gc_etds Part of the Accessibility Commons, Curriculum and Social Inquiry Commons, Junior High, Intermediate, Middle School Education and Teaching Commons, Other Education Commons, Other Teacher Education and Professional Development Commons, Secondary Education Commons, Special Education Administration Commons, Special Education and Teaching Commons, and the Urban Education Commons
Exceptionality
High school students perspectives related to school facilitation of involvement of students in th... more High school students perspectives related to school facilitation of involvement of students in the transition process were examined. Qualitative interviews with 40 high school students with Learning Disabilities (LD) were conducted using a semi-structured interview protocol and a constant comparative approach was used in data coding. Qualitative analysis of interview data resulted in the emergence of three primary themes based on student perceptions of what works in transition planning related to (1) diploma options and course choice, (2) meaningful Individualized Education Program and Transition Plan involvement, and (3) opportunities to explore transition domains of career and college preparation. Implications for practice include a discussion of ways in which schools can facilitate meaningful student involvement in transition planning for graduation and post-school success.
![Research paper thumbnail of How Medical and Social Perspectives of Disability Influence Models of Inclusive Education in the USA [Initial draft]](https://attachments.academia-assets.com/64485542/thumbnails/1.jpg)
](In U. Sharma (Ed.), Inclusive and Special Education. New York: Oxford University Press., 2020
The concept of inclusive education has historically divided the field of special education into t... more The concept of inclusive education has historically divided the field of special education into those who valued specialized practices in exclusive or segregated settings, and those who sought to forge new versions of general education classrooms in which all students could be included. Ideological disputes about what human differences constitute disabilities undergird two very distinct positions that are known as medical and social models of disability. The positions
significantly impact how inclusive education is envisioned and enacted, with proponents of each model holding fast to what they believe is “best” for students. It is precisely because of disagreements about what constitutes special education—and in particular its relationship toward inclusive education—that we see value in comparing and contrasting medical and social models of disability.
In doing so we build upon previous publications of scholars who have analyzed differences between medical and social perspectives of special education. Moreover, we extend these analyses to focus upon inclusive practices in particular, including the impact of how medical and social models impacts each educators’ disposition about how inclusion is conceptualized, enacted, and assessed. For the purpose of this analysis we focus upon the following areas: (1) the concept of disability and “appropriate” placement; (2) the purpose of schools; (3) the nature of teaching learning; (4) a teacher’s role; (5) the notion of student success and failure; and, (6) perceptions of social justice and disability. Within each area we offer a medical and social model perspective before discussing implications for inclusive education. Finally, we describe how, when taken together, these interconnected and sometimes overlapping areas convey how medicalized or sociocultural models of inclusive education can vary dramatically, depending upon a teacher’s general ideological disposition toward disability or difference. [initial draft of published paper]
Disability Studies Quarterly, 2020
Little evidence exists about how students with Learning disabilities (LD) recognize, understand, ... more Little evidence exists about how students with Learning disabilities (LD) recognize, understand, and utilize existing supports to ensure successful graduation from high school. In this article we ask: What are the supports available to high school students with LD that help them graduate? (a) What/who are some school-based supports they identify? (b) What/who are some non-school supports they identify? We share data from semi-structured interviews with forty high school students. Findings reveal: teacher support in the form of pedagogical choices, individualized support, and after-school support; counseling expertise in the form of academic advisement and emotional support; effective family-school collaboration; discrete family support outside of school; and various forms of self sustenance. Implications
The SAGE handbook on inclusion and diversity in education. , 2019
In this chapter we consider the link between two important topics, Culturally Responsive Research... more In this chapter we consider the link between two important topics, Culturally Responsive Research (CRR) and Culturally Sustaining Pedagogies (CSP) within the context of inclusive education in the USA. We explore these connections to illuminate some of the complexities of inclusive research and practice. By joining insights from the discourses of both CRR and CSP we ultimately seek to increase authentic ways of including all students from diverse backgrounds (Lawrence-Brown & Sapon-Shevin, 2015). First, we discuss the benefits of educational researchers acknowledging their own personal biases and attending to how these biases might influence their research on inclusive practices. Second, we challenge the notion of culture-free research, highlighting ways in which the failure to acknowledge culture has inhibited reducing inequalities. Here, we advocate for increased pluralism of research methodologies that situate the context of the research, recognize the needs, desires, and interests of research participants, and seek out dialogical encounters among those most invested in the outcomes of our research. Third, we discuss the need to cultivate classrooms that center human diversity as the norm. This requires that we both critique current practices, as well as forge alternative ways to embrace and expand core principles of inclusive education. Fourth, we advocate for researchers to explicitly position themselves within their work and work to develop cultural cognizance in their work with teachers and children in inclusive classrooms. Finally, we advocate for school cultures that focus less on perceived deficits and more on creating a sense of belonging, noting how this is a topic applicable around the world.
Exceptionality, 2019
High school students perspectives related to school facilitation of involvement of students in th... more High school students perspectives related to school facilitation of involvement of students in the transition process were examined. Qualitative interviews with 40 high school students with Learning Disabilities (LD) were conducted using a semi-structured interview protocol and a constant comparative approach was used in data coding. Qualitative analysis of interview data resulted in the emergence of three primary themes based on student perceptions of what works in transition planning related to (1) diploma options and course choice, (2) meaningful Individualized Education Program and Transition Plan involvement, and (3) opportunities to explore transition domains of career and college preparation. Implications for practice include a discussion of ways in which schools can facilitate meaningful student involvement in transition planning for graduation and post-school success.
My Own Resistance to Inclusion I was not always a believer in inclusion; in fact, I actively resi... more My Own Resistance to Inclusion I was not always a believer in inclusion; in fact, I actively resisted it initially. It seemed far-fetched idealism at best and injurious practice at worst. Much of this resistance came from misunderstandings about inclusion that were driven by my own teacher preparation course work and by poorly implemented quasi-inclusion structures in schools where I worked. Admittedly, my resistance usually materialized in the teachers' lounge as common grumbling and probably did not amount to much in terms of actual action. Nevertheless, my somewhat passive-aggressive stance was generally motivated by retaining control over my students, who were often derisively branded as those kids by general education teachers and administrators. This was largely because I felt that I could help them more that way, as I probably overestimated my own capacity to do good in their lives. When I returned from a yearlong combat tour as a medic in Iraq in 2005, I struggled to make sense of my diagnosis of post-traumatic stress disorder. I did not think the mold of a " disabled veteran " fit me, and I resented the guys who I came home with who had reconstituted their identities around an aggrandized sense of self-importance and sacrificial injuries. In a practical sense, though, I came to discover that I had a poor grasp of my temper, something that would come to make my work teaching unnecessarily difficult.
Journal of Teacher Action Research, 2022
This paper describes an action research project conducted to foster the inclusion of students in ... more This paper describes an action research project conducted to foster the inclusion of students in an urban school facing state sanctions for standardized test score underperformance. This project found that teachers were able to develop new understandings of inclusive education as an ideal that contrasts and challenges neoliberal "achievement," and were able to expand their use of inclusive pedagogies. However, school-level structures were unable to be addressed due to shifting institutional leadership and priorities, in addition to entrenched tracking practices. Implications are discussed for inclusive school-level organizational development as well as professional development for teachers.
Disability Studies Quarterly, 2020
Little evidence exists about how students with Learning disabilities (LD) recognize, understand, ... more Little evidence exists about how students with Learning disabilities (LD) recognize, understand, and utilize existing supports to ensure successful graduation from high school. In this article we ask: What are the supports available to high school students with LD that help them graduate? (a) What/who are some school-based supports they identify? (b) What/who are some non-school supports they identify? We share data from semi-structured interviews with forty high school students. Findings reveal: teacher support in the form of pedagogical choices, individualized support, and after-school support; counseling expertise in the form of academic advisement and emotional support; effective family-school collaboration; discrete family support outside of school; and various forms of self sustenance. Implications of these findings are discussed before recommendations are made to various stakeholders in the school community with the view to improving supports of students with LD toward helpin...
The Sage Handbook of Inclusion and Diversity in Education, 2019
In this chapter we consider the link between two important topics, Culturally Responsive Research... more In this chapter we consider the link between two important topics, Culturally Responsive Research (CRR) and Culturally Sustaining Pedagogies (CSP) within the context of inclusive education in the USA. We explore these connections to illuminate some of the complexities of inclusive research and practice. By joining insights from the discourses of both CRR and CSP we ultimately seek to increase authentic ways of including all students from diverse backgrounds (Lawrence-Brown & Sapon-Shevin, 2015). First, we discuss the benefits of educational researchers acknowledging their own personal biases and attending to how these biases might influence their research on inclusive practices. Second, we challenge the notion of culture-free research, highlighting ways in which the failure to acknowledge culture has inhibited reducing inequalities. Here, we advocate for increased pluralism of research methodologies that situate the context of the research, recognize the needs, desires, and interests of research participants, and seek out dialogical encounters among those most invested in the outcomes of our research. Third, we discuss the need to cultivate classrooms that center human diversity as the norm. This requires that we both critique current practices, as well as forge alternative ways to embrace and expand core principles of inclusive education. Fourth, we advocate for researchers to explicitly position themselves within their work and work to develop cultural cognizance in their work with teachers and children in inclusive classrooms. Finally, we advocate for school cultures that focus less on perceived deficits and more on creating a sense of belonging, noting how this is a topic applicable around the world.
Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Education
Ideological disputes about what human differences constitute disabilities undergird two very dist... more Ideological disputes about what human differences constitute disabilities undergird two very distinct positions that are known as medical and social models of disability. The positions significantly impact how inclusive education is envisioned and enacted, with proponents of each model holding fast to what they believe is “best” for students. Related areas of significant dissension among the two viewpoints include: (a) the concept of disability and “appropriate” placement of students deemed disabled, (b) the purpose of schools, (c) the nature of teaching and learning, (d) a teacher’s roles, (e) the notion of student success and failure, and (f) perceptions of social justice and disability. These interconnected and sometimes overlapping areas convey how medical or social models of inclusive education can vary dramatically, depending upon an educator’s general ideological disposition toward disability or difference.
How does access to this work benefit you? Let us know! Follow this and additional works at: https... more How does access to this work benefit you? Let us know! Follow this and additional works at: https://academicworks.cuny.edu/gc_etds Part of the Accessibility Commons, Curriculum and Social Inquiry Commons, Junior High, Intermediate, Middle School Education and Teaching Commons, Other Education Commons, Other Teacher Education and Professional Development Commons, Secondary Education Commons, Special Education Administration Commons, Special Education and Teaching Commons, and the Urban Education Commons
Exceptionality
High school students perspectives related to school facilitation of involvement of students in th... more High school students perspectives related to school facilitation of involvement of students in the transition process were examined. Qualitative interviews with 40 high school students with Learning Disabilities (LD) were conducted using a semi-structured interview protocol and a constant comparative approach was used in data coding. Qualitative analysis of interview data resulted in the emergence of three primary themes based on student perceptions of what works in transition planning related to (1) diploma options and course choice, (2) meaningful Individualized Education Program and Transition Plan involvement, and (3) opportunities to explore transition domains of career and college preparation. Implications for practice include a discussion of ways in which schools can facilitate meaningful student involvement in transition planning for graduation and post-school success.
In U. Sharma (Ed.), Inclusive and Special Education. New York: Oxford University Press., 2020
The concept of inclusive education has historically divided the field of special education into t... more The concept of inclusive education has historically divided the field of special education into those who valued specialized practices in exclusive or segregated settings, and those who sought to forge new versions of general education classrooms in which all students could be included. Ideological disputes about what human differences constitute disabilities undergird two very distinct positions that are known as medical and social models of disability. The positions
significantly impact how inclusive education is envisioned and enacted, with proponents of each model holding fast to what they believe is “best” for students. It is precisely because of disagreements about what constitutes special education—and in particular its relationship toward inclusive education—that we see value in comparing and contrasting medical and social models of disability.
In doing so we build upon previous publications of scholars who have analyzed differences between medical and social perspectives of special education. Moreover, we extend these analyses to focus upon inclusive practices in particular, including the impact of how medical and social models impacts each educators’ disposition about how inclusion is conceptualized, enacted, and assessed. For the purpose of this analysis we focus upon the following areas: (1) the concept of disability and “appropriate” placement; (2) the purpose of schools; (3) the nature of teaching learning; (4) a teacher’s role; (5) the notion of student success and failure; and, (6) perceptions of social justice and disability. Within each area we offer a medical and social model perspective before discussing implications for inclusive education. Finally, we describe how, when taken together, these interconnected and sometimes overlapping areas convey how medicalized or sociocultural models of inclusive education can vary dramatically, depending upon a teacher’s general ideological disposition toward disability or difference. [initial draft of published paper]
Disability Studies Quarterly, 2020
Little evidence exists about how students with Learning disabilities (LD) recognize, understand, ... more Little evidence exists about how students with Learning disabilities (LD) recognize, understand, and utilize existing supports to ensure successful graduation from high school. In this article we ask: What are the supports available to high school students with LD that help them graduate? (a) What/who are some school-based supports they identify? (b) What/who are some non-school supports they identify? We share data from semi-structured interviews with forty high school students. Findings reveal: teacher support in the form of pedagogical choices, individualized support, and after-school support; counseling expertise in the form of academic advisement and emotional support; effective family-school collaboration; discrete family support outside of school; and various forms of self sustenance. Implications
The SAGE handbook on inclusion and diversity in education. , 2019
In this chapter we consider the link between two important topics, Culturally Responsive Research... more In this chapter we consider the link between two important topics, Culturally Responsive Research (CRR) and Culturally Sustaining Pedagogies (CSP) within the context of inclusive education in the USA. We explore these connections to illuminate some of the complexities of inclusive research and practice. By joining insights from the discourses of both CRR and CSP we ultimately seek to increase authentic ways of including all students from diverse backgrounds (Lawrence-Brown & Sapon-Shevin, 2015). First, we discuss the benefits of educational researchers acknowledging their own personal biases and attending to how these biases might influence their research on inclusive practices. Second, we challenge the notion of culture-free research, highlighting ways in which the failure to acknowledge culture has inhibited reducing inequalities. Here, we advocate for increased pluralism of research methodologies that situate the context of the research, recognize the needs, desires, and interests of research participants, and seek out dialogical encounters among those most invested in the outcomes of our research. Third, we discuss the need to cultivate classrooms that center human diversity as the norm. This requires that we both critique current practices, as well as forge alternative ways to embrace and expand core principles of inclusive education. Fourth, we advocate for researchers to explicitly position themselves within their work and work to develop cultural cognizance in their work with teachers and children in inclusive classrooms. Finally, we advocate for school cultures that focus less on perceived deficits and more on creating a sense of belonging, noting how this is a topic applicable around the world.
Exceptionality, 2019
High school students perspectives related to school facilitation of involvement of students in th... more High school students perspectives related to school facilitation of involvement of students in the transition process were examined. Qualitative interviews with 40 high school students with Learning Disabilities (LD) were conducted using a semi-structured interview protocol and a constant comparative approach was used in data coding. Qualitative analysis of interview data resulted in the emergence of three primary themes based on student perceptions of what works in transition planning related to (1) diploma options and course choice, (2) meaningful Individualized Education Program and Transition Plan involvement, and (3) opportunities to explore transition domains of career and college preparation. Implications for practice include a discussion of ways in which schools can facilitate meaningful student involvement in transition planning for graduation and post-school success.
My Own Resistance to Inclusion I was not always a believer in inclusion; in fact, I actively resi... more My Own Resistance to Inclusion I was not always a believer in inclusion; in fact, I actively resisted it initially. It seemed far-fetched idealism at best and injurious practice at worst. Much of this resistance came from misunderstandings about inclusion that were driven by my own teacher preparation course work and by poorly implemented quasi-inclusion structures in schools where I worked. Admittedly, my resistance usually materialized in the teachers' lounge as common grumbling and probably did not amount to much in terms of actual action. Nevertheless, my somewhat passive-aggressive stance was generally motivated by retaining control over my students, who were often derisively branded as those kids by general education teachers and administrators. This was largely because I felt that I could help them more that way, as I probably overestimated my own capacity to do good in their lives. When I returned from a yearlong combat tour as a medic in Iraq in 2005, I struggled to make sense of my diagnosis of post-traumatic stress disorder. I did not think the mold of a " disabled veteran " fit me, and I resented the guys who I came home with who had reconstituted their identities around an aggrandized sense of self-importance and sacrificial injuries. In a practical sense, though, I came to discover that I had a poor grasp of my temper, something that would come to make my work teaching unnecessarily difficult.