Improving Schools, Developing Inclusion is a book that explores the challenges of making schools more inclusive. It argues that inclusion is a complex and controversial issue, and that developing inclusive practices in schools requires engaging in dialogue about the beliefs of teachers and policymakers. The book uses evidence from in-depth research to provide new insights into how to address this important agenda. It challenges many existing assumptions about school improvement and educational reform, and proposes that the development of inclusive practices will only be achieved by engaging in dialogue about the deeply held beliefs of teachers and policymakers. The book has three parts. Part I outlines the context and agenda for the research. Chapter 1 explains what the three university groups brought to the work, explores the variety of approaches to inclusion and sets out the particular approach of the research team. Chapter 2 focuses more specifically on the English policy context, and reflects upon the implications of inclusion for approaches to school development and government educational policy. Chapter 3 explains how the network was set up in the three local authorities and describes the collaborative action research approach that was used. Part II consists of three chapters that draw on evidence from the three interconnected studies. These chapters analyse how barriers to participation are created within the English education system, the attempts of practitioners in schools to address these barriers and the possibilities for those working within higher education to contribute to school development. Each of these chapters is focused on one local authority, its schools and classrooms, and the impact of local and national policies on them. Part III consists of two chapters that draw out the implications of the research. Chapter 7 compares and contrasts the findings of the three studies, focusing on both their process and outcomes, in order to synthesise the findings of the network's programme of research. It analyses the different ways in which the three university groups chose to interpret their common task and uses these differences as a resource to deepen the analysis of what happened in each case. The book argues that current efforts to raise standards are themselves creating barriers for some groups. Nevertheless, the three studies point to strategies for inclusive development that may be applied within the existing policy environment and consideration is given to the impact of such approaches on the learning of all members of a school's communities. The final chapter addresses the strategic implications of the findings, focusing once again on different levels in the education system. It is suggested that substantial progress towards a more inclusive education system will depend on: a clearer conceptualisation of the term 'inclusion' among all stakeholders; less fragmentation of efforts among support and regulatory agencies; and a reform of the criteria used to measure student progress and school effectiveness. It is argued that the development of inclusive practices, particularly on a wide, national basis, can only be achieved by engaging in dialogue about the deeply held beliefs of teachers and policymakers rather than through sudden transformations imposed from outside. This has implications for the roles of headteachers, for how staff teams work together, and for how schools collect and use evidence about their practice. It also has implications forImproving Schools, Developing Inclusion is a book that explores the challenges of making schools more inclusive. It argues that inclusion is a complex and controversial issue, and that developing inclusive practices in schools requires engaging in dialogue about the beliefs of teachers and policymakers. The book uses evidence from in-depth research to provide new insights into how to address this important agenda. It challenges many existing assumptions about school improvement and educational reform, and proposes that the development of inclusive practices will only be achieved by engaging in dialogue about the deeply held beliefs of teachers and policymakers. The book has three parts. Part I outlines the context and agenda for the research. Chapter 1 explains what the three university groups brought to the work, explores the variety of approaches to inclusion and sets out the particular approach of the research team. Chapter 2 focuses more specifically on the English policy context, and reflects upon the implications of inclusion for approaches to school development and government educational policy. Chapter 3 explains how the network was set up in the three local authorities and describes the collaborative action research approach that was used. Part II consists of three chapters that draw on evidence from the three interconnected studies. These chapters analyse how barriers to participation are created within the English education system, the attempts of practitioners in schools to address these barriers and the possibilities for those working within higher education to contribute to school development. Each of these chapters is focused on one local authority, its schools and classrooms, and the impact of local and national policies on them. Part III consists of two chapters that draw out the implications of the research. Chapter 7 compares and contrasts the findings of the three studies, focusing on both their process and outcomes, in order to synthesise the findings of the network's programme of research. It analyses the different ways in which the three university groups chose to interpret their common task and uses these differences as a resource to deepen the analysis of what happened in each case. The book argues that current efforts to raise standards are themselves creating barriers for some groups. Nevertheless, the three studies point to strategies for inclusive development that may be applied within the existing policy environment and consideration is given to the impact of such approaches on the learning of all members of a school's communities. The final chapter addresses the strategic implications of the findings, focusing once again on different levels in the education system. It is suggested that substantial progress towards a more inclusive education system will depend on: a clearer conceptualisation of the term 'inclusion' among all stakeholders; less fragmentation of efforts among support and regulatory agencies; and a reform of the criteria used to measure student progress and school effectiveness. It is argued that the development of inclusive practices, particularly on a wide, national basis, can only be achieved by engaging in dialogue about the deeply held beliefs of teachers and policymakers rather than through sudden transformations imposed from outside. This has implications for the roles of headteachers, for how staff teams work together, and for how schools collect and use evidence about their practice. It also has implications for