Aberdeen professor outlines pioneering education research at the White House

Aberdeen professor outlines pioneering education research at the White House

A University of Aberdeen professor will give a presentation in the White House today (Tuesday May 10) sharing important educational research carried out at the institution as the United States prepares to reauthorise its Elementary and Secondary Education Act and considers how teachers should best be prepared to enter the profession.

Professor Lani Florian from the School of Education will be describing research and development that has taken place in the University of Aberdeen in briefings held in the White House and both Houses of Congress in Washington DC.

Professor Florian is co-author, with American colleagues Linda Blanton and Marleen Pugach, of a new policy briefing report, Preparing General Education Teachers to Improve Outcomes for Students with Disabilities, sponsored by the American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education (AACTE) and the National Center for Learning Disabilities (NCLD).

The groundbreaking report highlights the importance of reforming teacher education to bring about better outcomes for students with disabilities and learning difficulties, a challenge that is faced in many countries.

The report addresses these challenges by outlining a vision for teacher education that builds on current developments, including lessons from the Inclusive Practice Project at the University of Aberdeen.

The Inclusive Practice Project at Aberdeen was designed to develop new approaches to training teachers to ensure that they have a greater awareness and understanding of the educational and social problems that can affect children’s learning and as well as developing strategies they can use to support and deal with such difficulties. 

Staff in the School of Education have made major changes to the Professional Graduate Diploma in Education (PGDE) for primary and secondary teachers to ensure that social and educational inclusion is addressed within the core programme.

The Project which began in 2006 was funded by the Scottish Government and its research findings have already informed policy debates at the national, European (European Agency for Development of Special Needs Education) and international (UNESCO) level.

Professor Florian, Professor of Social and Educational Inclusion at the University of Aberdeen, who also spoke at the Whitehouse on Monday, said: “I am delighted that work carried at in the School of Education is being recognised internationally. It is a great honour to be invited to speak to White House and Congressional staff about our research and development work.  Hopefully, the lessons from Aberdeen will have some impact on the ways in which teachers are trained in the United States in future”

Professor Florian has published extensively on teacher education and inclusion and is co-author of Achievement and Inclusion in Schools, published by Routledge, (winner of the 2008 NASEN/Times Education Supplement academic book award). She edited The SAGE Handbook of Special Education (2007) and co-edited Disability Classification in Education: Issues and Perspectives, published by Corwin Press in 2008.

Search News

Browse by Month

2024

  1. Jan
  2. Feb
  3. Mar
  4. Apr There are no items to show for April 2024
  5. May There are no items to show for May 2024
  6. Jun There are no items to show for June 2024
  7. Jul There are no items to show for July 2024
  8. Aug There are no items to show for August 2024
  9. Sep There are no items to show for September 2024
  10. Oct There are no items to show for October 2024
  11. Nov There are no items to show for November 2024
  12. Dec There are no items to show for December 2024

2004

  1. Jan
  2. Feb
  3. Mar
  4. Apr
  5. May
  6. Jun
  7. Jul
  8. Aug
  9. Sep
  10. Oct
  11. Nov There are no items to show for November 2004
  12. Dec

2003

  1. Jan
  2. Feb
  3. Mar
  4. Apr
  5. May
  6. Jun
  7. Jul
  8. Aug
  9. Sep
  10. Oct
  11. Nov
  12. Dec There are no items to show for December 2003

1999

  1. Jan There are no items to show for January 1999
  2. Feb There are no items to show for February 1999
  3. Mar
  4. Apr
  5. May
  6. Jun
  7. Jul
  8. Aug
  9. Sep
  10. Oct
  11. Nov
  12. Dec

1998

  1. Jan
  2. Feb
  3. Mar
  4. Apr There are no items to show for April 1998
  5. May
  6. Jun
  7. Jul There are no items to show for July 1998
  8. Aug There are no items to show for August 1998
  9. Sep
  10. Oct
  11. Nov There are no items to show for November 1998
  12. Dec