Caribbean Student Voices and Educational Inclusion : Exploring the Effectiveness of Policy Through Pupil Consultation

Foregrounding the perspectives of students from Barbados and St. Vincent, this book offers valuable insight into the implementation and effectiveness of international policies designed to improve educational inclusion in the Caribbean.

Drawing on pupil participatory research conducted with adolescents in disadvantaged and high-achieving schools, the text reveals differences in how international policies are reflected in schools, highlighting the role of student and school leadership, community building in and outside of schools, and transformative teacher pedagogy in achieving educational equity. Situating pupil participation and student consultation in its theoretical and policy context in the Caribbean, the author examines the findings on educational inclusion and their implications for policy development in order to propose a new model to boost pupil consultation and increase academic inclusion and engagement.

Juxtaposing students’ voices from a variety of socioeconomic, cultural, disability, and ethnic backgrounds, Caribbean Student Voices and Educational Inclusion is a great companion reader for educators, policymakers, and researchers undertaking work on inclusive education in developed and developing nations.

Stacey Blackman is Senior Lecturer in Special Education, University of the West Indies at Cave Hill, Barbados.