Decolonizing Inclusive Education: Centering Heartwork, Care, and Listening

Inclusive education faces a critical challenge rooted in an outdated paradigm that treats students as fixer-upper projects rather than recognizing their holistic needs. The prevalent toolbox approach, governed by frameworks like MTSS and RTI, tends to prioritize immediate academic gains, neglecting the intricate tapestry of students' identities, cultural nuances, and unique strengths. This myopic strategy fails to foster sustained growth and well-being, undermining the true potential of inclusive education. Addressing this pervasive issue, Decolonizing Inclusive Education: Centering Heartwork, Care, and Listening, provides a groundbreaking solution. By shifting the focus to heartwork, care, and listening, the book pioneers a decolonizing praxis in inclusive education. It challenges the prevailing tool-centric model and advocates for an approach that embraces the diverse identities, funds of knowledge, and cultural understandings of students. The book delves into topics such as classroom stories, engaging families, funds of knowledge, and decentering whiteness, offering a comprehensive guide to transform inclusive education into a space that not only acknowledges but celebrates the holistic well-being and growth of every student. Decolonizing Inclusive Education: Centering Heartwork, Care, and Listening spans an array of related topics crucial for educators, system leaders, and researchers. It explores ethical ways of decentering whiteness and engaging families in partnerships centered on students' intersecting strengths. The book is ideal for current and pre-service teachers seeking a transformative approach to inclusive education, as well as system leaders and graduate education researchers aiming to contribute to a more inclusive and ethically grounded educational landscape.