DENYSIUK Oksana, SULIMENKO Dmytro, DRON Tetiana
EQUAL ACCESS TO QUALITY EDUCATION THROUGH THE PRISM OF ORGANIZING INCLUSIVE EDUCATION IN HUB SCHOOLS
Abstract. The article examines one of the aspects of the reform of secondary education – the establishment of hub schools. Hub schools are considered as an innovative mechanism for ensuring equal access to quality education for all kind of students, including those with special educational needs in accordance with the Law of Ukraine «On Education». The article analyzes the state of readiness of hub schools for the implementation of inclusive education, in particular, the creation of common educational space, architectural accessibility, and the availability of appropriate staff and methodological support for working with children with special educational needs. The article uses the data of the monitoring study «Hub schools functioning»
conducted by the State Scientific Institution «Institute of Educational Analytics», on the basis of which conclusions on fundamental principles of hub school organization were formed. The authors examined the international experience of organizing inclusive education in hub schools, in particular, distance education, the use of modern information and communication technologies, and the creation of an effective information space for equal access to quality education for children with special needs. The article states that the process of establishing hub schools continues. In the 2017/2018 academic year, 450 hub schools operated in Ukraine. An important task is to study the dynamics of changes in providing a comfortable educational space for children with special needs. A number of recommendations for the implementation of inclusive education in the newly established hub schools are proposed.
Keywords: educational space, equal access to education, inclusive education, hub schools.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.32987/2617-8532-2018-3-56-64
JEL classification: H52, I21, I22, I28.