Preparing teachers for inclusive education in Poland and Lithuania

ENThe idea of inclusive education in recent years has become more and more significant in educational theory and practice, both Polish and Lithuanian. Its first premises appeared in international politics with the adoption in 1994 of the Declaration of Salamanca (UNESCO, 1994), which called for the implementation of the idea of ‘education for all’, for reducing the phenomenon of social exclusion and marginalization of students particularly exposed to it. According to the declaration, every child, regardless of his ability, but taking into account his individual characteristics, interests, abilities and learning needs should be provided with the opportunity of receiving education in the setting of school integration. Special educational needs of students should be satisfied in the so called regular schools, which requires the design of a new school model, one prepared to work with students with diverse needs and abilities. These assumptions are close to the idea of inclusive education, even though the authors of the declaration signed back in the 90s used the term: integrative education. In Poland and Lithuania, regulations regarding the specific objectives of inclusive education emerged in the similar period. An Education System Act was published in Poland in 1991 year, which legalized a possibility for every pupil to not only learn at a general school but also to obtain necessary individual assistance. The Law on Education of the Republic of Lithuania, which stipulated the right for pupils with disabilities to learn at mainstream schools and obtain necessary assistance, was passed in the same year – 1991 in Lithuania. The effectiveness of their implementation depends largely on the local environment and the school, and, in particular, the preparation of teachers as its chief implementers.Adopting the debate on practical assumptions of inclusive education as the theoretical backdrop, this article presents the results of research conducted in both counties on the preparation of public schools and especially teachers, for its implementation. The research is limited to selected studies conducted after 2010, on a wider group of respondents and the common areas of research carried out in Poland and Lithuania.