Inclusive education and school culture

Abstract This paper explores the relationship between concepts of inclusive education and the school culture of late 1990s Britain. It begins by establishing what the concept of culture might imply within the traditions of British society and the social climate of schooling. Inclusive educational issues concerning pedagogy and curriculum content are related toother settings by drawing examples of inclusive classroom cultures from the American context. The extent to which broad cultural values in contrasting areas of the world can determine the nature of inclusivity in schooling is evaluated in the context of a global market. The paper concludes with a reflection on the tensions between inclusive educational values and the current emphasis upon competition and selection.