Whole Schooling: Classrooms where ALL children can learn and succeed

How do both rural and urban schools successfully include and educate students with disabilities in public school classrooms? This is one of the key questions as Whole Schooling is being researched in both Wisconsin and Michigan.

Education faculties at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point and Wayne State University of Detroit have been awarded a $599,766 research grant from the U.S. Department of Education’s (DOE) Office of Special Education. This three-year grant will be divided equally between the schools as co-directors Kim Beloin of UWSP and Michael Peterson of Wayne State collaborate on the project. Only three universities across the nation received this type of DOE grant.

Whole schooling, according to Beloin, is an educational framework that focuses on empowering students to become effective citizens, allows ALL students regardless of ability, race, language or ethnicity to learn together, engages students in authentic learning experiences using an integrated curriculum, and develops partnerships with families and surrounding communities.

"Our research will focus on analyzing and describing the factors that contribute to the effectiveness of whole schooling in both rural and urban public schools," said Beloin, an assistant professor of education. "With our colleagues at Wayne State, our project aims to document successful whole schools in order to replicate similar models in other schools across the nation."

In October the three phases of research will begin as a statewide survey will be designed and distributed to the principals and two teachers in approximately 10 percent of the schools in Wisconsin and Michigan. This random sampling will ask about school curriculum, student diversity and partnerships with parents and families. Second, on-site observations will be made in 150 classrooms in each state. Observers will focus on instructional practices while interviewing teachers for their insight and observations. Third, researchers will conduct intensive, ongoing studies in six schools in each state.

-30-