Preparing for Inclusive Teaching: Meeting the Challenges of Teacher Education Reform.

PREPARING FOR INCLUSIVE TEACHING: Meeting the Challenges of Teacher Education Reform. Elizabeth Bondy & Dorene D. Ross (Eds.). Albany, NY: State University of New York Press, 2005. 316 pp. Paperback, $26.00. Preparing for Inclusive Teaching: Meeting the Challenges of Teacher Reform is a chronicle of the organization and implementation of an innovative teacher education program at the University of Florida that blends special education and general education teacher preparation. The book is a case study compilation of essays by participant teachers, teacher educators, and researchers describing the experiences, observations, and determinations drawn from the Unified Elementary Special Education ProTeach Program (UESEP). The 18 chapters are divided into sub-sections that focus on the beginning of the program, the reformation at the university, the participants' views, and program evaluations. The book serves as a tool for teacher development programs and is a part of the SUNY (State University of New York) series "Teacher Preparation and Development," edited by Alan R. Tom.

The book identifies the bumps and smooth surfaces of teacher education reform while addressing the practices and processes faced by teachers in inclusive classrooms. It chronicles many challenges faced by the designers, who were "continuously identifying potential barriers and developing strategies to overcome them" (p. 77). Chapter 8, Communication and Conflict on Three Teaching Teams, presents a discussion of how general education and special education teachers faced "tension related to perceptions about the role of the teacher" (p. 137). Through it all, the participants moved forward toward achieving a successful blend of teacher education reform that provides foundational insights for higher education in the years to come (p. 255).

The book is sequentially coherent and is organized in such a manner that a reader can turn to an area of personal interest to gain topical insight into situations experienced by the contributors during the study. It is a strong reference text for those interested in teacher education reform. Both graduate students and university staff will better understand what is required for the type of organizational reform that brings together general and special education teacher preparation. Reviewed by Luther N. Waters, Jr., Transition Specialist, Los Angeles Unified School District, Los Angeles, CA