‘Where are we in this process’? Teachers' attitudes regarding the amendment to the special education law in Israel

Abstract

AbstractThe study's primary research question is how teachers whose inclusive classes include children with disabilities experienced the most recent amendment (2018) to Israel's Special Education Law. Interviews with 20 teachers revealed four key findings: a sense of professional isolation when having to cope with the challenges of having students with disabilities in general classrooms; concealing emotions (e.g., shame) linked to their ambivalent views of the amendment; dealing with the new dynamics of teacher‐parent relationships; sensing internal conflict regarding the implementation of inclusion. The article discusses the relationship between top‐down educational policy and bottom‐up implementation through teachers' accounts.