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Early childhood education (ECE) in Ghana has grown from a traditional approach to a more formalised and modernised system of care and education services for young children. As a valued practice, ECE reflects a distributive, regulatory or redistributive policy. The paper analyses Ghana's ECE policy implementation using McDonnell and Elmore's framework of five elemental instruments. We supported the analysis with ECE policy documents and research in ECE. Enabling and inhibiting policy instrument factors affecting ECE were identified and ways were devised to enhance the latter. We found that while ECE policy and practice has somewhat addressed equity and access issues, concerns exist regarding implementation factors such as quality teacher training and parent involvement for promoting effective programs. The paper recommends the need to evaluate ECE and provide planned and ongoing opportunities to advance the professional development, capacity, and motivation of ECE implementers, especially early childhood teachers.

Inclusive education (IE) in the early years enhances young children's learning, socialization, and development; yet, children with disability are one group that is often isolated, excluded, or marginalized in early childhood education. This paper examines jointly the perceived exclusion practices, teacher qualities, and professional development and the interplay and impact of these factors on effective inclusive early childhood education. Drawing on data collected from individual interviews with teachers and headteachers in a large early childhood and school setting in Ghana, findings of this qualitative study indicate the exclusion practices of teachers. The findings suggest that resistance to IE limits learning, engagement, and social opportunities for children, especially those with disability. The findings also identify that effective teacher qualities and professional development enhance the provision of quality inclusive early childhood education. The study reinforces the need for improved support for teachers and to make sure that they are placed at the center of IE policy and practice.

Schools create an inclusive environment and cultures and enact inclusive practices to cater for the learning and social needs of learners. Using an adapted Ghana Inclusive Education Monitoring Tool (IEMT), which is based on the Index for Inclusion, we collected data from 74 headteachers of primary schools. Data analysis involved percentages and frequencies of multiple-scaled items of the adapted IEMT. Findings revealed headteachers admit learners with special needs and disabilities (LwSEND) to set the stage for inclusion, while teachers accept these learners in schools. Collaborative cultures among teachers, parents, and other community stakeholders support inclusive education. While classrooms had somewhat good ventilation and lighting, school facilities were less accessible to all learners. Knowledge to adapt the curriculum and the flow of inclusive knowledge among teachers was limited. Suggestions to improve inclusive education include school-wide professional development for sharing inclusive knowledge, enhancing teachers' pedagogical competence and promoting supportive inclusive cultures.

In an era of increasing demand for accessible, quality, and equitable education for all children and increased responsibilities for teachers and educators, inclusive education must be resourced adequately. This article reports on the qualitative findings from a multiple case study of support resources perceived to enhance teachers' efficacy in leading inclusive practice in early childhood settings in Ghana. Teachers, headteachers and education officials, with wide-ranging teaching or supervision experience, were chosen purposefully as participants for this study. Study findings from thematic data analysis revealed that multi-faceted support resources are essential for leading inclusive education and change practice effectively. More importantly, it was evident that the usefulness of support resources was based on teacher judgements, perceptions, and value-addition; system leadership; and understanding of the vision and values related to the education of all children. While some early childhood settings were seemingly well resourced and supported, others were in need of such resources. Most participants, therefore, shared the view that to realise quality and inclusive education for all young children, early childhood settings need to be well-resourced and receive ongoing support. Implications of the findings are discussed in the light of change implementation.

Calls for teacher quality are a lively issue in education systems and schools. This paper explores in-service professional development and learning of teachers implementing inclusive education in early childhood settings. Teachers and headteachers of early childhood settings were interviewed in the context of their daily work and practice. Qualitative results from participants showed teachers engage in 'in-and out-of-school' formal and informal professional development activities to enhance their readiness, efficacy, competence, and preparedness for inclusive education. Professional development is seen as an important conduit to improving teachers' learning and motivation for practice, although its effectiveness is affected by the interplay of teacher, school, and system challenges. The study's recommendations include motivating teachers, revitalising formal professional development programs and their provision, and supporting teachers' informal learning activities so that both modes of learning can synergistically contribute to advancing teachers' knowledge, skills, and disposition for inclusive education.

Inclusive language is essential for fostering inclusiveness, belongingness, and the valuing of children in early childhood education. In early childhood settings, inclusive language is used not only to effectively communicate instruction but also provide genuine expectations and hope for all children. However, teachers' use of non-inclusive language can serve as a disincentive, minimising how children openly learn and collaborate with peers and teachers in schools. Analysing a teacher's language use from an observational study in an early childhood classroom through a creative content analytical approach, this study reveals that teachers' non-inclusive language use impact negatively on children's learning, socialisation, emotional wellbeing, and motivation to learn. We identified effective training and professional development as an important vehicle to enhance and equip teachers with knowledge and skills of using inclusive language, particularly as both a pedagogical and motivational tool in early childhood education. The study recommends that teachers should be made aware of the importance of using inclusive language and its associated benefits for educating children rather than the use of non-inclusive language. Some practical implications for using inclusive language are also provided.

Resourcing inclusive education is increasingly becoming a critical issue for education systems and schools. It is identified that providing adequate and sustainable resources help to transform and optimise implementation of inclusive education. This paper thus examines system and school-level resources considered essential for practising inclusive early childhood education. The extant literature reveals successful inclusive education in early childhood settings requires multifaceted and integrated resource architecture, and the paper argues further that the availability of such resources 'smooth-drive' inclusive practice and is defined largely by 'effective' system and school leadership. In order to promote quality inclusive education and enhance the work of teachers, early childhood settings and schools need to be resourced adequately. Resourcing inclusive education should be considered an investment to develop and build the capacity of early childhood settings and to empower teachers, and overall to augment system and school-level leadership. The review has implications for IECE globally and for Ghana.

The extent to which inclusive schools can physically and pedagogically include children with disability and special educational needs or otherwise is also identified to depend largely on the physical environment. This descriptive, mixed methods study reports empirically driven data on the nature, accessibility, suitability and appropriateness of the physical environment of inclusive schools, and how these impact inclusive education (IE). A purposively selected sample of 164 teachers, with wide-ranging teaching experience was surveyed through a questionnaire. Observation data were also collected to complement the survey data. Study findings revealed that the physical environment of most 'inclusive schools' was of a poor quality, less accessible for children with physical and other sensory motor disability, and less suitable for most physical activities, including sports, and physical education for all children. Teachers, therefore, called on Government and the Ghana Education Service to urgently improve ventilation systems, decorations and colour in inclusive schools. They also highlighted the need for good architectural designs to facilitate effective natural and artificial illumination in classrooms and buildings, modification of facilities, and redesigning the physical landscape of schools to promote accessibility and use for all children, regardless of disability. The findings have implications for universal design environments for IE.

Education systems worldwide recognise the value and promise of technology as a catalyst for transforming pedagogy and promoting student learning. However, several factors stymie teachers' technology integration practices in pursuit of these desired aspirations. This qualitative study investigates, from the perspective of key education stakeholders, major barriers affecting teachers' adoption of technologies as meaningful pedagogical tools in Ghana's classrooms. Twenty teachers, five headteachers, and five education officials from two education districts completed in-depth phone interviews with open-ended questions on these barriers. Informed by Ertmer's barriers to change theoretical lens, the findings revealed six contextual factors impacting effective technology integration, namely, first-order barriers - technological resource availability; leadership support; teacher professional development, and second-order barriers - teacher technological know-how; pedagogical beliefs and interest in technology use; and students' familiarity with technology. The first-order barriers were perceived to have a more significant impact than the second-order barriers. The findings contradict the commonly held claim that the impact of first-order barriers is diminishing, as this was not evident in the context of the study. The study offers implications for research, policy, and practice concerning the barriers that demand the utmost attention to advance effective technology integration, especially in developing countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]