ACEL SA Hot Topic: Breakfast with Dr Tom Porta - The Dilemmas of Inclusive Education: Everyone’s Right or No One’s Reality?
Inclusive education has been on the policy agenda for decades. We talk about "all means all," about differentiation, universal design, and removing barriers to learning for students with disability. But in practice, school leaders and teachers constantly wrestle with competing values and pressures. How do we reconcile equity and excellence when the system still measures success through narrow forms of achievement? How do leaders foster inclusive cultures while navigating compliance, accountability, and political rhetoric? How do we meet the needs of diverse learners when resources, time, and teacher capacity are stretched thin?
This session will argue that inclusive education is not simply a technical problem to be solved but a series of dilemmas that demand courageous, values-driven leadership. Participants will unpack the four dilemmas of inclusive education - pedagogical, cultural, political, and conceptual and consider what kind of leadership is needed to address these.
Come ready to challenge your assumptions and contribute to one of the most pressing debates in education today.
Speaker: Dr Tom Porta, Lecturer in Education, Adelaide University
Dr Tom Porta Ph.D is a Lecturer in Education and Program Director of the Master of Education at the University of Adelaide and the newly formed Adelaide University. His research focuses on inclusive teaching and learning, particularly differentiation, and how teachers can effectively and efficiently create inclusive learning environments. Tom is the author of The Dance of Differentiation (Amba Press), Strengthening Teacher Self-efficacy for Differentiated Instruction (Springer), and his most recent book Backward planning for inclusive classrooms (Palgrave Macmillan). He has published widely in international journals, serves on the editorial board for the Journal of Research in Special Educational Needs, and consults nationally and internationally on inclusive practice. Tom offers a range of consultancy support to schools in inclusive education.
Event Details:
Date: Tuesday 18 November 2025
Time: 7:15am (7:30am start) to 8:45am
Cost (incl. GST): ACEL member - $35/ Non-member $45 INCLUDES BREAKFAST
(Join ACEL and enjoy member discounted registration as well as discounted 12-month ACEL membership for just $180 (normal price $225)!
Please register by Sunday 16 November 2025.
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