The book idea came into fruition as part of the ongoing discussions and collaboration between the Higher School of Economics (HSE) in Moscow, Russia and Nazarbayev University Graduate School of Education in Nursultan, Kazakhstan. My visit (Prof Makoelle) to HSE in 2019 culminated into an identification of inclusive education as an emerging niche area for transformation and reform in education by the former USSR countries.

The post-soviet countries are undergoing radical changes as they attempt to internationalize their education practices. The Russian Federation has also embarked on this transition. The adoption of the new law of the Russian Federation on Education was the first step in the recognition of inclusive education as an educational phenomenon. While the approach of the former USSR was based more on the medical model of student support, this book sort to account for the transition from the emphasis solely on disability to a broader conceptualization of inclusive education which encompasses other forms of educational barriers within the educational context of the post-soviet Russia. With this book a historical overview of the development of the notion of inclusive education is presented by providing a holistic account of the changes the education system of the Russian Federation has experienced since the fall of the Soviet Union particularly since the advent of the introduction of inclusive education. 

This book therefore provides a comprehensive account of various aspects of student support and inclusion within the Russian schooling context. Knowledge and discussions in this book could be useful to policy makers, education practitioners and researchers, students, school teachers as well as community organizations with vested interest on inclusive education, its understanding, conceptualization, operationalization and implementation.