Sam Vlcek

Dr Samantha Vlcek is an academic in inclusive education with a particular emphasis on early childhood education and care. She has been employed across a range of research and teaching positions, within schools and the tertiary sector. Sam’s research and teaching interests focus on investigating relationships between key stakeholders in the education of children with diverse learning profiles, and developing innovative strategies for improving collaborative partnerships between teams. Through a systems approach lens, Sam’s research examines education systems to understand dependent, independent, and interdependent variables influencing the experiences, perspectives, and priorities of internal and external stakeholders at each level of the education system.

Sam's research has explored funding models for students with diagnosed and imputed disability, including the Inclusion Support Program (ISP), Nationally Consistent Collection of Data on School Students with Disability (NCCD), the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS), as well as teacher decision-making for use of evidence-based practices to support students' opportunities and outcomes. Her research focuses on equitable practices for all children, with a specific emphasis on the rights of children with disability and children facing forms of educational disadvantage, such as children living in out of home care arrangements and children from diverse cultural backgrounds. Sam's expertise expands into gifted and talented education and the roles and responsibilities of teachers and educational leaders for developing, implementing, and reviewing appropriate educational adjustments to ensure equitable access, participation, and opportunity for every child.

Sam is a member of the Consortium of Inclusive Teacher Education and Development (CITED) network of international inclusive education academics, practitioners, and advocates. She is proud to promote the rights for all children in Australia and abroad to receive equitable educational experiences and outcomes.