Abstract
The Special Education 2000 policy is a complex and comprehensive policy, which has created some confusion in the implementation phase due to the vast changes in resourcing and service provision. A system of targeted funding for students with high-very high needs, severe behaviour difficulties, severe speech-language difficulties was introduced. In addition to these initiatives a group of specialists teachers, Resource Teachers Learning and Behaviour were established, and direct resourcing for special education to schools was introduced. An early intervention initiative was also introduced. Alongside these new resourcing and service provisions, a number of professional development initiatives were introduced to assist regular class teachers develop skills in catering for a diverse range of learners in the regular classroom.
This paper reports on a longitudinal multi-method evaluation of the policy, involving a team of 16 researchers and 70 teacher fieldworkers. The research process involved collaborating with schools, early childhood centres, parents, service providers, disability and advocacy interest groups, and school organisations to determine how various aspects of the policy impacted on them. A group of seventy teachers were trained to take an active part in the collection of data. These fieldworkers visited a number of randomly selected schools and conducted a series of individual interviews with the principal, a teacher and a teacher-aide using a structured interviewed schedule. In addition to this fieldwork, a comprehensive questionnaire was sent out to 1500 educational facilities. The research process will be outlined, and the results from phase one will be presented and discussed.
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