Contributions from: Roseanna Bourke.
Abstract
The New Zealand Government has introduced a new special education policy Special Education 2000 which aims at creating a world class inclusive education system. This has instigated a major overhaul of special education service delivery and resource allocation on a national level. A research team from Massey University are involved in a longitudinal study which is evaluating and monitoring the impact of this policy on schools. This paper analyses the educational and political implications of the evaluation beginning with MacDonald's three fold typology of curriculum evaluation approaches in which these various approaches are seen as "expressions of different stances towards the prevailing distribution of educational power". The paper describes how a multi-method participatory research approach was developed to explore the impact of the policy on parents, students, schools, and service providers. This approach aimed both to give 'voice' to the experiences of the various respondents and also to meet the contractual requirement of the Ministry of Education which funded the research. The paper analyses the tensions involved in conducting 'independent' special education policy evaluation on behalf of the state.
 |
 |