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| School and Disability: Research and Practice in Integration | |
| Author: | Josephine Jenkinson |
| Details: | Australian Education Review No. 26 Pages: 120 Price: $8.95 |
| Date: | November 1987 |
| Reference: | ISBN: 0 86431 017 X |
Integration of disabled students into 'mainstream' schools is an important and controversial issue in Australian education. The topic is undoubtedly complex. This review draws on a wide range of Australian and overseas literature to identify the variety of possible approaches to integration and the key factors that shape their likely success.
Much of the controversy about integration springs from concern about its implications for 'regular' schools and for the disabled students themselves. The volume discusses the relationship between different forms of integration and the class teacher, the role of support services, the school's physical environment and the curriculum. Also addressed in considerable detail is the evidence on the implications of integration for the disabled child's academic attainment and social adjustment.
A major contribution of the review is an extensive critique of the research which has been used in an effort to resolve the integrationsegregation debate. Problems in the application of traditional research methodology to the realities of special education are discussed, and some alternative approaches, including descriptive studies of existing integration programs, are presented.
The review concludes with a discussion of recent moves in Australia towards integration, including federal and state policy initiatives, and presents the results of research on the local scene. Of particular value for students of special education is the extensive bibliography of research and policy literature that is provided.
The Author
Josephine Jenkinson is a Senior Psychologist in the Consultant Services Division of ACER. She is currently editor of the ACER Bulletin for Psychologists and the ACER Special Education Bulletin.
| Passages from Secondary School to Higher Education: Case Studies in the Processes of Selection for Higher Education | |
| Author: | Ron Toomey |
| Details: | Australian Education Review No. 25 Pages: 97 Price: $8.95 |
| Date: | October 1987 |
| Reference: | ISBN 0 86431 015 3 |
Recently, state and federal governments alike have been concerned to encourage greater participation by all social groups in both secondary and higher education. These attempts have extended to policy recommendations regarding innovation in the areas of upper secondary curriculum and tertiary admissions procedures. This book reviews the efforts of those in the secondary and tertiary sectors who have taken up those challenges of the policy makers.
The volume consists of a set of case studies which identify ways of increasing participation and equity through appropriate innovation in the areas of secondary certification and tertiary admissions. These innovations include efforts to involve the community in formulating policy and procedures for certification and admissions. They also include efforts by secondary schools to modify their curriculum in ways that enable students to understand what higher education has to offer and how it can be tapped. Also, there are case studies of attempts at changing both the tertiary curriculum and the admissions procedures used to give access to it. Special entry schewes designed to make the population of higher education more compatible with that of Australian society generally are also discussed.
The book therefore provides practical examples of procedures and approaches to secondary curriculum design and tertiary selection which encourage greater student participation. Moreover, the evidence from the case studies suggests that matters regarding secondary curriculum design and tertiary selection are changing. The familiar giant in the arena of secondary certification and tertiary admissions - the external examination and its accompanying rank ordering by aggregate scores mechanism - is under serious attack. The old Goliath is feeling the pressure from a set of new Davids in the forms of secondary school access programs, non-numerical approaches to certification, non-standard admissions procedures and a host of others. These Davids are providing a coherent option to the old Goliath.
The new option for certification of student performance in secondary education, and through it admission to higher education, is characterised by: a growth in community awareness of the issues of access to higher education; a tendency towards secondary schooling and higher education becoming more meaningfully aligned; and a readiness on the part of tertiary institutions to adopt innovative practices in their approaches to tertiary admissions and their delivery of programs.
The case studies will be welcome reading for all those with an interest in upper secondary curriculum and tertiary admissions matters. Teachers, both secondary and tertiary, parents and secondary students will be especially interested.
The Author: Dr Ron Toomey is Head of the Department of Teacher Education, Footscray Institute of Technology, Melbourne.
The Australasian Evaluation Society will hold the fifth National Evaluation Conference in Melbourne 27 - 29 July 1988.
This Conference is the highlight of the year for all those involved in program development and evaluation. Nearly 300 people shared in the valuable sessions presented in Canberra in 1987 and even more are expected to attend in 1988.
Abstracts should be no more than 200 words. Two copies of the abstract should be submitted by Monday, 15 February to:
National Evaluation Conference Secretariat
Evaluation Training and Services Australia Pty Ltd
Suite 3, 564 St Kilda Road,
MELBOURNE VIC 3004
Two copies of all papers to be included in the 1988 National Evaluation Conference will be required by Friday, 27 May for program scheduling. All papers submitted should be made available for subsequent publication. All presenters must register for the Conference.
The Australasian Evaluation Society Program Subcommittee will advise authors of papers selected for presentation at the 1988 Conference by 31 March 1988.
| Please cite as: QIER (1988). Publication reviews and Notices 4(1). Queensland Researcher, 4(1), 68-72. http://www.iier.org.au/qjer/qr4/bookrevs-notices4-1.html |