Excellence for all children false promises! The failure of current policy for inclusive education and implications for schooling in the 21st century
Title:
Excellence for all children false promises! The failure of current policy for inclusive education and implications for schooling in the 21st century
Author:
Lloyd, Chris
Appeared in:
International journal of inclusive education
Paging:
Volume 4 (2000) nr. 2 pages 133-151
Year:
2000-04-01
Contents:
This paper argues that the claims of current UK education policy, for children with special educational needs (SEN) toprovide excellence and equality of opportunity, are false. Critically examined are issues of social justice and equity in relation to the work of disability theorists and this critique is then applied to recent policy in education, in particular the Green Paper Excellence for All Children; Meeting Special Educational Needs , to demonstrate that as long as the organization of schooling, the curriculum, and assessment and testing procedures remain unchallenged, equal educational opportunity will remain amyth. In conclusion, having shown that the central energy in educational change seems to be devoted to perpetuating the status quo, thus reinforcing inequality and discrimination and precluding excellence for all children, this paper attempts toset anew agendafor the 21st century that might possibly offer agenuine entitlement for all children to an equal educational opportunity. Although the paper is centrally concerned with a critique of policy in the UK, it is believed that the implications have international relevance as they are fundamental issues relating to human rights and equity.
Journal description