|
 The
McRae Report (also known as the Integration
Inclusion Feasibility Study) found that the way
students with special needs had been catered for
had not changed in the previous decade.
David McRae proposed a system
of funding 'tied' to the student throughout their
educational life, rather than being assigned to the
school. This system proposed that resources and the
funding level required to support a student with a
disability should be determined on the basis of an
assessment of the educational needs of the student.
This would enable a student to take their level of
funding with them from the point their education
begins through to post-graducate studies. When a
student moves from educational setting to setting,
the funding follows the individual and doesn't have
to be renegotiated.
As a result of McRae,
specific funding was targetted to support students
with moderate or severe disabilities enrolled in
regular classes. More students with modest support
needs received funding because they were no longer
competing in the same pool as students with high
support needs in special schools. The funding may
be spent on specialised equipment, teacher support,
and teachers aides, depending on specific
needs.
However, despite some
progress, there was still frustration with the
unmet need for the extra, suitable trained teaching
support staff for the increasing numbers of
disabled children integrated into regular classes.
A coalition called The
Action for McRae Report was formed to lobby the
NSW Government to implement the changes recommended
in the Report.
Next -
The
Vinson Report (2002)
|
