On 12th March, 2021 the Australian government released the final report of 2020 Review

On 12th March, 2021 the Australian government released the final report of 2020 Review of the Disability Standards for Education (2005) (DSE). This document has implications for how inclusive education will be enacted in NSW educationl settings. You have been asked by your principal/manager of your organisation to develop a position paper that responds to the final report. It is intended that this position paper will be forwarded to the NSW Minister for Education and Early Childhood Learning for their consideration. This means you must consider the implications of the report in the context of your (imagined) educational setting. The 2020 final report identified four reform directions and you will select one to focus on for this assignment.
The four reform directions are:
– empowering and supporting students with disability and their families
– strengthening the knowledge and capability of educators and providers
– embedding accountability for the Standards throughout the education system
– building awareness and capability in the early childhood education and care sector
You will prepare a 1,500-word position paper advocating an appropriate and thoughtful response to one of the reform directions in relation to your area of teaching (early childhood, primary or secondary). The position paper will have 3 aligned components: your position focused on one reform direction (this is what it should look like and what needs to happen if this reform was achieved), a justification for this position (this identifies the current barriers, challenges and possibilities to achieving a successful position and this why this is the right way forward) and two specific recommendations (this is what specifically needs to be done to achieve this position). Your argument needs to be based on current evidence-based research.
PREPARATION
–  Review the information available on the government website https://www.dese.gov.au/disability-standards- education-2005 , in particular read the Summary of the 2020 Review and/or the final report.

–  Select one of the the four reform directions to focus on for your position paper. You can choose to focus on all aspects of that reform direction or just on one or two subsections of that reform.

–  Undertake your own research about the current issues, challenges and possibilities in Australia in relation to
the implications for inclusive education and this area of change. Investigate examples of best practices.

–  Write a statement, that reflects your position, and then justify your position by elaborating on the key issues, referencing the literature to support your argument. Write two recommendations that align with your position
statement and justification.

–  When undertaking your research ensure your references are current (the majority should be less than 5 years
old), mostly Australian; relevant to your (early childhood, primary or secondary) context; and peer reviewed
literature and not websites. It is wise to reference your text.

–  Remember this is not an opinion piece, it is a formal position paper responding to legislation, which will be
read by a government minister, consequently it should have a succinct and formal tone. The paper will need to make a clear argument with current, credible evidence to support your argument.
A good starting point is to reflect on some of these questions as you explore the complexities of your response:

–  How do the standards influence the implementation of inclusive education?

–  Why should we care about the standards?

–  How realistic is the reform agenda, does it go far enough or does it go too far?

–  What are some of the underlying issues and barriers (outlined in the report)?

–  How likely is it that the reform agenda will influence the way children/students with disabilities and their familes experience inclusive education?

–  How does the issues or barriers influence the way teachers and educational settings implement inclusive education principles and practices?

–  What does the research say might ameliorate this problem?

–  What other measures and mechanisms will promote inclusion of children/students with disability in education
and learning environments?
WRITING YOUR POSITION PAPER
There are 4 sections to your paper.
SECTION 1 – Your position (Approx 250 words): In a clear statement of 1-3 sentences identify your position. The statement explains what you think should happen, much like an outcome, it states the best case scenario. You are identifying concisely what you think is the best option to address your selected reform direction. It should be written in the affirmative.
SECTION 2 – Justification (Approx 850 words): In this section you are justifying why you have taken this position. This is where you explain what is/is not working, what could be done better and why. Your argument should be logically aligned and supported by the literature: this is the problem, this is why it is a problem, this is what needs to change, this is why. This will require you to critically reflect and critically analyse both sides of the arguments so you can dispel myths and counter arguments that may impede realising a way forward. You will need to consider the implications for inclusive education and identify relevant theory, research, other legislation and policies to substantiate your claims. The justification supports your recommendations.
SECTION 3 – Recommendations (500 words): You will make two clear and specific evidence-based recommendations. These recommendations will identify key stakeholders and what they should pursue to realise the position you are advocating. What innovative ideas do you have that would lead to change?
Your recommendations will:

–  link specifically to your selected reform direction;

–  align clearly to your position and justification;

–  expand and provide more detail about how the recommendations provided in the report can be achieved;

–  reference to and supported by current research;

–  be clear and detailed enough that the government can implement the changes you are suggesting.

–  specific and avoid broad, generalised statements or strategies that are already being implemented, that is they
go beyond what is already happening now.
SECTION 4 – References: Use a minimum of 5 current academic journal articles or texts. At this level of study, you are expected to move beyond using websites to substantiate your claims. Use correct APA7 style with attention to detail including punctuation, spacing and italics.