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INTRODUCTION
| Once
upon a time POLICIES were boring, but now they're... hmmmmm...
less boring. |
"policy
is sometimes written, sometimes stated, and sometimes
simply the sum of the actions of a group of people who
consistently take a specific line on a particular matter"
(Limerick and Nielsen 1995: 120) |
Policies
are frameworks of how things could, or should, be. They represent
aims and objectives, in the form of statements expressing
a particular vision or stance belonging to the policy makers.
Some policies are made at the school level, while the government
creates other policies at state/territory and federal
levels.
Policies
affect much of student life, yet the current reality is most
students are not aware of school policies and are not involved
in the development of them. Ideally, policies should be created
in a consistent way and involve all relevant stakeholders.
The policy-making process
should be flexible, accessible and regularly reviewed.
You
might be thinking it's only about uniform colour codes and
a restriction on mobile phone usage, but it's also about 'invisible'
issues such as bullying, discrimination
and everyday issues about the subjects on offer and how learning
is assessed.
Policies
come in many forms. They can be printed, like in a school
diary, they can be delivered verbally or they can be known
but not stated. They are the frameworks for defining how schools
function and the expected codes of behaviour. They reflect
government, school and community values. You may or may not
agree with the values of your school and therefore you may
or may not agree with the policies.
Values in policy-making
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