Special Education Department Involved in the Launch of Three Major NCSE Research Reports

The Special Education Department, St Patrick's College played a key role in The National Council for Special Education’s (NCSE) inaugural research seminar which took place in Croke Park Conference Centre on 11th December 2009 to an invited audience of stakeholders. The seminar featured presentations from the authors of four recently completed NCSE commissioned reports dealing separately with the issues of the education of children on the autistic spectrum, children who are deaf or hard of hearing and children who are blind or visually impaired, and with the future role of special schools and classes.  The Special Education Department was involved in three of the four research projects. Dr Jean Ware and Dr Joseph Travers presented the findings of a major four year long review of the future role of special schools and classes in Ireland:

Review of the Current and Future Role of Special Schools and Special Classes in Ireland

Dr Jean Ware ( Bangor University, formerly St Patrick’s College), Ms Tish Balfe, Dr Cathal Butler, Dr Thérèse Day, Ms Maeve Dupont, Ms Catherine Harten, Ms Ann-Marie Farrell, Dr Rory McDaid, Ms Margaret O’Riordan, Dr Anita Prunty, Dr Joseph Travers, (St Patrick’s College, Dublin)

In 2005, the Minister for Education and Science announced that a two phase review of special schools and classes would be conducted.  Phase one was completed by a team from the Special Education Department on behalf of the DES in early 2007. The DES subsequently requested the NCSE to conduct phase two of the review and provided suggested terms of reference. This review was also conducted by the Special Education Department, St Patrick’s College, and the Council accepted the report in October 2009.

Dr Anita Prunty and Ms Tish Balfe collaborated with a research team from the University of Birmingham in the second project:

International Review of the Literature of Evidence of Best Practice Provision in the Education of Persons with Autistic Spectrum Disorders

Sarah Parsons, Karen Guldberg, Andrea MacLeod and Glenys Jones (School of Education, University of Birmingham) with Anita Prunty and Tish Balfe (St Patrick’s College, Dublin)

Commissioned by the National Council for Special Education (NCSE) in Ireland to inform educational policy and provision, this literature review had two main evidence strands: ‘empiri­cal’ and ‘expert’. The empirical strand involved systematic searching of electronic databases featuring peer reviewed empirical studies; from 499 articles identified, 100 articles were retained for review. The expert strand included key selected reports or policy guidelines regarding best practice for children and adults on the autism spectrum, from the UK and Ireland only.

While Ms Ann-Marie Farrell and Dr Jean Ware collaborated with the Visual Impairment Centre for Teaching and Research, School of Education, University of Birmingham in the third project. Ann Marie Farrell was involved in the presentation of the findings with Graeme Douglas and Mike McLinden:

International Review of the Literature of Evidence of Best Practice Models and Outcomes in the Education of Blind and Visually Impaired Children

Graeme Douglas, Steve McCall, Mike McLinden and Sue Pavey (Visual Impairment Centre for Teaching and Research, School of Education, University of Birmingham) and Jean Ware and Ann Marie Farrell (St Patrick’s College, Dublin)

In May 2008 the National Council for Special Education (NCSE) invited tenders to conduct an international review of the literature of evidence of best practice models and outcomes in the education of blind and visually impaired children. A team from the Visual Impairment Centre for Teaching and Research (School of Education, University of Birmingham, UK) and St Patrick’s College, Dublin responded to this invitation and were awarded the contract. The work was carried out in autumn 2008 and then modified in response to feedback from NCSE in spring 2009.The approach to the literature review involved: agreeing a broad topic framework for the literature; stage 1 review (initial review of key visual impairment literature); appraisal of the topic framework based upon findings in stage 1 review; and stage 2 review (broader systematic searches of electronics databases).The literature review resulted in approximately 325 relevant references associated with nine ‘review focus’ topics (under the broader headings of ‘access to the mainstream curriculum’ and ‘access to the additional curriculum’).

The findings from all these reports will be considered in detail by the NCSE and may inform the development of policy advice in the relevant areas to the Minister for Education and Science.

Access to all the presentations is on the NCSE website and the full research reports will be available online shortly.

Last Updated: Thursday December 17 2009