Segregation in an era of inclusion? The role of special classes in Irish mainstream schools. ESRI Research Bulletin, 2018/02

This study assessed whether special classes operate as a form of segregation or inclusion for students with special educational needs. Ireland has a multi-track system of education where students with special educational needs can either attend mainstream school, special school or special classes in a mainstream school. In recent decades, there has been a dramatic increase in the numbers of students with special educational needs attending mainstream school and an expansion of special education resources including special needs assistants (SNAs), learning support and resource teachers and special classes. Although special classes have operated in the Irish education system since the 1970s, there has been a substantial increase in their numbers, with an almost doubling of these classes operating between 2011/2012 (548) and 2015/2016 (1,008). The type or designation of special classes has shifted from a traditional model of classes for students with Mild General Learning Disabilities (MGLD) towards more specialised units for students with more severe needs such as Autistic Spectrum Disorders (ASD). The majority of ASD classes have opened since 2010 and represent a shift in policy as to how these students are educated in mainstream education

STUDENT, TEACHER AND PARENT PERSPECTIVES ON SENIOR CYCLE EDUCATION. ESRI RESEARCH SERIES NUMBER 94 NOVEMBER 2019

The nature of senior cycle has been subject to much policy discussion. Most recently, the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NCCA) initiated a review of senior cycle, with a scoping phase followed by consultation with casestudy schools and national seminars. Forty-one schools were involved in this process; they conducted consultations with staff and parents and NCCA staff carried out focus group interviews with junior and senior cycle students. This report draws on the two phases of the school-based consultation to document teacher, parent and student perspectives on the current senior cycle and potential directions for change. Because the schools volunteered for involvement, there should be caution in generalising to the broader population of schools. Nonetheless, the findings yield important insights into the benefits and challenges of senior cycle, closely mirroring findings from previous Irish research

PLAYING SENIOR INTER-COUNTY GAELIC GAMES: EXPERIENCES, REALITIES AND CONSEQUENCES. ESRI RESEARCH SERIES NUMBER 76 September 2018

Given the developments that have taken place in Gaelic games over the past decade, particularly at the senior inter-county level, there is a concern that the demands that today’s games are placing on players are having negative effects on their lives. The Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) and the Gaelic Players Association (GPA) have introduced a number of measures to ensure that players’ needs are taken care of and that those who play enjoy their experience. Nevertheless, questions continue to be raised. Given this, the GAA and GPA jointly commissioned the Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI) to conduct an independent examination of the commitment required to play senior inter-county, and the impact that this has on players’ personal and professional lives and club involvement. The research was primarily conducted through senior inter-county player workshops and a survey of 2016 players. Workshops were also conducted with 2016 senior inter-county managers, County Board Secretaries and third-level Games Development Officers (GDOs). What follows is a summary of the principal findings arising from the study, consideration of their implications for both player welfare and policy in this area, and some discussion on future directions

Educational engagement among children with special needs in mainstream schools. ESRI Research Bulletin 2013/2/6

In Ireland there have been dramatic changes in special educational needs policy over the last ten years. The introduction of the Education for Persons with Special Educational Needs (EPSEN) Act in 2004 made a commitment to inclusive education and has led to greater numbers of children being educated in mainstream settings. This trend reflected an increasing policy emphasis on inclusive education internationally. Concerns have been raised, however, about the practical implications of mainstreaming for student wellbeing, educational engagement and successful learning

What Do We Know About Special Educational Needs? Evidence from Growing Up in Ireland. Quarterly Economic Commentary, Autumn 2012

Despite the recent policy emphasis on educational inclusion little is known about children with special educational needs in Ireland. The Education for Persons with Special Educational Needs (2004) Act highlighted a commitment to inclusive education and in particular to increasing the number of students with special educational needs attending mainstream schools. While significant changes have taken place, crucial information has been lacking – including the numbers of children with special educational needs (SEN), their profile and how they fare in school. Based on Growing Up in Ireland data on nine year old children, this bulletin draws together three journal papers and a research report(1) to provide valuable insights into special educational needs in Irish primary schools. This research provides much needed evidence for policy decisions by focusing on the scale and prevalence of SEN, the characteristics of students identified with SEN and the social and academic experiences of these students in school

Student Experiences of the Leaving Certificate Applied Programme

education

Student Stress and the Leaving Certificate. ESRI Research Bulletin 2015/2/7

We examined academic stress among Irish sixth year students in the months leading up to the Leaving Certificate exam. The research was based on survey and interview data from the Post-Primary Longitudinal Study, involving 900 students across 12 case-study schools. We found that students themselves placed enormous weight on their performance in the exam and that stress was often linked to fears of not achieving academic goals. The role of Leaving Certificate results in deciding entry to higher education means that students see it as a crucial influence on subsequent life chances, with some believing that ‘their whole life depends on it’

EVALUATION OF THE NATIONAL YOUTHREACH PROGRAMME. ESRI RESEARCH SERIES NUMBER 82 MAY 2019

This report provides a comprehensive evaluation of the National Youthreach Programme. Commissioned by SOLAS, the study is part of an agreed schedule of independent evaluations of key Further Education and Training (FET) provision under the Department of Education and Skills-led FET Strategy 2014-2019 Implementation Plan. Established in 1989, the Youthreach programme continues to be the government’s primary response to early school leaving by providing second-chance education for young people who leave mainstream second-level school before Leaving Certificate level. Youthreach is provided in 112 Youthreach centres and 35 Community Training Centres (CTCs) nationally, with 11,104 learners taking part in the programme in 2017 and with a total cost of €98.7 million (SOLAS, 2018). Reflecting the multiple challenges (including socio-economic disadvantage and special educational needs) faced by many Youthreach learners and the necessity to capture a broader range of outcomes in assessing programme effectiveness, this study adopts a mixed methods approach combining survey data on centres as well as in-depth interviews with staff and learners. This report therefore draws on a range of data sources, including a survey of senior managers at Education and Training Board (ETB) level, a survey of Youthreach co-ordinators and CTC managers, in-depth qualitative data collected as part of case studies in ten centres and two consultative workshops with key national stakeholders in the areas of education and social inclusion. The case studies are a significant feature of the report in that they utilise the multiple perspectives of learners, staff and coordinators/ managers. The report emphasises the voice of young people who have disengaged from school by capturing their views about the Youthreach programme. Using this broad range of data, this report examines all aspects of Youthreach provision including: the profile of learners; referral to the programme; governance and reporting structures; programme funding; curriculum and approaches to teaching and learning; and the learner experience and outcomes

Senior Cycle Review: Analysis of discussions in schools on the purpose of senior cycle education in Ireland. ESRI WP607, December 2018

This report is intended to inform the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NCCA) review of senior cycle and draws on the first cycle of the consultation process with 41 schools with different profiles and characteristics. The first cycle of the process has looked at teacher, parent and student perspectives on the purpose of senior cycle. The report outlines their perceptions of the benefits and challenges of the current senior cycle and their views on how senior cycle could be changed to address these challenges and to foster greater inclusion

Too much of a good thing? Gender, ‘Concerted cultivation’ and unequal achievement in primary education. ESRI WP362. December 2010

It is well established that cultural and economic resources imparted to children vary significantly by social class. Literature on concerted cultivation has highlighted the extent to which out-of-school activities can reproduce social inequalities in the classroom. Within this literature however, little attention has been given to the role of gender in concerted cultivation. In this paper, we use data from the first wave of the Growing Up in Ireland longitudinal study to consider how both social class and gender influence the level and type of out-of-school activities in which children engage. Moreover, we examine how out-of-school activities, class and gender impact on children’s school engagement and academic achievement. We find that while childrearing logics tend to operate within social class categories, there is an additional cultural aspect of gender in the uptake of different types of out-of-school activities. Our findings suggest the need to move beyond explanations of concerted cultivation to explain gender differences in maths and reading attainment