A self-selected extended education policy casing on Educational Disadvantage considering Irelands DEIS policy
The Delivering Equality of Opportunity in Schools (DEIS) programme remains Irelands Department of Educations’ primary policy instrument for addressing Educational Disadvantage. Rooted in a recognition that socio-economic factors significantly impact educational outcomes, DEIS seeks to provide targeted supports to schools serving communities at risk of educational disadvantage and social exclusion. This policy casing of DEIS, draws upon the OECD’s Implementation Framework for Effective Change in Schools (2020) as well as Bridgman and Davis’s (2003) Policy Development Cycle. Through these lenses, I take a closer look at the policy’s beginnings from its contentious policy background documents reported by the Educational Disadvantage Committee (EDC). Emerging from this I zoom back out to an evaluation of present day implementation challenges, particularly regarding stakeholder engagement.
In doing so, this paper highlights two principle areas for further development:
• The need for a holistic, cross-departmental approach to tackling the root causes of educational disadvantage.
• The critical role of inclusive and robust stakeholder engagement in meaningful policy implementation.