The Birth, Life and Death of a Commonwealth Educational Funding Policy: A Case Study of the New Schools Policy 1985-1996

Abstract

The purpose of this study, "The Birth Life and Death of an Educational Funding Policy", was to illuminate the forces that affect the full cycle of Commonwealth school funding policies. To achieve this, a case study of the late New Schools Policy was made which showed how political activities and behaviour in society are interrelated and affect the nature and process of policy making. The main question that the inquiry set out to address was: What factors contributed to the formulation, implementation, review and termination of the 1986-1996 Commonwealth New Schools Policy? To explore the policy process and address the research question a theoretical framework was developed based on two models of policy analysis, Harman's adaptation of the Process Model and Easton's Political Systems Theory. A combination of the two models formed a conceptual framework which gave a broader understanding of a multi-dimensional policy process. Harman's process model formed the foundation of the analytical framework, within which to recount the story of the New Schools Policy.