Introductions
Our research in to the subject of school closures is grounded in developing and implementing a better decision making process with regards to accommodation review. To complement this, we are concentrated on three areas of focus: public participation, urban planning, and the accommodation review process itself. We believe that the theory and best practices of both urban planning and public participation are good foundations from which to ameliorate the school closure process, and ultimately lead to a more effective and equitable outcome for those involved.
One of the key components to realizing this objective is the ability to achieve an increased awareness of this issue, and to encourage an informed discussion between government officials, policy makers, school board administrators, and civic leaders alike. To support this, we have have provided material that we believe will enable a wide range of stakeholders to become better informed about the various guiding aspects of accommodation review and school closures.
Providing a background discussion
In this section, we provide a background discussion that will enable others to become better informed about some of the more subtle elements and underlying causations that have led school closures to become such a highly contentious and polarizing experience. In this regard, we have outlined the research themes involved in our work, and offer an interpretation of the school closure issue from an urban planning perspective. Further to this, we discuss some insights in to the policy and legislation that guide accommodation review, as well as how public participation is currently utilized during accommodation review and how this could be substantially improved through current best practices.
