Browsing by Subject "Helsingin kaupunki"

The aim of the study was to analyze the debate on special education in the context of social decision-making. The purpose was to find out how special education comes up in the discussions of the Helsinki City Council and whether any topic related to special education comes up more in the speeches of the delegates. The research focuses on the discussion of special education in preschool education, primary and secondary education, as well as interprofessional collaboration. The city council decides on the municipality's policies and priorities, so the topics of discussion and contents arising from the speeches of the delegates are very interesting from the point of view of the residents. The approach of the study was a case study. The Helsinki City Council consisted of delegates representing different political parties and their deputies. The public speeches of the members of the Helsinki City Council were approached through a qualitative, material-based content analysis. The subject of the study was the minutes of the discussion of the public council meetings of the Helsinki City Council from 2011–2019. The content of the speeches of the Helsinki City Council delegates on special education emphasized three perspectives: the resource perspective (52%), the quality perspective (31%) and the value perspective (17%). The resource perspective was divided into three levels: support for learning, availability of preschool education and study places, and targeting of support. The quality perspective, in turn, was divided into two levels: teaching and the organization of preschool education and training (equity). The value perspective was divided into two levels: inequality and integration and inclusion. In this perspective, the jointly agreed goals of the council delegates and the parties' own values were reflected in the speeches of the delegates. The views and policies of the parties were also largely in line with the stated educational policy guidelines. There were differences in the number of speeches and the emphasis on the subjects of the discussion. Inclusion was mentioned in Helsinki's stated goals for education and training. However, there is still a long way to go before inclusion is achieved.