Abstract:
The words "inclusive" and "at-risk" are now part of the new mantra of equity reform in Queensland State Education. In this paper, we focus on the ways in which these terms came to represent the "new deal" on educational equity in Queensland, and replaced terms such as social justice and target group equity. This "new deal" was orchestrated by senior policy actors in consultation with key stake holders. It was designed to steer the education department into the new millennium, and ensure that it was responsive to the push-pull forces of global informationalism. Our analyses draw on interview data collected from 14 key policy actors, as well as key "anti-policy" discourses, such as Queensland State Education 2010, Destination 2010, and the Framework for "Students at Educational-Risk". In order to do this analytic work, we develop a theoretical framework drawing on key concepts from theories of cultural globalization, namely: global culture - the new policy orthodoxy; global cultural flow - glocalization or indigenisation; and subjective experiences of cultural globalization - managing uncertainty, risk (individual and social - inequities and exclusions), anxiety, and information overload.