What+is+Policy?

So sometimes it helps to start at the basics. Especially when like me you distrust first instincts on language definitions. So here is what Dictionary.com says about what policy is. A couple of things stand out for me. Firstly Policy is a course of action for the sake of or with reference to expediency or [|prudence]. Essentially a policy is what the people at the top use to direct the people on the ground to get to a certain outcome or goal. We are now the folks at the top of AIM high giving direction to the folks below in the firing line. So lets consider what we would like to be directed to do as the front-line in achieving the aim of education. My organisation has policies by which we are all held to account. As specific programs within the organisation we all have interpretations of these policies that pertain to our context. It is this vagueness that sometimes frustrates us but at the end of the day allows us the freedom to practice with responsiveness and creativity. For example our organisation has a framework of [|recovery] which informs all of our practice. All the policies we have have to value this framework as it is seen as the best practice for supporting people with a diagnosis of a mental illness. If you look at our policy on alcohol and other drugs you would be forgiven for thinking that we allow people to engage in AOD while in our programs. But the reality is that while it is obvious that AOD significantly impacts on a person's ability to engage in recovery, we respect that each person's journey is different and AOD may be the least of the worries for a person who experiences voices, depression or homelessness. So to bring it back to education, policies can be vague and sometimes seem impractical but essentially it is the direction that all teachers at AIM high should follow in achieving the goal of the schools mission statement. Be it experiential learning, enquirey based learning, or student centred approaches( any others?), we need to decide on a way forward for our school. All of our policies will follow nicely if we have a direction that we all agree on. Any thoughts - Andrew

=pol⋅i⋅cy= 1  /ˈpɒləsi/ Show Spelled Pronunciation [pol-uh-see] Show IPA Use policy in a Sentence –noun, plural -cies. 1. a definite course of action adopted for the sake of expediency, facility, etc.: We have a new company policy. 2. a course of action adopted and pursued by a government, ruler, political party, etc.: our nation's foreign policy. 3. action or procedure conforming to or considered with reference to prudence or expediency: It was good policy to consent. 4. sagacity; shrewdness: Showing great policy, he pitted his enemies against one another. 5. Rare. government; polity.