ABSTRACT
Consideration of societal influences on the education of diverse learners turns the author's attention to the nature and location of authority and power. Across the world, there is a bewildering array of instruments exerting power in the governing of societies. The vagaries of different electoral systems and their vulnerability to lobbying and media determine the extent to which governments reflect the will of the people and are prepared and able to implement certain strategies. The strategies are implemented to ensure that reason and evidence determine educational policies and practices, develop wraparound services, develop equitable funding models, give priority to quality early childhood education, and prevent and respond to gender-based violence. Wraparound is a system-level intervention that quite literally aims to 'wrap' services around children and their families to address their problems in an ecologically comprehensive and coordinated way.
