Educational Policy and inequality

• Equal opportunities


  do polices promote equality for all pupils?
• Selection and choice


  should schools be able to select students or should parents choose the school?
• Control of Education


  how much influence should government, schools, pupils or businesses have?
• Marketisation and Privatisation


  Should schools operate like businesses in an education market?
• Before 1944: Industrial Revolution


  • no state schools

  • minority of population

  • fee paying schools for wealthy

  • churches provided education for poor

  • before 1883 no public money spent on schools
• Before 1994: Late 19th Century


  • increases need for education due to industrialisation

  • state is more involved

  • 1870 = school made compulsory for 5-13 year olds

  • type of school depended on social class
• Before 1944 there was ...


  • lack of organisation

  • lack of state funding
• The Tripartite System


  Grammar schools, secondary modern schools, technical schools
• Grammar schools


  • academic curriculum

  • access to non-manual jobs and higher education

  • academically able pupils

  • passed the 11+

  • mainly m/c

  • high status
• Secondary Modern schools


  • non academic curriculum

  • access to manual work

  • pupils failed 11+

  • mainly w/c
• Technical schools


  • focused on technical subjects

  • access to technical jobs like engineering

  • few built due to needing equipment
• Reality of the Tripartite System


  1. Reproduced class/gender inequality

  • GS= M/C

  • SMS= W/C

  2. legitimised inequality - promoted ideology that ability is natural and could be measured through 11+
• Intention of the Tripartite System


  parity of esteem - all the same but different
• How were children selected for the Tripartite System

  • through aptitude and ability

  • the 11+
• When was the Comprehensive School system introduced?

  1965
• What was the aim of comprehensive schools?


  to overcome social inequalities and make education meritocratic
• What did comprehensive schools abolish?

  the 11+, grammar and technical schools were replaced by comprehensives so all students attended the same type of school = equal opportunities
• Local Education Authorities had to...


  adopt comprehensive schooling however not all areas did so grammar/technical schools remained
• Functionalism view of comprehensive schools


  • they promote schools integration

  • no 11+ = time to develop

  • education fulfills function = role allocation
• Marxist view of comprehensive schools


  • reproduces and legitimises inequality

  • they are not meritocratic due to streaming and labelling

  • serves capitalism
• Reform Act 1988


  • enabled national curriculum

  • introduced SATs

  • introduced league tables
• Marketisation of education


  • enforcing competition of market forces and consumer choice into education

  • reduced state control over education

  • increasing competition into education and parental choice
• Good schools will...


  thrive and succeed
• Unsuccessful schools will...


  go out of business
• Parentocracy


  • set up of free schools

  • business sponsorship

  • open enrolment = successful schools recruited more pupils

  • specialist schools = more choice

  • formula funding per pupil = more money

  • schools can opt out of LEA control

  • competition between schools

  • introduction of tuition fees for HE

  • league tables and oftsed inspections = schools ranked = influenced parental choice
• What was the aim of parentocracy?

  to improve parent choice
• Miriam David (1993) - Parentocracy


  • Marketisation policies = parentocracy = ruled by parents

  • power shifts from teachers to consumers
• Ball (1994) and Whitty (1998)


  Marketisation policies reproduce inequalities between schools
• League Tables


  Aim - schools achieve good results = more in demand = attract more parents

  
  

  cream - skimming = good schools can be more selective and recruit high achieving students

  
  

  • M/C advantage
• Silt - Shifting


  good schools avoid pupils likely to get poor results (W/C) and damage it's reputation
• Funding Formula


  schools are funded by numbers

  
  

  • popular schools = more funds = better teachers and facilities = attract M/C

  • unpopular schools = lose = difficult to recruit teachers = fail to attract pupils = less funding
• what can formula funding lead to?


  more segregation between social classes
• What was the aim of funding formula?


  to improve parental choice
• Gerwitz - parental choice


  study of 14 london secondary schools - found that differences in parents economic and cultural capital = differences in how they choose schools
• Privileged Skilled Choosers


  • professional M/C parents

  • used cultural and economic capital to gain educational capital for children

  • took advantage of choices open to them

  • parents aware of admission systems
• Disconnected - local choosers


  • W/C parents

  • choice restricted by lack of economic and cultural capital

  • poor understanding of admission procedures

  • less aware of choices available to them

  • less able to manipulate the system

  • empathised safety and quality of facilities
• Semi - skilled choosers


  • W/C parents

  • ambitious for children

  • lacked economic/ cultural capital

  • difficulty with education market - rely on other people for opinions about school

  • frustrated by inability to get into good schools
• Myth of parentocracy


  Marketisation reproduces inequality and legitimises it
• Ball - Myth of parentocracy


  Marketisation gives the appearance of parentocracy

  
  

  • not all parents have same freedom

  • M/C parents can afford to move into a catchment area of good schools
• New Labour Policies (1997-2010)


  • Education Action Zones

  • Educational Maintenance Allowance

  • increased funding for state education

  • City Academies - fresh start for inner city schools

  • National Literacy Strategy, literacy/numeracy hours and reduction of class sizes