Flashcards on Educational Policy and Inequality (2.6)

Before the industrial revolution, state schools did not exist. Education was only available to a minority of wealthy children, and the state did not spend any money on education. However, this all changed after society industrialised. Why?

From the late 19th century, the state began to become more involved in education. In what year did the state make schooling compulsory from the ages of 5 to 13?

At this point, the type of education children received depended on their class background. How did the education of middle-class children differ from the education of working-class children?

However, from 1944, what concept began to influence education?

The 1944 Education Act brought in the tripartite system in which children were selected and allocated to one of three different types of secondary school. What were the three types?

What type of curriculum did grammar schools offer?

What type of curriculum did secondary modern schools offer?

Thus, rather than promoting meritocracy, what did the tripartite system and 11+ exam do?

In addition to reproducing class inequality, what other inequality did the system reproduce, and how?

The tripartite system also legitimated inequality through ideology that ability is inborn. As such, what can be measured early on in life?

When was the comprehensive system introduced?

What did the comprehensive system aim to overcome?

The 11+ and grammar and secondary modern schools were abolished and replaced with comprehensive schools. However, it was left to the local education authority to decide whether to 'go comprehensive' and not all did so. What did this result in?

Functionalists and marxists see education very differently. What do functionalists think of the comprehensive system?

However, Julienne Ford found evidence to contradict this view. What evidence does she provide?

Functionalists believe that the comprehensive system is more meritocratic because it gives pupils a longer period of time in which they can develop and display their abilities. However, marxists disagree with this. What do they think of comprehensive schools?

However, by not selecting children at 11, comprehensive schools appear to offer equal opportunities to everyone. How does this legitimate class inequality?

What does the term 'marketisation' refer to?

Marketisation has created an 'education market'. How?

Marketisation has become a central theme of government education policy following which act?

There have been a number of policies that promote marketisation. Give examples:

How does Miriam David describe marketised education?

According to supporters of marketisation, power is taken from the producers (teachers, schools, etc.) and given to the consumers (parents, pupils, etc.). What does this arguably result in?

However, despite the claimed benefits, critics argue that marketisation has actually increased inequality. For example, what does Will Bartlett think of the publication of league ables and Ofted reports?

For schools with poor league table positions, the opposite applies - they can't be selective and have to take underachieving students, which solidifies their poor position. As such, what is the overall effect of league tables?

What is meant by 'the funding formula'?

When studying international patterns of educational inequality, what did the Institute for Public Policy Research find?

Marketisation policies not only benefit the middle class by creating inequalities between schools. By increasing parental choice, marketisation also allows middle-class parents, whose economic and cultural capital puts them in a better position to choose 'good' schools for their children. Which sociologist provides evidence for this?

Gewirtz found that differences in parents' economic and cultural capital lead to class differences in how far they can exercise choice of secondary school. She identifies three main types of parents. What are they?

What does Gewirtz mean by 'privileged-skilled choosers'?

What does Gewirtz mean by 'disconnected-local choosers'?

What does Gewirtz mean by 'semi-skilled choosers'?

Although in theory the education market gives everyone greater choice, what does Gewirtz conclude?

Marketisation not only reproduces inequality, but also legitimates it by concealing its true causes and justifying its existence. What does Stephen Ball think of the concept of parentocracy?

By disguising the fact that schooling continues to reproduce class inequality in this way, how does the myth of parentocracy make inequality in education appear?

While marketisation policies have increased inequality, the New Labour government also introduced a number of policies aimed at reducing it. Give examples:

However, Melissa Benn sees a contraction between Labour's policies to tackle inequality and its commitment to marketisation. How does she refer to this?

Give an example of the New Labour paradox:

The 2010 Coalition government were strongly influenced by neoliberal and new right ideas about education. Their aim was to encourage 'excellence, competition and innovation' by freeing schools from the state. What two types of school did they introduce to do this?

From 2010, all schools were encouraged to leave local authority control and become academies. Where does funding for academies come from?

By 2012, how many secondary schools had converted to academy status?

However, how did the Coalition's academies differ from Labour's academies?

What are free schools?

How do free schools arguably improve educational standards?

However, Rebecca Allen studied free schools in Sweden (20% of all Swedish schools are free schools) and found evidence to contradict this claim. What does she argue?

What other argument is given by critics of free schools?

In England, evidence shows that free schools take fewer disadvantaged students than nearby schools. For example, in 2011, how many pupils at Bristol Free School were eligible for free school meals? How does tis compare to the city as a whole?

Stephen Ball argues that promoting academies and free schools has led to both increased 'fragmentation' and increased 'centralisation of control' over educational provision in England. What does he mean by this?

While the Coalition's marketisation policies have arguably increased inequality, they have also introduced policies aimed at reducing it Give examples:

However, Ofsted found that in many cases the Pupil Premium isn't spent on those it is supposed to help. How many head teachers said that it had signifcantly changed how they supported pupils from disadvantaged backgrounds?

Additionally, as part of the Coalition's austerity programme, spending on many areas of education has been cut and tuition fees have increased. What impact has this had on working-class students?

What does privatisation involve?

Recently, there has been a trend towards the privatisation of important aspects of education both in the UK and globally. Which sociologist argues that in this process, education becomes a source of profit for capitalists in the 'education services industry'?

Private companies in the education services industry are involved in many educational activities. Give examples:

Large-scale school building projects typically involve public-private partnerships. Explain:

Why do private companies choose to enter public-private partnerships?

The privatisation of education is resulting in the blurring of public/private boundaries. Discuss:

The privatisation of education is also resulting in the globalisation of education policy. Discuss:

The privatisation of education is also held accountable for the 'cola-isation of schools'. Discuss:

However, the benefits to schools and pupils from this cola-isation of schools are often limited. According to Sharon Beder, how much did UK families have to spend in Tesco in return for a single computer for their school?

Finally, Ball agues that a fundamental change is that privatisation policies are making education a commodity to be bought and sold. What impact does this have on the state?

How do marxists respond to Ball's claim that education has become a commodity?

Policies have also impacted differences in achievement. How have they affected gender differences?

How have policies affected ethnic differences?

Assimilation policies in the 1960s and 1970s focused on encouraging minority ethnic students to become 'like us', particularly focusing on those who did not speak English. Why do critics disapprove of these policies?

Multicultural education policies in the 1980s and 1990s aimed to promote the achievements of children from minority ethnic groups by valuing all cultures, thus raising said students' self-esteem. Why do critics disapprove of these policies?

Social inclusion policies in the 1990s aim to raise the achievement of minority ethnic groups. Why do critics disapprove of these policies?