Analysing Educational Policy Flashcards
Policy as a system
Analyse a policy you have been concerned with
Open system
responds to inputs from environment
Inputs - demand and supports
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SEN policy
- local, national influences
- not-for profit influence
- parent/community demands
- support
- outputs
- outcomes
Hogwood and Gunn 1984
Framework for analysing policy
Rational approach - rest on the premise that policy is VALUE -maximising choice, a solution to a set of problems.
- Decide to decide
(look out for problems through needs analysis) - Deciding how to decide
- analyse the seriousness of the problem - Issue definition
- what the problems is, how complex and widespread it is. - Forecasting
- good data about current and future impact of policy decisions - Set objectives and priorities
- which policy developments have priority - Options analysis
- in a rational approach each option will be weighed up inc. costs and benefits. - Implementation, monitoring and control
- communicate to those implementing & monitoring formal and informal - Evaluation & review
- are they achieving objectives?
- outputs versus outcomes
- outputs - actions that follow on from policy decisions
- outcomes - has it met objectives? - Maintenance, succession or termination
2015
Discuss where ‘power’ lies in the making of education policy and what influences it in different educational and national contexts.
2016
To what extent is educational policy replacing educational theory as a source ofguidance for practitioners?
2017
How do governments try to balance local autonomy in the education system with national goals and controls?
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Criticism of a rational approach
Simon 1957
- decision makers cannot analyse and select all possible choices
- consequences cannot be known in advance
- values and purposes of individuals may not reflect that of organisation
- multiple and conflicting values and purposes exist
Incrementalism
Lindblom 1979
Criticised the rational approach. Doesn’t reflect how decisions are made in the real world.
People have limited problem solving capacities and there are situations where there is inadequacy of information.
Moves to - prescriptive (how it should happen) rather than descriptive (how it happens)
- limits the number of options
- only consider small scale adaptations of existing policies (solving immediate problems not implementing large scale change)
- ends and means chosen (rather than objectives and then deciding on policy to achieve them)
- test of a good policy sit whether it maximises decision makers values nut whether it secures the agreement of the interests involved.
Power and policy making
In a western democracy ….
a pluralist society - various interest groups can influence policy making
multiple centres of power
features of polyarchy (many rules - a form of government where power is invested in multiple people)
- freedom to join organisations
- freedom of expression
- right to vote
- right of political leaders to compete for votes
- free and fair elections
- government policies dependent on public demands
Interest groups
Kogan 1975
- Sectional groups
- those that promote the interests of a group (usually economic interests) e.g. Teachers Unions, local authority associations, exam boards
eg A-level and uni entrance exams - Promotional groups
- - those concerned with more general social attitudes and practices e.g. charitable groups for particular groups
eg disabled, SEN consortium
Insider (legitimate) groups
- central or local gov routinely consult when devising a policy
Outsider (illegitimate) groups
- make their influence felt by campaigning
Discourses
to speak or write authoritatively about a topic
Ball 1990
- what can be said and thoughts
but - also who can speak, when, where and with what authority
- they embody the meaning and use of propositions and words
Control over discourse is a key component of POWER RELATIONS in society.
Ball stresses the critical analysis of discourse in 3 parts
- Context of influence - where policy is initiated. Parties struggle with the definition and social purpose of education.
- Context of text production - who frames the legislation and guidance documents
- Context of practice - what happens at the institutional level as a consequence of policy changes?
Critical discourse analysis (CDA)
Taylor (2004)
A detailed investigation of the relationship of language to other social processes and how language works within power relations.
Focus on:
1. genres - how are policies communicated
2. discourse - what signs and symbols are sued to convey messages
3 styles - who is being addressed?
Political perspective rather than a rational perspective
Focus on interest-driven, power-based interactions thats occur as actors holding diverse view of problems and priorities compete.
Values provide an impetus for action
5 dimensions of educational policy
Malen 1997
- Rational perspective
- solve a substantive problem - Organisational perspective
- ensure stability and survival - Political perspective
- regulate social conflict - Symbolic perspective
- shape commitments of key actors and audiences - Normative perspective
- promote and protect social values
- Rational perspective
- solve a substantive problem
Linear
Data driven
Intended outcome:
alleviate the identified problem
- Political perspective
- regulate social conflict
Interactive
Strategic
Interest and power driven
Intended outcome:
Manage conflict
Maintain confidence in institutions
- Normative perspective
- promote and protect social values
Moral
Value driven
Intended outcome:
affirm or alter values structures
