EDUCATION: New Liberalism / New Right and Education

Question 1

Summarise Neo liberalist views on society

Answer 1

• The state shouldn’t provide. education, welfare or health
• Free economy
• Governments should encourage competition, private state run businesses and deregulate markets

Question 2

What is Neo-liberalist views on education

Answer 2

• Education should become more business like

- Value of education relies on how well it enables the country to compete in a global marketplace

Question 3

What does Chubbs and Moe state about education

Answer 3

• Call for the introduction of a MARKET SYSTEM in education that puts control in the hands of the parents (consumers)

Question 4

Why does Chubba and Moe say that US state education has failed

Answer 4

• Inefficient in providing the pupils with the skills needed by the economy
• Not created equal opportunities and has failed disadvantaged groups.
• Private schools provide higher education as they are answering to paying customers

Question 5

What are the two roles of the state in education according to Neo-Liberalism

Answer 5

• State imposes a FRAMEWORK on schools that they have to complete. By publishing official inspection reports for example
• Education should affirm the national identity
• The state ensures schools transmit a SHARED CULTURE by imposing a national curriculum seeking to guarantee schools socialise pupils into a SINGLE CULTURAL HERITAGE

Question 6

What are evaluations of Neo liberalism

• Marxism
• Competition?
• Contradiction?
• Real cause of low education?
• Segregation

Answer 6

• Marxists argue education does not impose a national curriculum - teaching the Bourgeoisies ideologies instead
• Marxists also argue that it segregates the minority and majority through classes and ethnic minorities
• Competition in schools benefit the middle class who can use their economic and cultural capital to gain access to more desirable schools
• Contradiction in the new rights supporters for parentocracy and government imposing a mandatory national curriculum
• The real cause of low education is not state control but social INEQUALITY and inadequate FUNDING of state schools

Question 7

What are some other criticisms of new right

Answer 7

• Ignores wider social inequalities in education and places the blame on solely on schools themselves
• Contradicts itself in promoting parentocracy but having a strict national curriculum in place
• Proletariats don’t get an equal choice due to low cultural and economic capital

Question 8

What are some problems the new right causes to children’s education

Answer 8

• ‘Teaching to the test’ due to league tables, which hinders children’s ability for creativity
• Good schools will ‘cream skim’ children (selectively choose only good pupils) due to the league table
• Good schools will also ‘silt shift’ (avoid ‘bad’ pupils)
• Sink schools - low schools would progressively vet worse and worse due to the league tables and formula funding