Educational Policy

Question 1

Educational Policy (Moran et al)

Answer 1

Moral et al 2008

• Suggests that public policy making is more than decision making and a statement of intent.
• It includes an element of persuasion (arguing and bargaining).
• It focuses on what we collectively do and embodies acts, outputs and outcomes. They are concerned with consequences.

Question 2

Hogwood and Gunn

Educational policy

Answer 2

Hogwood & Gunn 1984

• a label for a field of activity (relates to give broad fields e.g. education is an important field for UAE gov)
• an expression of general purpose
  e. g. World Declaration on Education for All, Dakar 2000
• a programme
  (complete package - legislation, resources and training)
• decisions of government
  (gov are faced with problem raised by citizens, gov decides how to tackle and decisions are the policy)
• a model
  (presented as a theory)
• an outcome
• a process

Question 3

Policy decisions are based on values

Answer 3

• equality, democracy
• stability
• nation building
• economic efficiency and effectiveness

e.g. high value on basic education for all, regardless of gender, ethnic group or ability will allocate funding on that aspect of education
compared to ……
high value on maintaining an elite group of professionals to build up financial sector will focus on that group.

Question 4

Ideologies

Answer 4

inform acts at national level
influence practice at local level
identify priorities and what action should be taken

Question 5

UAE ideologies and values

Answer 5

2008 - welcoming expats. Policy supported British curriculum.

2018 - emiratisation, social studies, moral education, increasing number of emiratis at school. GCSE and IB curriculum outweighed by PISA and TIMMS

needs of the economy,
efficiency of workforce,
nation building

Education is now linked with other fields - economic policy, competitiveness of national economy, citizenship, migration (especially since 9/11)

Question 6

3 factors that influence the implementation of policy

Answer 6

Rein 1983

1. The clarity of the goals and their potential for effective operation
2. the complexity of the implementation strategy
3. commitment to funding of the policy and its implementation

Question 7

Rizvi

Policy is value driven

Answer 7

• balance between economic efficiency and social equity goals
• OECD- market efficiency goals now seem to override equity ones
• emphasis on human capital to ensure the competitiveness of the national economy in the global context.
• educations role in creating a knowledge economy

Question 8

UAE Policy & Values

Answer 8

Inclusive Education Policy Framework
redistributive policy (schools will be expected, through positive discrimination to prioritise students with SEND)

tied into the school inspection framework
school compliance
clear targets
impose a shift in their admissions policy
This policy will certainly ‘steer the actions and behaviour’ (Rizvi, 2009, p4) of school leadership teams.
Eastons statement that policy involves ‘the authoritative allocation of values’ is clear to see.

Emiratisation policy
private schools target increasing Emirati students by a third in the next three years.
Educational purpose within the UAE has a ‘concern about human capital development’ (Rizvi, 2009, p3) and education plays an important role in meeting the needs of the global economy.
This policy is certainly being shaped by discourses of globalisation.
The UAE see education as ‘the best economic policy, necessary to ensure the competiveness of the national economy’ (Rizvi, 2009, p 18)

Question 9

UAE and borrowing policy

Answer 9

PISA and TIMMS
meet the demands of a more globalised world
prepare to equip their citizens with knowledge and skills to compete in competitive global markets.

heavy emphasis on innovation
Ball (2008) emphasises as a ‘comparative advantage to solve a stream of competitive problems.’

The UAE has ‘borrowed’ the knowledge
inspection framework
key ideas come from UK advisors
framework has a big emphasis on UAE culture and heritage as well as Arabic and Islamic to meet the local context.

Globalisation
curriculum policy
Moral Education and Social Studies
A number of countries, including UK companies have been brought in to write the curricular and accompanying textbooks.
In an ever globalising world, in a country that has a high number of expats the UAE understandably want students to learn a curriculum that is centred on their countries heritage, culture and values. Moral Education also encompasses values of tolerance and happiness. Globalisation has in my opinion, definitely influenced UAE curriculum policy.

Question 10

2015
Critically evaluate the role that values play in the formation of educational policies.

2016
What roles do values play in educational policy-making?

2017
What role do values play in education policy-making?

Answer 10

Hogwood

Moral 2008

definition of values

Rizvi

UAE inclusion

UAE Emiratisation

Ideologies

UAE ideologies changing

VLE
China – economic development
UK – Social equity and the disadvantaged in society – for economic development
Columbia – social equity and inclusion