Educational policy and inequality

Question 1

What is the tripartite system, selection?

Answer 1

• children selected and allocated to a school based on ability (11+ plus)
• grammar schools (higher education, MC)
• secondary modern (practical manual work, WC)
• technical schools (mechanics/ engineering)
• reproduces class inequalities, unequal opportunities

Question 2

What is the comprehensive system, what do marxists & functionalists think?

Answer 2

• abolish 11+, grammar and secondary modern schools
• replaced with comprehensive to overcome class divide (meritocratic)
• functionalists, more meritocratic, more time to demonstrate abilities
• marxists, not meritocratic, reproduce class inequality from generational labelling

Question 3

What is marketisation?

Answer 3

• competition between schools, (suppliers) parental choice (consumer)
• introduced by conservative government

Question 4

What is parentocracy, David?

Answer 4

• education ruled by parents
• power shifts from producers (teachers/school) to consumers (parents)
• parents have more choice from marketisation and more diversity

Question 5

Policies which promote marketisation (parentocracy):

Answer 5

• league tables and ofted reports ranking schools, available to parents
• specialist schools (IT, languages) widen choice
• open enrolment, choose school no matter cachement area

Question 6

How does Ball and Bartlett criticise marketisation?

Answer 6

• Ball, league tables cause class inequalities
• schools high in league tables more in demand
  Bartlett: cream skimming: good schools more selective on pupils (MC)
  silt-shifting, good schools dont take less able pupils
• schools with poor results take WC pupils, can’t afford to be selective, unattractive to MC
• popular schools, more funds for better teachers, unpopular lose income and good teachers

Question 7

What does Gerwitz say about parental choice?

Answer 7

• study of 14 london secondary schools
• privileged-skilled choosers, MC parents used economic & cultural capital for educational capital for kids
  cultural= aware of school admission systems
  economic= afford travel costs to better schools
• disconnected-local choosers, WC, lack of economic (nearest schools) & cultural capital (less aware of choices, prioritised safety> success)
• semi-skilled choosers, WC, had ambitions for children, lacked cultural capital, relied on opinions of the school

Question 8

what is the myth of parentocracy?

Answer 8

• Ball, marketisation gives the appearance of free choice, but parents don’t have the same freedom

Question 9

New labour policies to reduce inequality

Answer 9

• aim higher programme, raise aspirations of under-represented groups
• education maintenance allowances, payments to low income students to stay on post 16
• funding for state education

Question 10

What are academies and free schools?

Answer 10

• academies receive funding from government, control over their curriculum, run by private educational businesses
• free schools, funded by state, run by parents teachers and faith organisations. improve standards by giving power to parents
  Allen, Sweden free schools only benefit children from highly educated families

Question 11

What does Ball argue about academies and free schools?

Answer 11

fragmentation: comprehensive system replaced with private providers leading to greater inequality in opportunities

centralisation of control: the power to allow or require schools to become academies or free schools, reducing local authorities role

Question 12

What are coalition policies?

Answer 12

• reduce inequality
• free school meals, all children reception, 1 & 2
• pupil premium, money for each pupil from disadvantaged backgrounds

-1/10 headteachers said it significantly changed how they supported disadvantaged pupils

Question 13

What is privatisation of education?

Answer 13

• transfer of public assets (schools) to private companies
• education a source of profit for capitalists

Question 14

Privatisation and globalisation?

Answer 14

• private companies in education foreign- owned
• edexcel, owned by US, Pearson. Some answers marked in Sydney/ Lowa

Question 16

What is the cola-isation of schools?

Answer 16

• private sector indirectly penetrating education, vending machines, brand loyalty from sponsorships
• limited benefits, Beder, UK families £110,000 in tesco for a computer

Question 17

Ball, education as a commodity

Answer 17

education is being turned into a ‘legitimate object of private profit-making’ bought and sold in an education market.

Question 18

Policies on gender and ethnicity:

Answer 18

Gender, GIST, reduce gender differences in subject choice

ethnicity, social inclusion of pupils from minority ethnic groups to raise success, e.g english as an additional language programmes

assimilation, minority ethnic groups assimilate into British culture to raise achievement e.g english not 1st language

Question 19

What is globalisation in education?

Answer 19

increased interconnectedness between people, nations and states through advances in technology

Question 20

impacts of globalisation on education

Answer 20

• increased competition between schools/universities
• global rankings compare systems and raise standards
• increased safeguarding issues, cyberbullying
• increased multiculturalism, decline of ethnocentric curriculum

Question 21

views on globalisation and education

Answer 21

marxist: only provides more opportunities to wealthy, Spring, widened the gap, digital divide, who can afford technology, remote learning

neoliberal: diminishes role of governments in education due to global transnational corporations. online education replace institutions.

new fordist: increased competition in job market, governments increase educational spending