Educational policy and inequality Flashcards
what increased the need for an educated work forcce?
Industrialization increased the need for an educated workforce, in this period the type of education children received depended on their class background, Schooling did little to change pupils’ ascribed status.
describe the 3 schools children could be sent to in the tripartite system?
The 1944 Education Act brought in the tripartite system. Children were to be selected and allocated to 1 of 3 different secondary schools. This was influenced by the 11+ exam.
Grammer schools= offered an academic curriculum and access to non-manual jobs and higher education. These pupils were mainly middle class.
Secondary modern schools= offered a non-academic, practical curriculum and access to manual work for pupils who failed the 11+. These pupils were mainly the working class.
Technical schools= only existed in a few areas, an education that prepares students for a specific trade or career
how was education influenced by the idea of meritocracy from 1944?
believed that individuals should achieve their status in life through their own efforts and abilities, rather than ascribed from birth.
what are 2 theories for the role of comprehensives, according to functionalists and Marxists?
Functionalists see it as fulfilling essential functions such as social solidarity by bringing children of different social classes into one school and meritocratic as it gives pupils a longer period of time to develop and show their abilities.
Marxists see education as serving the needs of capitalism by reproducing class inequality through the continuation of the practice of streaming and labelled. These continue to deny working-class children equal opportunities. Education also serves the needs of capitalism by legitimizing class inequality; by making unequal achievement seem fair and that failure is the individual’s fault.
what does miriam david argue?
Miriam David (1933)- describes marketized education as a parentocracy (rule by parents). Supporters of marketisation argue that in an education market, power shifts away from teachers/schools to parents. They claim that this encourages diversity among schools, gives parents more choice and raises standards.
Policies to promote marketisation include
Publication of league tables and Ofsted inspection reports that rank each school according to its exam performance and give parents the information they need to choose the right school
Business sponsorship of schools
Open enrolment, allowing successful schools to recruit more pupils
Specialist schools, specializing in IT, languages to widen parental control
Formula funding= where each school receive the same amount of funding per pupil
Schools being able to opt out of local authority control e.g. to become academies
Schools having to compete to attract pupils
Allowing parents and others to set up free schools
describe the reproduction of inequality in marketisation
despite the claimed benefits of marketization, critics argue that it has increased inequalities. For example, Ball and Whitty note how marketisation policies such as exam league tables and the funding formula reproduce class inequalities by creating inequalities between schools.
describe league tables and cream skimming as a reproduction of inequality in marketisation
League tables and cream-skimming:
The policy of publishing each school’s exam results in a league table ensures that schools that achieve good results are more in demand, because parents are attracted to those with good league table rankings. As Will Bartlett (1993) notes, this encourages:
Cream skimming= good schools can be more selective, choose their own customers and recruit high achieving, mainly middle-class pupils. As a result, these pupils gain an advantage.
Sift shifting= “good” schools can avoid taking less able pupils who are likely to get poor results and damage the schools league table position
For schools with poor league table positions, the opposite applies: they cannot afford to be selective and have to take less able, mainly working-class pupils, so their results remain poor and appear unattractive to middle class parents. League tables can produce social class inequalities.
describe the funding formula as a reproduction of inequality in marketisation
The funding formula:
Schools are allocated funds by a formula based on how many pupils they attract.as a result, popular schools get more funds so they can afford better qualified teachers and facilities. Their popularity allows them to be more selective with applicants e.g. middle class
Unpopular schools lose income and find it difficult to match the teachers’ skills and facilities of their more successful rivals. Thus, popular schools with good results and middle-class pupils thrive. Unpopular schools fail to attract pupils and funding is further reduced.
What is Gerwitz’s view on parental choice and marketisation policies?
Marketisation policies benefit the middle class by creating inequalities between schools. By increasing parental choice, marketisation advantages middle class parents whose economic and cultural position helps them.
What did Gerwitz’s 1995 study of 14 London secondary schools reveal?
Differences in parents’ economic and cultural capital lead to class differences in their choice of secondary schools. She identifies 3 main types of parents: privileged skilled choosers, disconnected local choosers, and semi-skilled choosers.
Who are privileged skilled choosers?
Privileged skilled choosers are mainly professional middle class parents who used their economic and cultural capital to gain educational capital for their child. They are prosperous, confident, and well educated.
What advantages do privileged skilled choosers have?
They possess cultural capital, know how school administration systems work, have time to visit schools, and have the skills to research their options. Their economic capital allows them to afford extra travel costs.
Who are disconnected local choosers?
Disconnected local choosers are working class parents whose choices are restricted by their lack of economic and cultural capital.
What challenges do disconnected local choosers face?
They find it difficult to understand school administration procedures, are less confident in dealings with schools, and often prioritize safety and school facilities. Distance and cost of travel limit their choices.
Who are semi-skilled choosers?
Semi-skilled choosers are mainly working class parents who are ambitious for their children but lack cultural capital and find it difficult to navigate the education market.
What do semi-skilled choosers rely on for school choices?
They often have to rely on other people’s opinions of schools due to their difficulties in making sense of the education market.
