marketisation of education Flashcards
1
Q
educational triage
A
dividing students into sets, top, middle and bottom
practise of focusing on the C/D students to ensure they pass their GCSE’s
2
Q
league tables
A
exam results
3
Q
cream skimming
A
good schools can be more selective and choose the high achieving, usually middle class pupils
4
Q
silt shifting
A
good schools can avoid taking less able pupils who might damage their position on the league tables, usually working class
5
Q
league tables, cream skimming and silt shifting and educational triage
A
- the policy of publishing each schools exam results means that the schools with the highest results will be in higher demand
- parents can compare all schools in their area and select the best
- this will encourage all schools to raise their standard so they can climb the league tables and attract parents to their schools
- this also encourages cream skimming and silt shifting
- schools in lower positions on the league tables can’t afford to be so selective. their results stay low and they are unattractive to middle class parents so reproducing inequalities
- gillborn and youdell argue that league tables also encourage educational triage
6
Q
formula funding
A
- schools are allocated funds by a formula based on how many pupils they attract
- as a result, popular schools get more funds and so they can afford more experienced teachers, more resources and better facilities
- this helps their results to stay high, maintain their position in the league tables and be attractive to usually middle class parents
- schools in lower positions on the league tables remain unpopular, lose income and consequently can’t afford to employ more experienced teachers, buy resources or improve their facilities
- the result: popular schools with good results and middle class pupils thrive whilst schools with mostly working class pupils continue to fail, are unpopular and their funding is reduced
- conclusion: research shows that competition orientated education systems reproduce social class inequalities
7
Q
the myth of parentocracy
A
- sharon Gewritz criticises marketisation policies for advantaging middle class parents
- the external factors that limit the outcomes of working class pupils?
- economic, social and cultural capital
- gewritz identifies 3 types of parents: privileged skilled choosers, disconnected local choosers and semi skilled choosers
- stephen ball; marketisation only gives the appearance of parentocracy. parent choice is a myth. middle class parents have choices but all that does is reproduce social class inequalities
8
Q
privileged skilled choosers
A
- professional middle class parents who used their social, economic and cultural capital to take full advantage of the choices open to them
- they can read the league tables, move to a new area if necessary, discuss preferences with headteachers and plan years in advance
9
Q
disconnected local choosers
A
- working class parents with restricted choices due to their lack of capital
- they find it hard to understand admissions procedures, are less confident in dealing with schools, less aware of their options, can’t afford to move/travel to other schools
- most local schools is only real option for them
10
Q
semi skilled choosers
A
- also mainly working class but more ambitious for their children
- lack the capital and find the process difficult to understand but rely on other people’s opinions about schools (essentially copy them)
11
Q
geoff whitty (1998)
A
- marketisation has not led to more choice or opportunities for working class families
- marketisation has led to more opportunities for the middle classes to use their wealth and knowledge more effectively
12
Q
state schools
A
public schools - what i went to
13
Q
public schools
A
private, posh schools
14
Q
difference between private education and privatisation of education
A
privatisation of education imitates private education and private education isn’t about privatisation of education, it’s people who can afford it
15
Q
specification focus
A
- creating equal access and opportunity
- creating more equal outcomes
- selection
- globalisation
- privatisation
- marketisation
16
Q
aims of educational policy
A
- economic efficiency
- raising educational standards
- creating equality of educational opportunity in a meritocratic society
17
Q
equality of access
A
- the tripartite system 1944
- the comprehensive system
- school admissions code
- compensatory education
18
Q
globalisation
A
has impacted UK policy through:
- international comparisons
- privatisation
- marketisation
19
Q
raising standards since the 1980’s
A
- conservative party policies 1979-1997
- new labour policies 1997-2010
- conservative- liberal democrat 2010-2015
20
Q
private education
A
- public schools
- the case for independent schools
- the case against independent schools
21
Q
private education - key questions:
A
- private education in the UK refers to schools that aren’t funded by the government but instead charge a fee to the parents
- these range from internationally renowned public schools like aston and harrow with extremely high fees, to small local independent schools
- some schools have a very high examination results (partly because of their resources, small class sizes and freedom to select their pupils based on ability)
22
Q
history of private schools
A
- private schools have an extremely long history of Britain
- the oldest continuously operating school in the world is the Kings school, canterbury, founded 597
- in the middle ages the great public schools such as Eton, Harrow, Charterhouse were funded by benefactors to educate local boys regardless of background
- the rich increasingly took advantage of the education provided by these establishments, these schools gradually became boarding houses for those who could pay, pushing out those who couldn’t
- there was/ is high academic expectation on pupils who attended, with a strong emphasis on classical studies
- consequently the ‘elite’ were the only people who truly educated and prepared for Oxford and Cambridge unis and public service
- 55 prime ministers to date (1721-2021)
- 42 attended Oxford and Cambridge university
- 20 attended Eton, 7 attended Harrow and 6 Westminster
23
Q
what is the difference between private education and privatisation of education?
A
- privatisation is closely linked to marketisation
- it is the move of state schools for total state control to independent management and decision making (neoliberal approach)
- education is still free for those who attend - despite the term privatisation, these are still state funded schools
- private schools are private businesses - education is provided by non-state companies, religious institutions, trusts or private individuals and is funded by parents not the state - this has always been the case
24
Q
privatisation IN education (endogenous)
A
schools, colleges and universities operate more like private businesses
key factors: competition between schools for students, efficiency, choice for parents, target setting, league tables, per capita funding - effective since 1980’s
25
privatisation OF education (exogenous)
opening up of state education to private profit making businesses
key factors: school services, management, inspections, buildings, branding, educational policy and exam system
26
private education and careers
- 7% of the population are privately educated but..
- 39% of those with high ranking jobs were privately educated
- members of Britains elite who hold top jobs in politics, the judiciary, media and business, are 5 times more likely to have been to private school
- in law: nearly 3 quarters (74%) of the top judiciary were educated at independent schools and the same proportion (74%) went to oxbridge. barristers and solicitors disproportionately from the same schools and unis
- in journalism: about half of the country’s leading journalists were educated privately, less than one in 5 went to comprehensives. over half went to oxbridge
