MARKETISATION - SOCIAL GROUPS/ CLASS Flashcards
intro
Marketization is the process of introducing market forces of consumer choice and competition between suppliers into areas run by the state, such as education. This has created an education market, resulting in reduced direct state control over education, and an increase in competition between schools and parental choice of schools. While some sociologists argue that this has raised achievement for all, many argue that it has increased inequality.
Parentocracy
emphasised through different marketisation policies such as the publication of exam league tables
Explain: Parentocracy (‘rule by parents’) increases ‘Parental choice’ (Item I)
Evidence: David (1993) - In an education market, the power shifts away from the producers (schools and teachers) to the consumers (parents)
Analysis: Introducing these policies enables parents access to information about particular schools such as exam performance to allow them to choose the right school that suits their child. Similarly, it encourages schools to remain competitive and this can drive up standards as schools have to act like private businesses.
Evaluate: Ball argues parentocracy is a myth, he argues that it creates a façade that all parents have equal access to schools when this isn’t always the case. This is supported by Gewirtz’s study of parents, she found that parents who possessed cultural capital (mainly middle class parents) were able to take advantage of the education system whilst many working class parents weren’t able to.
- League tables & Cream-skimming
Point: By publishing exam results ensures schools with good exam results are more in demand
Explain: Parents are attracted to those with good league table rankings which increases ‘competition’ (Item B)
Evidence: Bartlett - Through cream-skimming, ‘good’ schools can afford to be more selective, they recruit high-achieving middle class students to maintain their high league table position
Analyse: These pupils gain an advantage. Good schools avoid takin on less able pupils who may get poor results and damage their league table position through silt-shifting.
Evaluate: However, league tables are beneficial because it gives parents the information they need to choose the right school for their children.
Link: The overall effect of league tables produces unequal schools - schools with poor league table positions cannot afford to be selective and take on less able students which are mainly working class, so their results remain poor and unattractive to middle class parents and this produces social class inequalities.`
New Labour & Inequality
Point: The New Labour Government (1997-2010) introduced policies which aimed to reduce inequality.
Explain: They identified deprived zones, struggling inner-city schools, under-represented groups and those on low-income backgrounds that needed additional support.
Evidence: For example, Education Actions Zones were established in deprived areas; the Aim Higher Programme was used to raise the aspirations of deprived children and the EMAs were bursaries that were given to students from low-income households.
Analyse: These schemes aimed to reduce inequality by providing additional resources to those who needed them, they also raised the aspirations of groups who feel under-represented in higher education and the financial support encouraged students to stay in education after 16.
Evaluate: Benn (2010) - Believes in the New Labour Paradox. She argues there is a contradiction between Labour’s policies to tackle inequality and its commitment to marketisation.
Link: While the New Labour Government aimed to introduce beneficial policies to improve opportunities, they were unsuccessful as they increased tuition fees for higher education and keep private schools open.
Policies on ethnicity
Policies on ethnicity
Explain: These aimed to reduce inequality between pupils from minority ‘ethnic backgrounds’ (Item I)
Explain & Analyse: One example is assimilation policies, which aimed to assimilate minority ethnic groups into mainstream British culture as a way of raising achievement. Similarly, Multi-cultural education (MCE) aimed to promote the achievements of children from ethnic groups by valuing all cultures in the curriculum. This purpose was to raise the self esteem of ethnic pupils which was done in hope to raise their achievement.
Evaluate: Critical race theorists challenge this as they believe that MCE is pure tokenism, it picks out stereotypical features of cultures for the sake of inclusivity but it fails to tackle institutional racism.
Marxist + critic
Impact w/c neg
Myth of parentocracy
Gives app of free choice
Reality = w/c don’t have that
GERWITZ = w/c don’t have the Cultural capital and = don take advantage of choices
Myth of parentocracy makes inequality in education appear to be fair and inevitable
Postmodernism
Argue Edu is more diverse
= increase in specialist skl
= w/c not to underachieve as it’s a specialist based on their capabilities and strengths = excel
CON
a significant proportion of marketisation policies appear to only benefit the middle-class, through policies regarding to parental choice, the funding formula and the publication of league tables. These allow the middle-class to exercise their use of economic, cultural and educational capital to gain an advantage over the working-class and widen the gap in achievement. However, the New Labour and the Conservative-led coalition’s policies have aimed to reduce this inequality through the introduction of EMAs, Free School Meals and the Pupil Premium. But overall, marketisation policies appear to only benefit the middle-class.
