New Right Theories of the Education System Flashcards
What is neo-liberalism?
The belief that the state should have minimal involvement in running public services
What do the new right agree with in terms of the education system?
- people are naturally more talented than others
- education should be run on meritocratic principles
- education should socialise people into shared norms and values
What do the new right disagree with?
-education is currently not achieving these goals
What are the problems with the education system?
- too much state control
- has a one size fits all approach
- schools that achieve lower standards are not held to account
- schools get poor results because they’re not answerable to the consumer
What was Chubb and Moe’s study about?
60,000 pupils from low income families. Data shows that students in low income families did 5% better in private education. This suggests education system is not meritocratic. State eduction has failed to create equal opportunity because it does not respond to the needs of the consumer
What did Chubb and Moe propose to solve the problem?
A voucher system that allowed people to choose what school to go to
What are the problems with the voucher system?
- schools become overcrowded, so have to pick students which undermines the voucher concept
- less popular schools lead to less funding, viscous cycle
- students may not be able to access better schools through lack of funding
What state involvement is there with schools?
- govt imposes a framework for schools to compete in i.e. Ofsted
- govt ensures that schools transmit the shared norms and values of society through a single national curriculum
Evaluation of the new right perspective?
- middle class students can use their culture capital to gain access to better schools
- critics argue real cause of underachievement is through lack of funding
- Marxists claim the system imposes a culture of a dominant ruling class that devalues the working class
