the role of education - neoliberalism & the new right Flashcards
what is neoliberalism?
a pro capitalist economic theory which believes that the ‘free market’ in capitalist economies is the best basis for organising societies
what is the new right?
a conservative political view that incorporates neoliberal economic ideas
what are neoliberal’s perspective on education?
- they argue that the state should not provide services such an education, heath and welfare
- state must not dictate to individuals how to dispose of their own property and should try to regulate a free-market economy
what are similarities between the new right and functionalist views
- both believe that some people are naturally more talented than others
- both believe that education should socialise pupils into shared values such as competition and instil a sense of national identity
- both don’t think the current society is working
what do Chubb and Moe believe?
they argue that state run education in the US has failed and that they are unresponsive to the needs of pupils and parents.
why has state-run education failed according to Chubb and Moe?
- it has not created equal opportunity and has failed the needs of disadvantaged groups
- it fails to produce pupils with the skills needed by the economy
list evaluation points from the new right perspective?
- competition between schools benefits the middle class
- critics argue that the real cause of low educational standards is not state control but social inequality and inadequate funding of state schools
- marxists argue that education does not impose a shared national culture but imposes the culture of a dominant minority ruling class and devalues the culture of the working class and ethnic minorities
what is meant by free marketing?
when businesses compete with one another for customers which drives innovation and raises standards.
what do they believe education should do?
- promote meritocracy and competition amongst pupils and schools.
- meet the needs of the economy (willingness to contribute to the working place)
- socialises pupils into shared norms and values.
why is the education system not meeting the goals set by the state?
because it’s taking a ‘one size fits all’ approach, applying the same regulations and funding for all schools while ignoring the needs of parents pupils and staff.
what did they believe about the state?
that the state shouldn’t be relied on.
what is their goal?
economic growth
what happens in marketisation of education?
- schools compete with each other for pupils in an education market.
- schools receive funding for a number of pupils enrolled.
- the standard of education is increased to attract pupils and higher funding.
what are the limitations with marketisation?
- it looks at results rather than pupils which means those that are ‘less capable’ and more likely to fail are rejected by good schools as they want students from good areas with good grades (mainly middle class pupils) - this means that lower class schools sink lower and lower in league tables due to marketisation, and struggle to get funding.
what are the limitations with using league tables?
does not accurately portray what a ‘good’ school is as they mainly focus on the grades rather than what actually makes up a good school - this means working classes and ethnic minorities are lower down.
