Comparative Education Week 22 Comparative Sociology

Recap Last week we considered who can be a citizen Previously we looked at health and welfare Look at how systems can perpetuate inequalities

Outline Role of the state in education Inequality in the UK Inequality in the US

Ideas about Education Education for all gradually expanded on the 20 th century Article ‘States Parties recognize the right of the child to education and with a view to achieving this right progressively and on the basis of equal opportunity….’

Ideas about Education Education for individual gain? Education to benefit society or the economy? Education as social justice?

Think about these 3 ideas Education for individual gain Education to benefit society or the economy Education as social justice How do they fit with the way you think about education, or the way you think it operates?

Development of UK Education Policy 1944 Education Act –Raised school leaving age to 15 –Universal free education –Three types of school grammar, secondary modern technical. –Entry decided by test (11+ exam)

1944 Education Act Act primarily concerned with class inequalities –Working class children same chance to gain qualifications Use education to develop the workforce –Education seen as an investment in economic growth

Gender inequalities Young people were educate on gendered lines for their ‘future role in life’

Continuing inequalities The 11+ exam did allow some working- class children into grammar schools But class divides persisted –Working-classsecondary modern –Middle-class grammar Change to comprehensives

11+ Failure Why do you think that the 11+ continued rather than ended educational inequalities?

Equal Opportunities? Does equality mean treating people the same? Can you treat people differently in the name of equal opportunities?

Equal Opportunities? Fred Parents income £50,000 pa (both lawyers) Fred has own room with a PC Home contains many books and toys The family goes to visit places of interest a lot and have two overseas holidays a year George Parents income £11,000 pa (both cleaners) George shares room with two brothers No computer nor many books or toys Only trips are with school, and George has never been overseas If education policy treats them the same, is that fair?

UK policy UK education policy is now concerned with standards Standards are to be raised through ‘market-forces’ –SATS –League tables –Closure of failing schools

Market-forces Middle-class parents are better able to take advantage of the education market –Economic capital Living or moving to ‘good’ catchment areas –Cultural capital Confidence and knowledge of educational system to access ‘best’ schools Prioritising parental choice does not ensure equal opportunities

Middle-class advantage Do you think that market-forces should play a role in education? To what extent is the continuing advantage of the middle-classes a problem?

US Policy Like the UK, the US has also been concerned for many years about falling school standards In 2002, the ‘No Child Left Behind Act’ was made law

No Child Left Behind Idea of the Act is to raise standards across public schools No excuses for certain subgroups of students Many objections raised by educationalists

Working of the Act Each school has to test its pupils annually in Grades 3-8 with additional tests in years 10 and 12 (UK school years 4-9, 11 & 13) Schools and school districts must demonstrate Annual Yearly Progress towards standards Sanctions will apply schools fail

Objections As in the UK, schools and educational achievement are linked to social class Few extra resources to help students from poorer backgrounds achieve more Risk that schools/students from poorer areas will disproportionally be labelled as failing Children with disabilities are also counted within the figures, even though many would never be able to achieve the standards

Penalty for failure Failure could result in –loss of funding –changing staff –Schools being taken over (Charter schools) Children at failing schools can elect to go to a different school –may have to travel long distances –pressure on places will be extreme

No Child Left Behind Critics argue that the NCLB Act was designed to undermine the public school sector and encourage privatisation. Do you agree?

Summary Education policy can be seen to link to wider ideas in society Ideas about the way in which inequalities can be addressed change over time. Studies consistently show that children from poorer families are more to attend ‘worse’ schools