Comparative Education Week 22 Comparative Sociology Recap Last

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 28 • 1. ‘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 workingclass children into grammar schools • But class divides persisted – Working-class – Middle-class secondary modern 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