Devolution and Choice in Education
The School, the State and the Market
Open University Press
Published on 1. January 1998
Book
Hardback
176 pages
978-0-335-19712-5 (ISBN)
Description
This is an examination of recent school reforms in England and Wales, the USA, Australia, New Zealand and Sweden. The study suggests that, at the same time as appearing to devolve power to individual schools and parents, governments have actually been increasing their own capacity to manipulate the system. Focusing particularly on the "quasi-markets" favoured by the New Right, the authors review the research evidence on the impact of the reforms. They conclude that there is no strong evidence to support the educational benefits claimed by the proponents of the reforms, and considerable evidence that they are enabling advantaged schools and advantaged parents to maximize their advantages. They suggest that, if these damaging equity effects are to be avoided, there is an urgent need to redress the balance between consumer rights and citizen rights in education.
More details
Language
English
Place of publication
Milton Keynes
United Kingdom
Target group
College/higher education
Professional and scholarly
Illustrations
references, index
Dimensions
Height: 229 mm
Width: 159 mm
Weight
280 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-335-19712-5 (9780335197125)
Copyright in bibliographic data is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or its licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Persons
Author
School of Education, University of Bristol
Department of Educational Studies, Goldsmiths College, London
Content
Part 1 Mapping education reform: restructuring public education in five countries; devolution and choice - a global phenomenon?. Part 2 The school, the state and the market: school managers, the state and the market; changing teachers' work; classrooms and the curriculum; the self-managing school and the community. Part 3 Problems and prospects in the politics of education: effectiveness, efficiency and equity; beyond devolution and choice.