The New Right on Education

All notes taken from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eTZLrG_2YAI&t=274s

What did the New Right say about education?

• Developed functionalist ideas of social solidarity and the teaching of specialist skills

• Additionally, parents should be given choice in their child’s education

• LEAs are inefficient- prefer free market approach (Chubb and Moe)

How do you achieve marketisation?

• Competition between schools for results

• Increased choice for parents- open enrollment

• Increased involvement of private enterprise in education

What did the Education Reform Act introduce?

• National curriculum

• Formula funding

• Standardised testing

• Parental choice and enrollment

What did the Education Reform Act develop further?

• Introduction of OFSTED

• League tables

What are the applications to contemporary education?

• Standardised testing throughout school life

• Development of education markets extending from early years to higher education

• Increased privatisation of education

• A wider range of schools

What are the evaluations of the Education Reform Act?

• Marketisation has been the dominant approach to education for over 30 years

• Introduced selection policies that certain social groups

• Gerwitz et al- middle class advantaged as they can play the system

  • Skilled/privileged chooser

  • Semi-skilled chooser

  • Local or disconnected chooser