Educational Policy and Inequality

Key concept Grid - Policy and Education

educational policy

plans and strategies for education introduced by the government, for example through Acts of Parliament, together with instructions and recommendations to schools and local education authorities

the tripartite system

children were to be selected and allocated to one of three different types of secondary schools, supposedly according to ther aptitudes and abilities, identified by the 11+ exam

the comprehensive school system

a system wherein local schools don’t choose their pupils on the basis of academic ability, but rather if they live within the catchment area

marketisation

the process of introducing markey forces of consumer choice and competition between suppliers into areas ran by the state

parentocracy

power shifts away from schools and teachers to the parents

cream skimming

selecting higher ability pupils who gain the best results and cost less

silt shifting

off-load pupils with learning difficulties who are expensive to teach and get poor results

the funding formula

schools are allocated funds by a formula based on how many pupils they attract

privileged skilled users

professional m/c parents who use ther economic and cultural capital to gan educational capital for their children

semi-skilled choosers

mainly w/c, but ambitious for their children. they too lack cultural captal and found it dfficult to make sense od the education market, often having to rely on other peoples opinions about schools

disconnected local choosers

w/c parents whose choices were restricted by ther lack of economic and cultural capital

the myth of parentocracy

the education system seems as if it is based on parents having free choice of school, reproducing class inequality in this way

academies

schools with qualified teachers that don’t need to follow the national curriculum

free schools

funded directly by the state, set up and run by parents/teachers/faith organisations or businesses rather than the local authorities

fragmented centralisation

ball argues that promoting academies has led to both increased fragmentation and increased centralisation of control over educational provision in england

fragmentation

the comprehensive system is being replaced by a patchwork of diverse provision, much of it involving private providers

centralisation of control

central government alone has the power to allow or require schools to become academies or allow free schools to be set up. their rapid growth has greatly reduced the role of elected local authorities in education

public-private partnerships

private sector companies provide capital to design, build, finance, and operate educational services

the cola-sation of schools

vending machines of school premises and the development of brand loyalty through displays of logos and sponsorships

assimilation policies

focus on the need for pupils from minority ethnc groups to assimilate into mainstream british culture as a way of raising their achievement, especially by helping those for whom english is not their first language