Education - The New Right
- Created by: chlopayne
- Created on: 22-04-19 13:04
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- The New Right and education
- 1980s in UK, there was a move towards New Right led by Conservativeunder Margaret Thatcher.
- Suggests that the most efficient way to run a society is by encouraging competition and choice.
- Perspectives on education
- The state cannot run a good education system because there is not enough competition to power school improvement schemes.
- Focus is entirely on schools, other causes of underachievement are overlooked.
- Explanations of school failure
- Argued that schools had declined because of the loss of grammar and secondary modern schools in the UK.
- Selection was believed to be good for children.
- Chubb and Moe found that poor children in fee-paying schools achieved better than in the state run schools.
- They suggested that this was because private schools are responsive to the needs of parents.
- Claims that school discipline had got worse, as it became difficult for teachers to physically punish children.
- New teaching methods involving children in more active learning were deemed to have failed.
- Belief that schools and local authorities were inefficient and wasteful of money because they are not focused as business.
- School inspectors said that problems in education were caused by comprehensive schools becoming too examination orientated.
- Evaluation
- Exam results have improved, so New Right changes to the education system have been a success.
- However, there are many reasons to account for changes to results, such as grade inflation.
- Teachers and school managers claim that the low standards of some state schools are a reflection of general poverty and poor funding.
- If a system has schools in competition, there will be losing schools who attract only challenging pupils.
- Jackson [2006] pointed out fear of failure in exams, has meant that boys have deliberately chosen not to participate.
- Instead developed a culture of aggressive masculinity and laddishness that leads to confrontation with teachers and failure in exams.
- Le Grand and Bartlett [1993] found that the popular schools are able to get the better pupils.
- Schools in poorer areas are more likely to have high numbers of children with challenging behaviour, poor attitudes and learning disabilities.
- Gorard & Smith [2010] pointed out that house prices in the catchment area of high-attaining schools rise, poorer parents can't afford to send their children to better performing schools.
- Better funded schools were more concerned with league tables than with pupils.
- Exam results have improved, so New Right changes to the education system have been a success.
- Aims of education
- Encouraging competition + marketing ensure that schools are run effectively and in a business-like fashion.
- Meeting the needs of employers so that there is a skilled and effective workforce to meet the needs of industry.
- Improve educational standards for all children.
- Create equality of opportunity between children + encourage a meritocratic society.
- Allow freedom of choice, so parents can choose the education that they believe will be best for their children.
- Make teachers + schools accountable for their performance.
- Performance of a school and of teachers can be measured by success rates in public exams.
- Solutions to education
- Encouraging competition between schools and pupils.
- Reducing the power of local councils in the running of schools and allowing schools to make many of their own financial decisions.
- Encouraging employers into schools.
- Increased testing, inspection and publication of results.
- Encouraging competition between schools and pupils.
- 1980s in UK, there was a move towards New Right led by Conservativeunder Margaret Thatcher.
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