EDUCATIONAL POLICY - Globalisation

Question 1

What is Globalisation?

Answer 1

The increased interconnectedness of different areas of the world. This can be politically, economically and socially.

Question 2

How has globalisation influenced education policy in the UK? HINT: Name as many as you can; there are 3 examples here!

Answer 2

• Through educational provisions and schools that are available to people = Free Schools and Academies
• The increased focus on skills for the global marketplace = National Literacy and Numeracy Strategies across schools
• Additional Funding for ‘Core Subjects’; EG - Maths and Science

Question 3

What does Torrance (2006) say about Global League Tables?

Answer 3

• He says that league tables should not be taken very seriously.
• He found that each one of the main providers of league tables uses different tests, different samples and different age groups; this means that their results cannot be directly compared.

Question 4

What does Dylan William say about Global League Tables and how seriously they should be taken?

Answer 4

• He found that Singapore and Finland are 2 of the most successful countries in the rankings = However, Singapore groups and ranks its students by ability, whilst Finland does not.
• Williams states that ‘little will be learned’ from Global League Tables, due to the way that different countries conduct their studies and group and rank their data.

Question 5

What are other influences linked to Globalisation that have directly influenced and impacted Educational Policy? HINT: Name as many as you can; there are 5 here!

Answer 5

• Privatisation and marketisation of education
• The exportation of private schools and the ability to study abroad with schools –> EG: Nord Anglia
• University entrances for overseas students –> Impacted tution fees, as overseas students who want to study in the UK (which has some of the best university’s in the world) have to pay higher fees than UK students.
• An increase in EAL (English as an Additional Language) and ESOL (English for Students of Other Languages) Funding –> This means that they are able to attain the equivalent to a Maths and English GCSE and can become part of the UK workforce and contribute to the economy.
• Changes to the Curriculum –> This has been impacted by migration; this has allowed subjects such as Arabic and Polish being offered to students in the UK.

Question 6

Give 2 examples of less direct factors that have impacted the Experience of Education by Globalisation?

Answer 6

• Changes to teaching and learning strategies, which have been adopted by other countries –> EG: The strategy of adopting a growth mindset.
• Multiculturalism –> This has helped to increase the attainment of some minority ethnic groups. HOWEVER = Some critics would argue that there is still a need to decolonise the curriculum from its basis of ‘little Englandism’; this can be seen in the History specification, which is aimed more towards England’s contributions/successes and other countries defeats/failures.

Question 7

What are the Evaluating and Criticising comments of the impact that Globalisation has had on Education? HINT: Name as many as you can; there are 5 here!

Answer 7

• Ranking systems (such as league tables) have been criticised for their narrowness/focus on skills; only science, reading and maths are tested
• Others have argued that the application of educational policies from one country to another may not have the desired effects/outcome, due to the cultural differences between nations
• Testing internationally has both reliability and validity issues; measuring students’ performance on 3 tests every 3 years is not effective in measuring the success of the education system
• Initiatives taken from abroad are quite expensive and are short-lived; many have had to be abandoned, due to changes within government and their precedence over national/international problems
• Some governments and countries may be unable to adopt certain policies, due to their current circumstances/because the government doesn’t believe that certain policies are very significant

Question 8

What is Marketisation?

Answer 8

Schools (starting from the 1980s) were encouraged to compete against each other and act more like private businesses rather than institutions under the control of local government

Question 9

What is Inequality in Education reinforced by Marketisation?

Answer 9

Inequality in education is reinforced by marketisation through the use of league tables (which increases competition) and through the element of parental choice when it comes to schools and the education system (parentocracy).

Question 10

What is Parentocracy?

Answer 10

A system in which’s a child’s education must conform to the wishes of their parents.

Question 11

What Sociologist came up with Parentocracy?

Answer 11

David (1993)!

Question 12

What is Privatisation?

Answer 12

The process where institutions or other bodies are transferred from being owned by the government to being owned by private companies.

Question 13

Give some examples of Privatisation in the Education System in the UK. HINT: Name as many as you can; there are 2 here!

Answer 13

• Academies
• Free Schools

Question 14

Who runs and owns Academies and Free Schools?

Answer 14

They are run and owned by private companies or corporations that have significant control over them, even though they continue to be funded by taxpayers through the government.

Question 15

Give an example of Private Businesses increasingly getting involved in the education system. HINT: Pearson!

Answer 15

The company, Pearson, owns the Edexcel exam board!

Question 16

Which sociologist/s identified 2 types of privatisation in the UK Education System?

Answer 16

Ball and Youdell (2007)

Question 17

What was the INTERNAL form of Privatisation that Ball and Youdell identified?

Answer 17

Endogenous Privatisation = This is Privatisation IN education –> This means changing the internal processes of a school, in order to treat it and make it more like a business.

Question 18

Give an Example/s of Internal Privatisation. HINT: Name as many as you can; there are 3 here!

Answer 18

• Treating parents and students as consumers
• Target setting students
• Using league tables

Question 19

What was the EXTERNAL form of Privatisation that Ball and Youdell identified?

Answer 19

Exogenous Privatisation = This is Privatisation OF education –> This means opening up aspects of education to private businesses.

Question 20

Give an Example/s of External Privatisation. HINT: Name as many as you can; there are 4 here!

Answer 20

• Staff training
• School finances
• Exams
• The management of schools (as seen with academies)

Question 21

When did Endogenous Privatisation (INTERNAL) and Exogenous Privatisation (EXTERNAL) begin?

Answer 21

ENDOGENOUS = Began from 1979!

EXOGENOUS = Began with the creation of the Academies Bill in 201!

Question 22

Evaluate the Impact of Marketisation and Privatisation. HINT: Name as many points as you can; there are 4 points here!

Answer 22

• The impact of free schools is subject to some debate with many planned schools not having recruited sufficient pupils to open while others have proved popular and successful → A review of the policy in Sweden has found that they have failed to raise standards overall and they have increased social and religious segregation in society; some places also wish to reverse the policy
• There is no evidence that supports free schools performing better than regular schools
• ACADEMIES = This has proved controversial, especially with teachers who have often associated the move with attacks on their pay, conditions and professional integrity. School managers are often very positive about the move as it provides access to more funding and provides options, especially in terms of efficiency savings across academy trusts and chains, which are not available under local authority control
• Many individuals say that businesses are able to make a lot of money from the schools, including profit-making companies, whose services are contracted out to schools; therefore some people will make decisions based on profit rather than education → This negatively affects students and perhaps may lead to them withdrawing from the education system (anti-school subcultures)