New Right on Education

Question 1

What are the New Right key ideas?

Answer 1

• The belief that people should be free to make up their own minds about their own lives.
• Means reducing the power of government to control both their own and their lives.

Question 2

What did Margaret Thatcher believe?

Answer 2

That the state was too powerful and controlled too many aspects of work and the economy.
This stifled growth and innovation and prevented job and wealth creation.

Question 3

What did New Right’s think about meritocracy?

Answer 3

Strong believers.
Feel that free from government restriction and given equal oppotunities, everybody is able to create what they can of their own lives.
The rewards and incentive for this hard work is wealth.

Question 4

What New Right Views are there on education?

Answer 4

• some people are naturally more talented than others
• education should be run on meritocratic principles
• education should serve the needs of the economy
• education should socialise students into shared values and national identity
• parents should be free to choose where their children attend school
• the state should ensure a uniformity of curriculum
• education should reinforce national identity

Question 5

What did Chubb and Moe say?

Answer 5

Studied US schools. They say state education has failed because:
1. state education has failed to create equal opportunity for disadvantage groups
2. state education fails to produce the necessary well qualified workforce
3. private schools deliver better results because they are answerable to paying customers (parents) who will take their children elsewhere if they are unhappy with the service of a school