New Rights perspectives (5)

Question 1

What is the definition for New Right perspective?

Answer 1

• political and economic ideology rather than a sociological theory.
• global perspective, guiding the economic policies of gov. across world.
• competition in national and global markets.

Question 2

What does the New Right think about competition?

Answer 2

• it is the KEY to efficiency + economic growth.
• offers consumers choice.

Question 3

What does the New Right think that competition will bring?

Answer 3

• Competition between private companies in free market will bring choice, efficiency, economic growth + improvements in quality of goods + services.

Question 4

What is marketisation the key to in education?

Answer 4

• raising standards.

Question 5

How must schools, colleges + uni’s compete for customers?

Answer 5

• in a free and open market.
• i.e: open evening.

Question 6

What must parents and students have when selecting an educational institution?

Answer 6

• the freedom to select educational institutions of their choice.

Question 7

When parents send their children to top schools what do educational institutions have an incentive to do?

Answer 7

• Raise their standards in order to attract more students.

Question 8

How does the public money affect a school in a market system?

Answer 8

• public money will follow the choices made by parents + children.
• successful institutions -> funds to expand.
• failing institutions -> incentive to improve or face closure.

Question 9

What must be available for an educational market to work efficiently and why?

Answer 9

• information on the standards achieved by schools.
• w/o this parents + politicians cannot make informed decisions

Question 10

How must edu. institutional behave?

Answer 10

• like businesses

Question 11

Both students + teachers and edu. institutions are assessed. How are teachers assessed?

Answer 11

• the test results of their students.

Question 12

What was the guiding concept?

Answer 12

• performativity:
  a focus on performance and its measurements.

Question 13

What does performativity lead to according to Stephen J. Balls?

Answer 13

• “audits, inspections, appraisals, self reviews, quality assurance, research assessment + output indicators.”
  “directs teaching + research towards the area.”
  “ likely to have a positive impact on measurable performance.”

Question 14

What does privatisation mean from a new right perspective?

Answer 14

• private sector participation in edu.
• means of making schools, colleges/ uni’s more efficient + raising standards.

Question 15

What is one form of privatisation in education?

Answer 15

• obtaining income through deals with private companies,
  i.e: vending machines in school selling products like Cadbury’s chocolate or promotions such as Walker’s crisp to collect vouchers for school equipment.

Question 16

What is the entry of private companies into school called?

Answer 16

• cola-isation.

Question 17

What are examples of subcontracting of services to private companies?

Answer 17

• cleaning
• school dinners
• counselling
• management services
  } seen as a more efficient means of provision.

Question 18

As private companies have become more involved in education, what is an example of the service they may provide?

Answer 18

• testing + tutoring.

Question 19

Evaluation of New Rights perspective: educational markets are unfair:

Answer 19

• some parents have more knowledge + understanding of the edu. system + more money.
• M/C in a better position to manipulate edu. markets to get the most out of them.
  -M/C -> successful private schools.
• for some parents choice is not available.
  } send child to a local comprehensive school.

Question 20

Evaluation of New Rights perspective: Raising standards:

Answer 20

• competition + choice do produce small improvements in student achievement.
• competition leading to “modest” improvements.

Question 21

Evaluation of New Rights perspective: Selection by schools:

Answer 21

• in the open market: consumer choice may result in provider choice.
  i.e: the schools (provider) may choose the students rather than parents (consumer) choosing schools.
  -i.e: most successful schools X have enough places for all students who wish to attend.
  } schools must select.
  } pressure to pick “most able” students to stay at top of league table
  } from M/C backgrounds -> creaming.

Question 22

Evaluation of New Rights perspective: Education as a means to an end:

Answer 22

• some critics believe:
  marketisation of edu. leads to narrow view of edu as a means to an end.
• schools turned into “exam factories”
• exam results become a measure of success for students
• Teachers “teach to the test” + students are “mark hungry + obsessed w exams”
• more to edu. than servicing the economy.