Social Policy and Education (1) Flashcards

Question

What was the research Gewirtz did in 1995?

Answer 1

The research was to see if parental choice benefits the MC more than the WC. In short, it widens the gap between the WC and the MC in terms of achievement. She uses Bourdieu’s ideas of cultural and economic capital to argue that MC parents use this capital to take greater advantage of parental choice than WC parents.

Answer 2

Privileged skilled choosers - MC ambitious parents using their cultural and economic capital. Disconnected local choosers - WC parents whose choices are restricted by their lack of economic and cultural capital. Semi-skilled choosers - mainly WC but ambitious parents.

Answer 3

``` Wanted to maintain the competitiveness of the education system today but want to promote equality of opportunity for all children. To reduce class inequalities though Education Maintenance Allowance), Sure Start, Aim Higher, Academies and value added league tables (fairer). ```

Answer 4

Provided free nursery education in deprived areas. This would include parenting classes.

Answer 5

To create more equal opportunity through intervening early to boost long term educational performance.

Answer 6

New schools, partly sponsored by businesses and charities set up to replace failing comprehensive schools.

Answer 7

To ensure that no children, particularly those in poorer areas were educated in an ineffective school.

Answer 8

EMA was introduced to provide low-income families with with to £30 a week.

Answer 9

EMA was intended to reduce drop out rates by making it more affordable to stay on in education.

Answer 10

Number of places in higher education was increased rapidly nearly doubling between 1990 and 2004.

Answer 11

To increase opportunity for people for all class, backgrounds, but particularly from the working class.

Answer 12

To improve the results for disadvantaged children.

Answer 13

Children from low income families got free school meals and breakfast clubs started.

Answer 14

Extra resources given to inner city schools in deprived areas. These included IT facilitates, learning mentors, and social exclusion units.

Answer 15

To reduce social class inequality.

Answer 16

Schools could specialise in one of 10 areas (e.g. computing, science, languages) and select up to 10% of pupils according to aptitude in the specialism.

Answer 17

To increase choice to everyone going to a standard comprehensive schools. Increased specialism to meet the needs of individual pupils.

Answer 18

League tables continued to be used and more details published, including ‘value-added’ scores based on progress.

Answer 19

To drive up standards by fostering competition and to measure progress towards government targets. Value-added league tables intended to provide a fairer measure of school performance by taking some account of class differences.

Answer 20

The government gave companies money to employ/train and young person who was unemployed (NEETS) as well as support from personal advisers.

Answer 21

The New Right marketisation.

Answer 22

To prevent young people joining the ranks of the long term unemployed.

Answer 23

NVQ’s were changed to vocational GCSE’s and A-levels in 2001.

Answer 24

To improve the status of vocational qualifications, so they were not seen as second rate compared with academic qualifications.

Answer 25

Tuition fees introduced at £1000 per year and then rose again to £4000 per year.

Answer 26

To improve standards at universities enable more people to go as the state could no longer afford to send everyone for free.

Answer 27

1. The middle classes still got into the best schools; parents still used their cultural capital to get their children into oversubscribed schools. 2. Too much emphasis on league tables led to a narrow focus within education. 3. The government spent too much money on education that they couldn’t afford. 4. The introduction of student fees may have discouraged people from going to university . Most were from a working class background. 5. Growler (2003) argues that New Labour underestimated the amount of inequality within education and therefore didn’t fully tackle it. 6. They introduced policies that decreased inequality e.g. EMA but at the same time introduced policies that increased inequality e.g. tuition fees. However, overall standards did rise during this period in terms of GCSE and A-level results and there was a small reduction in class difference in achievement at school.

Answer 28

Concerned with raising standards through marketisation. Key changes: EMA to be cut, tuition frees increased, English baccalaureate, emphasis on old-fashioned discipline, a pupil premium to replace EMA, inspections to be targeted on failing schools and academies.

Answer 29

These policies have all been introduced to improve education and to improve equality of opportunity. Each policy has its strengths and failures. Many argue that all of these policies have only reproduced existing social inequalities.

Answer 30

It replaced EMR. Low income student get more money (funding formula). Money is accountable - schools have to show that it helps pupil premium students only. Also strategies need to be thought of to help improve pupil premium students results.

Answer 31

Activity centre, museum, zoo, safari park, trips abroad, schools, colleges, universities, aquarium, music or food festivals.

Answer 32

Annual inspections Mid year visits Has an effect on management, teachers and pupils.

Answer 33

Stress leads of for stress which leads to even more stress. Teachers might “leave” as they are under so much pressure and could be teaching in a better school. Means that the only teachers left will be the one’s that can’t get a job anywhere else. The school has to improve as it is the only way to stop the inspections.

Answer 34

Faith schools

Answer 35

Grammar schools

Answer 36

Church schools

Answer 37

Private/public/independent schools

Answer 38

Specialist schools

Answer 39

Higher education

Answer 40

Comprehensive schools

Answer 41

Selective schools

Answer 42

Vocational education

Answer 43

Free schools

Answer 44

Further education

Answer 45

Funding formula, National Curriculum, testing and attaining targets, League tables and Ofsted, new types of schools and parentocracy.

Answer 46

Schools could enrol as many students as the could physically fit. Each student was worth so much to the school in terms of funding.

Answer 47

Competition for students between schools would drive up standards. Poorer schools gasped to improve.

Answer 48

Popular schools became heavily oversubscribed and the middle classes manipulated the system to their advantage.

Answer 49

The government stipulated what was to be taught in schools.

Answer 50

To ensure consistency in the teaching of English and maths. Compare and measure progress between schools.

Answer 51

Restricts subject choice and has been criticised for not meeting culture needs (very British). Ball called it ‘Curriculum of the dead’ because it was so outdated.

Answer 52

Performance tests at 7,11,14 (SATs) and 16 (GCSEs)

Answer 53

To focus the efforts of schools on achieving key targets.

Answer 54

Amount of testing was excessive - schools started to focus on it too much. This then made them become exam factories making it stressful for students.

Answer 55

To judge the performance of schools. Ofsted inspections became more frequent.

Answer 56

To provide information for parents. To make schools more accountable and therefore drive up standards.

Answer 57

Too much focus on test results rather than the holistic education a pupil receives.

Answer 58

Tech colleges were introduced emphasising vocational courses.

Answer 59

Intended to provide more choice and greater variety.

Answer 60

Funding has been a problem - 'new vocationalism'.

Answer 61

Giving parents the choice which school their child goes to.

Answer 62

Middle class parents used their 'cultural capital' to get their children into better schools.

Answer 63

They allowed schools to be taken out of direct financial control of local authorities. Financial control would be handed to the head teacher and governors of a school.

Answer 64

Introduction of free schools so that charities, businesses, teachers and parents could start their own state-funded schools to compete with existing school.

Answer 65

Drive up standards and provide more choice in disadvantaged areas.

Answer 66

Schools could leave LEA control and become Academies. These continue to be state funded but had increased control over their affairs by attracting additional monies from business sponsorship and charities.

Answer 67

The education system is slowly privatised (not run by the state but funded by private communities).

Answer 68

Money has been saved by getting rid of EMA.

Answer 69

No evidence it improved standards and therefore abolished.

Answer 70

More money has been allocated to the most disadvantaged pupils in the UK, this is called the ‘pupil premium’ if schools take pupils from a poorer background they get more money.

Answer 71

To help disadvantaged students achieve.

Answer 72

Everyone to take exams at the end of the course.

Answer 73

To drive up standards and compete in the global market.

Answer 74

Universities fees were increased to up to £9000 per year.

Answer 75

To improve facilities and delivery of courses.

Answer 76

Schools to focus more on the teaching of traditional subjects such as English and Maths.

Answer 77

To drive up standards and complete in the global market.

Answer 78

1. Difficult to track if extra money given for disadvantaged pupils gets spent on them. 2. Tuition fees increasing to £9000 has put some students off from going especially the working class. 3. A lot of free schools have been set up in very middle class areas therefore excluded the working class.

Answer 79

Privatisation is where services that were once owned and provided by the state (government) are transferred to private companies.

Answer 80

1. Schools have to compete for students (customers) with other schools. 2. Parents now have the choice of where to send their children, just like you have the choice as to where you shop. 3. Teachers are entitled to more pay if their pupils do well in exams, just like an employee gets a bonus if the company does well. 4. Ofsted inspections to make sure the schools are running correctly. 5. League tables encourage schools to complete with each other.

Answer 81

Teacher training courses. School meals. School transport. Academies are funded largely by businesses not the government. School inspections are often conducted out. Exam boards. Marketing of schools (branding usually done by a private company). Forming educational policy is often based on the advice/research of private companies.

Answer 82

~Produces more business-like and efficient schools and therefore improves standards. ~More choices for parents. ~Pressure to improve failing schools.

Answer 83

~Money put into marketing a school rather than proving a good education in order to attract pupils. ~Parents ‘cherry pick’ schools and these tend to be the middle class. ~Schools can now go out of business. ~Schools tend to be selective and pick students who they think will get them better exam results (girls and the middle class).

Answer 84

``` League tables Parentocracy Free schools National Curriculum SATs Ofsted Academies (new style) University fees Funding formula ```

Answer 85

``` Free school meals Excellence in cities/education action zones Pupil premium Comprehensive system Sure start EMA Expansion of higher education Tripartite System ```

Answer 86

The 11+ exam - girls had to get a higher percentage than boys to get into a gramma school. Although it did give them the opportunity to go to Grammar schools and universities.

Answer 87

Made things equal for girls for the first time as they were now doing the same subjects as boys.

Answer 88

This involved female scientists visiting schools, not-sexist career advice and learning materials that reflected equality.

Answer 89

Encouraged girls to get involved with subjects traditionally aimed at boys.

Answer 90

Made it easier for girls to compete as they were conscientious and put more effort in.

Answer 91

It gives the opportunity for girls to learn about computers that would traditionally be seen as something for men.

Answer 92

Grants were given to primary schools to help boys with their literacy so they could push up their SATs results.

Answer 93

This included mentoring, after-school classes and e-tutorials for teenage boys in an attempt to improve their exam performance.

Answer 94

The idea that we are becoming more interconnected with other countries due to improved technology. Since the 1980’s organisation such as the World Bank and WTO have promoted Britain’s education system. Education is worth billions of pounds and we export our educational products all over the world especially South America and Asia.

Answer 95

1. Education is global business. | 2. International comparisons can be made.

Answer 96

~MOOC’s (massive online open courses). ~International Schools (Harrow have Schools in other countries e.g. Bangkok). ~University subsidiaries in other countries e.g. Liverpool - China. ~International Baccalaureate. ~Advertising - companies use educational websites to advertise products. ~International students- pay large fees. ~Multi-National Companies train students in UK or USA - brings in money or use UK based training courses abroad. ~We export UK trained teaching - seen as more qualified by other countries. ~British universities deemed better - degree is worth more. ~British qualifications more likely to be recognised globally e.g. Veterinary, medicine, nursing etc. ~ ~

Answer 97

1. Greater geographical mobility. 2. Better life changes. 3. Enables us to be part of a European and global community. 4. Provides equality of opportunity. 5. We can adapt to the changing economy better, preparing students for this new environment. 6. Tolerance and acceptance. 7. Hybrid cultures.

Answer 98

1. Focus on making money and marketing rather than education. 2. Some qualifications are worthless, especially those online. 3. Education doesn’t change global inequality on its own; it only has a small part to play. We need to challenge companies that employ child labour, write off third world debt etc. 4. The UK education system is not one size fits all. As education becomes increasingly similar it becomes less relevant to the needs of the individual.

Answer 99

PISA (Programme for International Student Assessment), TIMSS and PIRLS conduct tests every 3 to 5 years in order to rank countries in terms of educational performance. The UK is currently number 25.

Answer 100

1. To reassess existing policies to see where we are going wrong. 2. Implement new policies that have made a positive impact in other countries. Examples are: - The national literacy and numeracy strategy (2 hours everyday) - Slimming down the national curriculum (emphasis on academic subjects) most other counties concentrate on traditional subjects. - Raising the academic entry requirements for trainee teachers (2012) Sweden. - Super-heads (Labour 2006) - Experiments last year - inviting Chinese teachers to Britain resulted in the documentary 'are our kids tough enough?'.

Answer 101

1. Useful to see if the spending matches the outcome. 2. Comparing national standards. 3. Evidence for the government so that they can change or implement policy i.e. learn from others.

Answer 102

1. PISA etc. measure a narrow view of education e.g. maths and English. 2. Are the statistics valid? Is it an accurate view of how intelligent that country is? 3. Are the statistics reliable? Can you use the same test in every country and expect similar results? 4. They can lead to negatively labelling a nation as ‘stupid’. 5. Can lead to governments making rash decisions and implementing policies which could do more damage than good e.g. slimming down the curriculum (narrows choices and equality of opportunity). 6. Also means that governments have less control over education.

Answer 103

A term used by sociologist George Ritzer. He explains that is occurs when culture adopts the characteristics of a fast-food restaurants. Ritzer outlines four characteristics of McDonaldization: efficiency, predictability, calculability (quantifiable results) and control.

Answer 104

1. Efficiency - pupils are part of an assembly line put into large class sizes and treated all the same when in reality all they have in common is the year they were born. 2. Predictability - every student is expected to display the same skills at the same time e.g. GCSE’s. The national curriculum is the same for everyone, there is little choice. 3. Calculability - constant testing to make sure the product (pupil) is good enough. 4. Control - schools, are run by fear. Fear of not passing, fear of not going to university, fear of letting down parents etc.

Answer 105

~School are not just exam factories but also care about their pupils’ development as human beings. ~If school were just like McDonalds we wouldn’t have extracurricular activities or PHSE? Schools would just focus on subjects that you are tested on. ~Schools are not necessarily run on fear - a lot of primary schools are very nurturing. ~Are all students treated the same? Doesn’t this go against labelling theory and the formation of pupil subcultures?

Social Policy and Education (1) Flashcards

(130 cards)