Showing papers in "Journal of Education Policy in 1986"
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors investigate the ways in which HMI evaluate the performance of secondary schools in public examinations, and question whether the strategies adopted are equally fair to all schools, and to what extent understanding of schools' contexts (especially knowledge about ability levels at intake) is brought to bear in the summary assessments made.
Abstract: This paper investigates the ways in which HMI evaluate the performance of secondary schools in public examinations. It examines the 35 ‘long’ reports (i.e. those covering full inspections) published in the first year in which reports became publicly available, 1983. Four evaluative frameworks are identified as having been employed, and the manner in which these were utilized is analysed. The paper questions whether the strategies adopted are equally fair to all schools, and to what extent understanding of schools’ contexts (especially knowledge about ability levels at intake) is brought to bear in the summary assessments made.
36 citations
TL;DR: The TVEI, launched in November 1982, has been shaped by a number of long-term developments in British education, politics and society It is the latest manifestation of widely and often expressed concern, but belongs more precisely to a conservative tradition in education policy given new strength by its immediate political context as mentioned in this paper.
Abstract: The TVEI, launched in November 1982, has been shaped by a number of long‐term developments in British education, politics and society It is the latest manifestation of a widely and often expressed concern, but belongs more precisely to a conservative tradition in education policy given new strength by its immediate political context A symbol of Conservative policy in education, training and employment, it has become a scene of conflict over the nature of British society Since its inception it has been consolidated as a policy by addressing wider anxieties and problems shared by different interests but keeping favour with its patrons and original sponors Opposition to the TVEI has similarly arisen from a variety of areas but has found a natural focus in an alternative source of policy, the Labour Party The utilitarian rhetoric and objectives that accompanied the launch of the initiative seem to have been undermined by the process of consolidation, although the TVEI itself has been successfully establi
18 citations
TL;DR: This paper examined the impact of extra-educational factors on the collapse of the further education policy in the Australian state of Tasmania, an initiative which sought to integrate technical education, adult education and senior secondary colleges into one new organization.
Abstract: This article examines the impact of ‘extra‐educational’ factors on a holistic policy initiative in education: the collapse of the further education policy in the Australian state of Tasmania, an initiative which sought to integrate technical education, adult education and senior secondary colleges into one new organization. The article introduces a ‘phenomenological’ methodology which attempts to give credence to the diverse views of ‘organizational reality’ shared by different groups of participants in the policy. It provides a hermeneutic account of policy failure which lends support to the Popperian view that holistic social or educational planning is a naive and dangerous approach to introducing large‐scale social change.
14 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors argue that the Committee of Inquiry into the Education of Children from Ethnic Minority Groups (CEE-MING) could never achieve the goal of "legitimate the educational orthodoxy of multicultural education".
Abstract: In 1978 the then Labour Government agreed to establish a Committee of Inquiry into the Education of Children from Ethnic Minority Groups. Finally in 1985 after numerous changes in personnel (including the ‘resignation’ of the original chairperson) the committee produced its final report. Called Education for All it extended to 807 pages, had cost £692,618 to produce and was on sale at £24. Its role was to stimulate changes along multicultural lines throughout the various strata of the English education system. In short, it was intended to legitimate the educational orthodoxy of multicultural education. In this article I argue that this goal could never be achieved. To sustain this argument I look at the political origins of the committee, its original and then formal terms of reference, the ideological straitjacket within which it functioned and its tenuous relationship with the core of educational decision‐making in the UK. I conclude that the committee's impact on the mitigation of racial inequalities i...
11 citations
TL;DR: Since 1981 the Assisted Places Scheme (APS) as discussed by the authors has paid in part or in full the fees of several thousand pupils who are receiving their schooling in the pri..., which is the only scheme that pays in full or in part the fees for all pupils in the UK.
Abstract: Since 1981 the Assisted Places Scheme (APS), enacted by the 1980 (No. 2) Education Bill, has paid in part or in full the fees of several thousand pupils who are receiving their schooling in the pri...
11 citations
TL;DR: In this article, it is argued that disaffected secondary school pupils are increasingly exposed to pupil-centred pedagogy and a new collaborative staff development strategy, reminiscent of human relations management, is being developed.
Abstract: This paper is concerned with the management of consent and the emerging institutional forms which facilitate it. It is argued, first, that disaffected secondary school pupils are increasingly exposed to pupil‐centred pedagogy. Central government, however, must ensure the compliance of teachers for this policy. To this end, a new ‘collaborative’ staff development strategy, reminiscent of human relations management, is being developed. In summary, this represents an emerging isomorphism in the form of collaborative control in Scottish education: that is, a collaborative pedagogy in the classroom for ‘difficult’ pupils; and a collaborative, ‘soft’ managerial strategy on the part of officialdom when trying to structure the commitment of teachers who may be reluctant to effect the new pedagogy. A sub‐theme examines why progressivist pedagogy is now being proposed for some pupils by those who, in the 1970s, were openly critical of it.
11 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the authors discuss the concerted opposition to the proposals that developed amongst parents, teachers, politicians and others which led to the idea being soundly voted out in 1984.
Abstract: In September 1983 it was announced that Solihull Metropolitan Borough was considering reintroducing selective education in its secondary school system. This article documents the concerted opposition to the proposals that developed amongst parents, teachers, politicians and others which led to the idea being soundly voted out in 1984. The nature of this opposition is discussed, and it is argued that, while on the surface the defeat might be seen as a victory for the ideals of comprehensive education, a deeper analysis shows that support of those ideals was not at the forefront of the opposition.
9 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors present a philosophical critique of the widely accepted "technological" conception of policy analysis in education, arguing that the assumptions upon which the technological conception is based are fundamentally mistaken.
Abstract: This paper presents a philosophical critique of the widely accepted ‘technological’ conception of policy analysis in education. With the use of a Wittgensteinian understanding of language, it is argued that the assumptions upon which the technological conception is based are fundamentally mistaken. In particular it is argued that the fact‐value distinction is epistemologically incoherent, and that questions of moral value, which lie at the heart of all educational problems, can be rationally debated and assessed, and that they therefore should be regarded as integeral to educational policy analysis. With this philosophical undergrowth cleared, we can now work towards formulating a view of policy analysis as practical reason.
7 citations
TL;DR: The economic and social policies of Thatcherism have accentuated the rhetoric and reality of vocationalism as a widely acceptable counterpoint to an expansion of de facto selective provision which rewards the fractions of capital and class from which it expects support as mentioned in this paper.
Abstract: The Thatcher governments have invented very little in respect of current educational policy. Long standing struggles over central‐local control and the ‘naturalness’ of academic selection are central features around which policies advance and retreat. The economic and social policies of Thatcherism have, however, accentuated the rhetoric and reality of vocationalism as a widely acceptable counterpoint to an expansion of de facto selective provision which rewards the fractions of capital and class from which it expects support. There are few grounds for expecting an early reverse to these tendencies.
6 citations
TL;DR: This article reviewed evidence on the relationship between education and training, workforce skills and economic performance, and concluded that it would be helpful if TVEI's objectives were to be expressed in more detail, so as to provide a better basis for evaluation.
Abstract: Government support for the Technical and Vocational Education Initiative (TVEI) is based largely on the belief that it will contribute to the improvement of the UK's economic performance. This paper reviews evidence on the relationship between education and training, workforce skills and economic performance, and concludes that it would be helpful if TVEI's objectives were to be expressed in more detail, so as to provide a better basis for evaluation.
5 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors examine the implications of the Thomas report for the primary school curriculum and classroom practice and highlight the need for active intervention on the part of LEAs and the Inspectorate.
Abstract: This article examines some of the implications of the Thomas Report for the primary school curriculum and classroom practice. In particular it focuses upon the mathematics curriculum and language, reading and writing in the primary school and argues that the recommendations of the Thomas committee are in many respects lacking in detail and vision. The discussion of classroom practice highlights the point that if the recommendations are to be implemented active intervention is needed on the part of LEAs and the Inspectorate. Finally, the lack of discussion by the Thomas committee of evaluative procedures for curriculum development and classroom practice in primary schools is illuminated.
TL;DR: The authors examined the different ways in which, in England, national policies for education may be put into practice through the activities of that part of the central government administrative machinery responsible for education, the Department of Education and Science (DES).
Abstract: This paper examines the different ways in which, in England, national policies for education may be put into practice through the activities of that part of the central government administrative machinery responsible for education ‐ the Department of Education and Science (DES). The paper distinguishes between the necessarily weak procedures for bureaucratic accountability that provide for overt control in such a formally decentralized system and the increasingly significant, covert influence the DES can exert through various forms of indirect evaluative activity. In particular, it is suggested, it is the ability of central government through the DES to exert its influence indirectly by influencing the criteria of professional, self‐imposed accountability which is most critical in determining the impact of policy priorities. Such influence which utilizes the legitimate channels of professional discourse typically becomes incorporated into the various evaluative criteria influencing teachers’ own self‐impo...
TL;DR: In this article, the authors look at the school meals service and argue that it is an important topic which lies at the interface of educational and social policy, and review the history of the service as one of...
Abstract: This article looks at the school meals service and argues that it is an important topic which lies at the interface of educational and social policy. It reviews the history of the service as one of...
TL;DR: The authors reviewed and assessed some aspects of a 'grant-stock' of projects approved for support by the former Educational Research Board of the Social Science Research Council, (SSRC), and now the responsibility of the Education and Human Development Committee of the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC).
Abstract: The article reviews and assesses some aspects of a ‘grant‐stock’ of projects approved for support by the former Educational Research Board of the Social Science Research Council, (SSRC), and now the responsibility of the Education and Human Development Committee of the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC). It analyses the methodology, subject matter and style of the approved projects and concludes that a somewhat broader range of work has been supported than critics of ESRC/SSRC might at first suppose. At the same time, the evaluation reveals certain areas of weakness too: insufficient use of theory, insufficient time allocated for analysis, and an overly strong reliance on methodological approaches akin to those employed in the natural sciences. The article concludes with a discussion of implications for policy and practice arising from the evaluation. * An earlier version of this paper was presented to an ESRC sponsored conference on Sociology and the Teacher, September 9th‐llth, 1985. I should l...
TL;DR: Two major Advisory Council for Adult and Continuing Education (ACACE) reports address the need for new policies for continuing education as mentioned in this paper and the work of the recently emerging Educational Guidance Services for Adults (EGSAs).
Abstract: Two major Advisory Council for Adult and Continuing Education (ACACE) reports address respectively the need for new policies for continuing education (ACACE 1982/1985), and the work of the recently emerging Educational Guidance Services for Adults (EGSAs) (Butler et al. 1984). The context of these two reports differs from that of the most recent major policy review of adult education, the Russell report (DES 1973); the social, political and economic climate is markedly different, with much higher relevant uncertainty affecting education; new concepts of lifelong education have meanwhile taken hold; and the term ‘continuing education’ has come to embrace all post‐experience education. Narrow vocationalism represents a threat to ACACEs broader vision for a continuing eduation system, while demographic changes present a rare opportunity to redeploy resources economically to serve the growing adult clientele for education. The main ACACE report calls for an integrated policy and system of continuing education...
TL;DR: In this article, the authors provide a framework of future actions by schools and LEAs and question the basis on which certain of Swann's proposals were made and calls for a more open acceptance that what is envisaged is a form of bargain: a promise of change in schools in return for the confidence of the ethnic minorities.
Abstract: The article attempts to provide a framework of future actions by schools and LEAs. It questions the basis on which certain of Swann's proposals were made and calls for a more open acceptance that what is envisaged is a form of bargain: a promise of change in schools in return for the confidence of the ethnic minorities. Areas of potential weakness are explored; in particular the role of the Churches as providers of education is examined in a way which looks forward towards partnership rather than in the negative and politically‐unrealistic context in which Swann views them. The process of arriving at policy is seen as crucial. The prospect of policy statements without staff involvement in the processes of evaluation and development is viewed with scepticism. The major dilemma of the place of schools as organizations which operate with their own values in a situation where calls are made for a type of shared‐value context is addressed. The place of teaching styles within that debate is also discussed.
TL;DR: The Green Paper, Higher Education into the 1990s is examined in the light of changes in higher education in both Britain and Europe as discussed by the authors, and the main criticism outlined here is that the policies of the Green Paper are inconsistent with the goals it seeks to achieve and destructive of educational life chances, particularly of potential students from a working class background.
Abstract: The Green Paper, Higher Education into the 1990s is examined in the light of changes in higher education in both Britain and Europe. The point is stressed that the phase of expansion without structural change has ended. Reasons for the sense of crisis which pervade higher education in Britain are noted briefly prior to a description of the main contents of the Green Paper. Some of the criticisms levelled at the Green Paper are referred to. The main criticism outlined here is that the policies of the Green Paper are inconsistent with the goals it seeks to achieve and destructive of educational life chances, particularly of potential students from a working class background. Educational values are being eroded in the interests of political and economic expediency.
TL;DR: In this article, the authors consider the involvement of schools and teachers in schemes which develop work with young offenders as an alternative to prosecution and raise issues about the consequences of schools involvement in this kind of policy initiative which begins outside the educational system and entails co-operation with professional workers in other statutory agencies.
Abstract: This article considers the involvement of schools and teachers in schemes which develop work with young offenders as an alternative to prosecution. Data from one such experimental scheme are presented and discussed. Issues are raised about the consequences of schools’ involvement in this kind of policy initiative which begins outside the educational system and entails co‐operation with professional workers in other statutory agencies. A central theme is whether a tightening of the welfare network in this way is unambiguously in the interests of young people.
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors consider the possibility of a "cuts culture" in which continuing contraction is planned for as part of corporate policy and raise important questions about the nature of schooling, the relationship between schools and the community and control over the financing of education.
Abstract: The financial constraints imposed upon local government over the past decade have forced many authorities to make savings rapidly and in conditions of considerable uncertainty. Education, as the largest spender and with falling pupil numbers, has often provided the bulk of these savings. In many authorities these have been made in an unplanned, piecemeal fashion and have seriously damaged the service. This paper considers the possibility of a ‘cuts culture’ in which continuing contraction is planned for as part of corporate policy. It raises important questions about the nature of schooling, the relationship between schools and the community and control over the financing of education. It suggests that a case might be made for substantial change, but not unbridled, insensitive reform. The importance of defending, as well as reforming the system is stressed, and the organizational implications of this are considered.
TL;DR: The ILA's report Improving Primary Schools appears, at first reading, deceptively orthodox, and most of its comments on the present state of the primary curriculum would receive general support from educators and administrators as mentioned in this paper.
Abstract: ILEA's Report Improving Primary Schools appears, at first reading, deceptively orthodox. Few of its curricular recommendations on, for example, planning, progress and continuity, are either new or controversial, and most of its comments upon the present state of the primary curriculum would receive general support from educators and administrators. However, it is in several respects a radical document. Its curricular recommendations are set within a clear ideological framework; the interests of the multi‐ethnic, working class children for whom it was conceived, and of their parents, are kept firmly in view. The bases for judging achievement are broadened to include social and practical skills and motivation. Accountability is seen as a two‐way process: whole‐school development plans are to be made mandatory and will be contractually binding on all participants, including the Authority. Teachers will need to acquire negotiative and collaborative skills suitable for greatly increased work with fellow adults...