The education debate

225 Pages·2008·6.547 MB·English

by  Stephen J Ball

Policy and Politics in the Twenty-First Century
Policy and Politics in the Twenty-First Century
This exciting series offers a guide through some of today’s most hotly contested t
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policy issues by distinguished leaders in the field. Each book untangles current policy
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debates, looking behind the rhetoric and spin to discover what is at the core of

contemporary political agendas. Authors present their own perspectives and make e
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recommendations for what could – or should – be our priorities for future policy
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reform.
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‘Stephen Ball provides the intellectual resources for understanding how io
education policy is produced, what it seeks to do and what its effects are. n
Theoretically and empirically adroit, it is essential reading for all those needing d
to understand education policy and politics.’ e
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Bob Lingard, Andrew Bell Professor of Education, a
The University of Edinburgh t
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Tony Blair’s 1996 pre-election speech put ‘education, education, education’ firmly at S the
the centre of the policy stage. Education has since become a key political issue and a
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major focus of media attention. It is also seen as a crucial factor in ensuring economic e
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productivity and competitiveness. But whose interests are at the centre of this shift in
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education policy? And how could things be if we thought about education differently?
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n debate
In this enthralling book, Stephen J. Ball guides us through the flood of government

initiatives and policies that have been introduced over the past 20 years, including J
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beacon schools, the academies programme, parental choice, foundation schools, faith B
schools and teaching standards. He looks at the politics of these policy interventions a
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and how they have changed the face of education, ‘joining up’ policy within a broader l
framework of initiatives, turning children into ‘learners’ and parents into ‘consumers’.
Ball’s sociological approach to analysing and making sense of current policies and ideas Stephen J. Ball
around education uncovers issues of class, choice, globalisation, equality and citizenship,
as well as the conflicting needs of children and families on the one hand and the
economy and the state on the other.
EDUCATION/POLITICS
ISBN 978-1-86134-920-0
www.policypress.org.uk
9 781861 349200
THE
EducaTion
dEBaTE
Stephen J. Ball
First published in Great Britain in 2008 by
The Policy Press
University of Bristol
Fourth Floor, Beacon House
Queen’s Road
Bristol BS8 1QU
Tel [phone]
Fax [phone]
e-mail [email protected]
www.policypress.org.uk
© Stephen J. Ball 2008
British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
A catalog record for this book has been requested
ISBN 978 1 86134 920 0 paperback
The right of Stephen J. Ball to be identified as author of this work has
been asserted by him in accordance with the 1988 Copyright, Designs and
Patents Act.
All rights reserved: no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in
a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic,

mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise without the prior
permission of The Policy Press.
The statements and opinions contained within this publication are solely
those of the author and not of The University of Bristol or The Policy
Press. The University of Bristol and The Policy Press disclaim responsibility
for any injury to persons or property resulting from any material published
in this publication.
The Policy Press works to counter discrimination on grounds of gender,
race, disability, age and sexuality.
Cover design by In-Text Design, Bristol.
Front cover: photograph kindly supplied by www.corbis.com
Printed and bound in Great Britain by Henry Ling Ltd, Dorchester.
contents
List of tables, figures and boxes iv
List of abbreviations vi
About the author ix
Acknowledgements x
Preface by Michael Hill, Series Editor xi
Introduction: education education education policy 1
1 Introduction to key concepts: education policy, economic 11
necessity and public service reform
2 Class, comprehensives and continuities: a short history of 55
English education policy
3 Current policy models and The UK government’s approach 101
to public service reform
4 Current key issues: forms of policy and forms of equity 153
5 A sociology of education policy: past, present and future 193
References 207
Index 227

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the education debate
List of tables, figures
and boxes
Tables
1.1 The language of reform technologies 42
2.1 Shifts, ruptures and the state 57
2.2 Attendance at selective secondary schools (%) 68
4.1 HE achievement 159
Figures
3.1 The UK government’s model of public service reform: 103
a self-improving system
3.2 A genealogy of competition and contestability 121
3.3 A genealogy of diversity and contestability (schools) 125
3.4 A genealogy of choice and voice 136
3.5 A genealogy of teacher ‘modernisation’ and flexibilisation 148
4.1 ‘Race’, class and gender gaps in educational achievement 174
4.2 A genealogy of meritocracy 182
Boxes
1.1 The pressures of policy 4
2.1 Comprehensive f actors 69
2.2 Conservative privatisations 79
2.3 New Labour and the fourth rupture 85
2.4 New Labour texts 91
3.1 The intellectuals of New Labour 104
3.2 Failing schools under-reported 115
3.3 Sure Start 129
3.4 Choice and equity 133
3.5 The Beacon schools programme 141
4.1 Social exclusion 154
4.2 Social capital 155
iv
list of tables, figures and boxes
4.3 Black pupils close GCSE grade gap 166
4.4 ‘Race’ reports 169
4.5 Some New Labour ‘race’ equality initiatives 171
4.6 New Labour, ‘race’ and education 173
4.7 Failure to cut truancy makes ministers get tough on 176
parents
5.1 Higher standards: Better schools for all 196

v
List of abbreviations
APU Assessment of Performance Unit
ARK Absolute Return for Kids
ASEAN AAssssoocciiaattiioonn ooff SSoouutthheeaasstt AAssiiaann NNaattiioonnss aanndd JJaappaann
AST Advanced skills teacher
BSF Building Schools for the Future
CCT Compulsory competitive tendering
CLEA Council of Local Education Authorities
CRE Commission for Racial Equality
CTC City Technology College
DES Department for Education and Science
DCSF Department for Children, Schools and Families
DfEE Department for Education and Employment
DfES Department for Education and Skills
DIUS Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills
DTI Department of Trade and Industry
EAZ Education Action Zone
EFA Education for All
EiC Excellence in Cities
EU European Union
FE Further education
FEFC Further Education Funding Council
GATS Gener al Agreement on Trade in Services
GATT General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade
GDP Gross domestic product
GEMS Global Education Management Systems
GTC General Teaching Council
HE Higher education
HEFCE Higher Education Funding Council of England
HLTA Higher-level teaching assistant
HMI Her Majesty’s Inspector
ICT Information and communications technology
ILAs Individual learning accounts
ILEA Inner London Education Authority
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list of abbreviations
IMF International Monetary Fund
IT Information technology
ITT Initial teacher training
LEA Local education authority
LMS Local management of schools
LPSH Leadership Programme for Serving Headteachers
MP Member of Parliament
NAHT National Association of Headteachers
NAO National Audit Office
NCC National Curriculum Council
NCSL National College for School Leadership
NFER National Foundation for Educational Research
NGO Non-governmental organisation
NIS National innovation system
NNVS National Nursery Voucher Scheme
NPM New public management
NPQH National Professional Qualification for Headship
NUT National Union of Teachers
NWA National Workload Agreement
ODPM Office of the Deputy Prime Minister
OECD Organisation for Economic Co-operation and
Development
Ofsted Office for Standards in Education
PFI Private finance initiative

PISA PPrrooggrraammmmee ffoorr IInntteerrnnaattiioonnaall SSttuuddeenntt AAsssseessssmmeenntt
Plasc Pupil level annual school census
PMSU Prime Minister’s Strategy Unit
PPP Public–private partnership
PRU Pupil Referral Unit
PSLN Primary Strategy Learning Network
PWC PricewaterhouseCoopers
QAA Quality Assurance Associates
QCA Qualifications and Curriculum Authority
QTS Qualified teacher status
RAE Research Assessment Exercise
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the education debate
RoAs Records of achievement
SAP Structural adjustment programme
SATs Standard assessment tasks
SCAA School Curriculum and Assessment Authority
SEAC Schools Examination and Assessment Council
TAs Teacher assessments
TES Times Education Supplement
TGAT Task Group on Assessment and Testing
TTA Teacher Training Agency
Ufi University for Industry
UNESCO United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural
Organization
WTO World Trade Organization

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about the author
Stephen J. Ball is Karl Mannheim Professor of the Sociology of
Education at the Institute of Education, University of London. His
work is in ‘policy sociology’ and he has conducted a series of ESRC
funded studies which focus on issues of social class and policy. He
has an honorary doctorate from Turku University, Finland, is Visiting
Professor at the University of San Andrés, Argentina and is a Fellow
of the British Academy.

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