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The particular strength of this book is Geoff Whitty's grasp on and insights into the politics of education... he is able to bring to bear an authoritative perspective which is unrivaled in the United Kingdom. there is no other current book which compares in terms of the breadth and depth of this' - Professor Stephen Ball, Institute of Education, University of London This book aims to make sense of the changes in education policy over the past decade, using the resources of the sociology and politics of education. The author shows that wider sociological perspectives can help us to appreciate both the limits and the possibilities of educational change. Geoff Whitty illustrates this through studies of curriculum innovation, school choice, teacher professionalism and school improvement. He considers how far education policy can be used to foster social inclusion and social justice and the book concludes with an assessment of New Labour education policy in these terms. The book deals with education policy in England and Wales, as well as making comparisons with contemporary education policy in other countries. This book is relevant to students of education at masters and doctoral levels, students of social policy, and policy-makers.
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Making Sense of Education Policy iolog e Soc h t n i s e i d Stu on ucati d E f o s c i t i y and Pol Geoff Whitty eBook covers_pj orange.indd 44 29/1/08 8:47:04 pm Making Sense of Education Policy For Natalie Making Sense of Education Policy Studies in the Sociology and Politics of Education GEOFF WHITTY Director, Institute of Education, University of London ISBN 0‐7619‐7451‐2 (hbk) ISBN 0‐7619‐7452‐0 (pbk) © Geoff Whitty 2002 First published 2002 Reprinted 2003, 2005 Apart from any fair dealing for the purposes of research or private study, or criticism or review, as permitted under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act, 1988, this publication may be reproduced, stored or transmitted in any form, or by any means, only with the prior permission in writing of the publishers, or in the case of reprographic reproduction, in accordance with the terms of licences issued by the Copyright Licensing Agency. Inquiries concerning reproduction outside those terms should be sent to the publishers. Paul Chapman Publishing Ltd A SAGE Publications Company 1 Oliver’s Yard 55 City Road London EC1Y 1SP SAGE Publications Inc 2455 Teller Road Thousand Oaks California 91320 SAGE Publications India Pvt. Ltd B–42 Panchsheel Enclave PO Box 4109 New Delhi 110 017 British Library Cataloguing in Publication data A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library Typeset by PDQ Typesetting, Newcastle‐under‐Lyme, Staffordshire Printed and bound in Great Britain by Athenæum Press Limited, Gateshead, Tyne & Wear C ontents Acknowledgements 1. 2. vii Introduction: sociology and education policy 1 School knowledge and social education 27 3. Devolution and choice in three countries 46 4. Re-forming teacher professionalism for new times 64 5. Consumer rights versus citizen rights in contemporary 6. 7. 8. With Peter Aggleton and Gabrielle Rowe With Sally Power education policy 79 The overt and hidden curricula of quasi-markets 94 With Sally Power School improvement and social inclusion: limits and possibilities 107 New Labour, education policy and educational research 126 References 141 Index 165 v