The education debate (Policy and Politics in the Twenty-First Century) - Softcover

Ball, Stephen J.

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1447306880 ISBN 13: 9781447306887

Publisher: Policy Press, 2013

Synopsis

Education is a continuing key political issue for the UK government. It is seen as a crucial factor in ensuring economic productivity and competitiveness, in generating social mobility and tackling social inequality - but are these goals either feasible or compatible? In this fully updated edition of this bestselling book, Stephen J. Ball, a leading author in the field, guides us through the flood of government initiatives and policies of the past 20 years, including the Academies programme, parental choice, Free schools, National Curriculum and teaching standards. He looks at how these policy interventions have changed the landscape and meaning of education, turned children into 'learners' and parents into 'consumers', and played their part in the re-formation of contemporary governance. This authoritative and accessible book uses Ball's sociological approach to the analysis of current policies and ideas around education to address issues of class, choice, globalisation, race 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.

About this title

Review:

"The education debate is one of the clearest and most insightful analyses of education policy I have ever read. In this new edition, Stephen Ball once again documents why his work is essential for our understanding of educational politics and processes. The book can serve as a model for how one can write about these complex issues." Professor Michael W. Apple, University of Wisconsin

"Insightful and wholly accessible and contributes to broader debates about education policy, initiatives and economic imperatives found across public services." Critical Social Policy

"The Education Debate is a tour de force not only for its authority and penetration but also......its accessibility." Higher Education Review

"His introduction to key concepts should be required reading both for those engaged in policy making processes and those seeking to influence change in education." Runnymede Bulletin

"Stephen Ball provides the intellectual resources for understanding how education policy is produced, what it seeks to do and what its effects are. Theoretically and empirically adroit, it is essential reading for all those needing to understand education policy and politics. --Bob Lingard, Andrew Bell Professor of Education, The University of Edinburgh

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 ten ESRC-funded studies which focus on issues of social class and social and education policy. He has an honorary doctorate from Turku University, Finland, is Visiting Professor at the University of San Andres, Argentina, and a Fellow of the British Academy. He edits the Journal of Education Policy and his most recent books include How Schools Do Policy (with Meg Maguire and Annette Braun), Global Education Inc., Networks New Governance and Education (with Carolina Junemann), and Foucault, Power and Education.

About this edition

• Publisher: Policy Press
• Publication date: 2013
• ISBN 10: 1447306880
• ISBN 13: 9781447306887
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 2
• Number of pages: 272