Neoliberalism and New Right Theory of Education

Neoliberalism and New Right Theory of Education

1. Schools should become more like businesses, treating parents and students like consumers

2. The New Right

   • People are best left to meet their own needs
   • Functionalist Similarities
     • People are more talented than others
     • Both favour an education system based on meritocracy and helps to increase competition whilst preparing young people for work.
     • Both believe the education should socialise pupils into shared values and instill a national identity
   • The education system is failing because it is run by the state.
   • The lower standards are due to the education system being inefficient and unresponsive because it doesn't need to answer to parents, pupils and local people/issues.
     • This results in a less prosperous economy and a less qualified workforce
     • The solution is to create an 'education market' to increase competition between schools. This increases efficiency and the ability to meet the needs of pupils, parents and employers

3. John Chubb and Terry Moe (1990): Consumer Choice

   • State run education has failed in US because
     • Not created equal opportunity
     • Fails to produce pupils wth the skills needed to benefit the economy
     • Private schools get better results because they are answerable to paying customers - Parents
   • Pupils from low-income families do around 5% better in private schools.
   • An education market would put control with the parents. The consumers would shape schools to meet requirements that the local economy needs. Improving efficiency and quality.
     • Schools would have to compete for parent's business by improving their product.

4. Two Roles for State

   • Imposing a framework for schools to compete through Ousted inspections and league tables that allow parents to make a decision between school choices.
   • A shared culture is transmitted through the National Curriculum. Guaranteeing socialisation into a single cultural heritage.
   • Overall, the education system should affirm the National Identity. Britain's positive aspects should be emphasised with pupils integrated into a single set of traditions and values.

5. Evaluation Points

   • Gewirtz (1995) and Ball (1994) suggest that competition in the education system benefits middle-class people who can use cultural and economic capital to access better schools
   • Social inequality and inadequate funding is the real reason for low standards
   • Contradiction between parental choice and national curriculum.