School Choice How Parents Negotiate the New School Market in Australia

by Campbell, Craig; Proctor, Helen; Sherington, Geoffrey

• ISBN13: 9781741756562
• ISBN10: 1741756561
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2009-02-01
• Publisher: Allen & Unwin

Summary

Explores the dilemmas many parents face when choosing a school for their children, and the impact of the growing gap between public and private schools on families, schools and the community. What's the real barbecue stopper in Australian suburbs today? It's choosing a school for our children. Based on extensive interviews with parents,School Choicereveals their experience of the school selection process. Some are bruised or frustrated. Others feel that schools, not parents, have the real power to choose who goes to which school. As more non-government schools open and criticism of government schools becomes common, the pressure on families increases to find the right school. This book examines the anxieties, aspirations and strategies of parents, and how schools are promoting themselves and managing the selection process. School Choiceasks why different families attempt to get their children into different kinds of schools. Who gets into selective academic schools? Why are new low-fee Christian schools becoming popular? Are parents departing from family traditions? Do coaching colleges make a difference? What does it mean when parents talk about religion and values in schooling? What strategies work and what don't? The new school market is reshaping Australian society now and for the long term.School Choicelooks behind the brochures and websites to examine what's happening to families and schools, and who are the winners and losers.

Author Biography

Craig Campbell, Dr. Helen Proctor, and Professor Geoffrey Sherington are all from the Faculty of Education and Social Work at the University of Sydney. This book is based on a major four-year research project funded by the Australian Research Council.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgements	p. vi
The authors	p. viii
Introduction	p. 1
The middle class and the market	p. 13
The middle class and education	p. 15
School markets then and now	p. 36
Who goes where	p. 57
How middle-class families choose schools	p. 81
Family traditions	p. 83
Selective schools	p. 103
Localities and choice	p. 124
People like us	p. 141
Religious and secular values	p. 160
The future	p. 179
Appendix: Research method and data	p. 190
Bibliography	p. 197
Index	p. 204
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