Education and the Labour Government: An Evaluation of Two Terms

by Walford; Geoffrey

• ISBN13: 9780415368704
• ISBN10: 0415368707
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2006-07-07
• Publisher: Routledge

Summary

This book presents a valuable and authoritative evaluation of the real impact Labours two terms have had on the British education system. On the 1 May 1997 the British Electorate witnessed a watershed moment. After an eighteen year Conservative rule, a New Labour Government took office. When asked what his top three priorities were for the first term, Tony Blair stated that they would be Education, education, education. This book questions the extent to which the policy has met the rhetoric, by examining Labours education policy, practice, and achievements during Blairs two terms in office. This new selection of writings by highly respected academics in this field charts and evaluates the effects of policy changes on the various sectors of the educational system and on the major indicators of inequality. This book was previously published as a special issue of the Oxford Review of Education.

Table of Contents

Introduction : education and the Labour government	p. 1
Transforming the early years in England	p. 9
Primary schooling under New Labour : the irresolvable contradiction of excellence and enjoyment	p. 27
Diversity, specialisation and equity in education	p. 45
Labour government policy 14-19	p. 69
New Labour and higher education	p. 85
Lifelong learning and the Labour governments 1997-2004	p. 99
New Labour and teacher education : the end of an era	p. 117
Reinventing 'inclusion' : New Labour and the cultural politics of special education	p. 133
Race, ethnicity and education under New Labour	p. 151
A reconstruction of the gender agenda : the contradictory gender dimensions in New Labour's educational and economic policy	p. 171
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