Trading in Futures : Why Markets in Education Don't Work

by Hughes, David; Lauder, Hugh; Watson, Sue; Lander, Sietske; Thrupp, Martin; Strathdee, Rob

• ISBN13: 9780335202775
• ISBN10: 0335202772
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 1999-04-01
• Publisher: McGraw-Hill

Summary

This book shows that the faith in educational markets is misplaced. Throughout the English speaking world and now Western Europe and parts of East Asia parental choice and educational markets are being seen by politicians and policy advisors as the panacea to problems of low educational standards and social exclusion. This book is the first to systematically test the key assumptions underlying the faith in markets by linking an analysis of parental choice to flows of students between schools and their impact on school effectiveness. The results of this study suggest that the ability to realize choices is dependent on social class, gender and ethnicity and that this can have a negative impact on some schools' performance. Rather than raising standards the impact of markets is to polarise them, leading to an impoverished education for many students. This important book will be vital reading for students of educational policy, sociology of education and school effectiveness and improvement, educational researchers, academics and policymakers.

Author Biography

Ann Dupuis is a senior lecturer in Sociology at Massey University, New Zealand.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgements	vii
Introduction	1	(3)
The magic of the market?	4	(17)
Revealing the magician's tricks: the hidden hand of political conflict	21	(13)
Structuring the market: global orthodoxies, local politics	34	(8)
Choice and power in the market	42	(21)
The hidden injuries of school choice	63	(19)
Polarizing intakes: the impact of educational competition	82	(29)
The impact of markets on school performance	111	(28)
Conclusion	131	(8)
Appendix	139	(32)
Notes	171	(5)
References	176	(10)
Index	186