Starter… RECAP Define the term ‘parentocracy’ mean? Outline the problems with league tables? Outline the funding formula

Globalisation and educational policy Define globalisation… “Globalisation is the process by which the world is becoming increasingly interconnected as a result of massively increased trade and cultural exchange. Globalisation has increased the production of goods and services. The biggest companies are no longer national firms but multinational corporations with subsidiaries in many countries.”

Globalisation and educational policy Globalisation is having increasing effects on the formation of educational policy, and national governments often draw on a mix of policies from all over the world. Globalisation has impacted educational policy in 2 ways: The privatisation and marketisation of education International comparisons

1. The privatisation and marketisation of education Education is a multi-billion-pound global market and large multi- national companies are seeking to gain access to these markets. Hancock (2014) estimated that education exports from British schools to ‘priority markets’ such as Brazil, China, Indonesia, Mexico, Turkey etc., and were £18 billion to UK economy (2012).

1. The privatisation and marketisation of education Many private companies in the education industry are foreign-owned according to Ball (2007): Edexcel – owned by the US educational publishing Pearson – GCSE exam answers are now marked in Sweden UK educational software companies are owned by global multi-nationals (e.g. Disney, the US toy companies) Many contracts for educational services in the UK are sold on by the original company to others such banks and investment funds.

2. International comparisons Huge range of international data available on all aspects of education for example, how international student achievement surveys which compare the educational performance of a range of countries. PISA (programme for International Student Assessment) participants.htm participants.htm These involve maths tests taken from representative samples of between 325,000 and 600,000 to 15 year old students from around countries. These monitor their education systems in a global context.

International comparisons - PISA

International data TIMSS – Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study PIRLS – Progress in International Reading Literacy Study Such surveys/data influence educational policies in many countries, they result in reassessments of existing policies to see whether they are working effectively, and formation of new policies However, they can lead to educational, economic and political moral panics, (‘PISA panic’) over the state of British education, by using international policies in British schools. This puts pressure on politicians and policy makers to import international policies to solve educational problems,

Examples of policies implemented as a result of international comparisons… 1.The national literacy and numeracy strategies – imposed on every primary school in England a requirement to teach two hours of literacy and numeracy a day. 2.Slimming down the national curriculum – ‘essential knowledge’ in English, maths and science and some other subjects (Coalition) 3.Raising the academic entry requirements for trainee teachers from 2012 – derived from comparisons in Finland who are world leaders in education.

2. Evaluation – AO3 Strengthslimitations + Useful to see whether education spending matches educational achievement. UK average spend is a lot more than other countries, yet it performs less well than other countries + useful for benchmarking (comparing) standards internationally + provide evidence for policy makers from other countries, what works and what doesn't. -TIMSS, PISA & PIRLS tests are based on a very narrow conception of education, these measures are focusing on a view that education is only for economic benefit -Test results don’t necessarily mean that the education received by students is better or worse in different counties, there are concerns with the reliability and validity of the tests. There are external factors that teachers/schools are unable to control.

Check your understanding Complete questions 4-8 on page 85…

Answers 4. Supporters of an education market believe it raises standards by making schools compete for ‘customers’ (parents and pupils) who can choose between them. To attract customers, schools have to be able to offer good quality education/exam success. 5. Any two of the following:  Reducing direct state control over education  Parental choice of school  Schools having to compete to attract pupils  Creating academies  Publication of league tables and Ofsted inspection reports  Business sponsorship of schools  Open enrolment  Specialist schools  Formula funding  Schools being allowed to opt out of local authority control  Introduction of tuition fees for higher education  Allowing parents and others to set up free schools

Answers 6. Private companies can profit from: building schools; providing supply teachers; providing work-based learning/careers advice/Ofsted inspection services; running local education authorities; selling contracts for educational services in the UK to overseas companies; exporting UK education policy to other countries and providing the services to deliver the policies. 7. Education policies that encourage minority ethnic pupils to assimilate into mainstream British culture, e.g. by learning to speak English. 8. Any two of the following: it wrongly believes that black pupils fail because of lack of self-esteem; it is tokenism; it picks out stereotypical features of minority cultures for inclusion in the curriculum; it fails to tackle institutional racism; it perpetuates cultural divisions rather than promoting a shared national culture and identity.

Policies on gender and ethnicity… Complete the mind map on page 15 using page 84 of the textbook.

Question “0 2 Identify three government policies that may have reduced social class differences in educational achievement. (6 marks)”

Question – 2013 MS