Law, Education, Politics, Fairness: England's Extreme Legislation for Education Reform

by Dan Gibton

Overview

England has by far the largest amount, frequency, and scope of educational law-based reform in the world. Since the beginning of the 1990s to 2011, a major education bill, not far bin size from No Child Left Behind, was accepted by England's parliament every two and a half years. This book presents England's legislation-based educational reform between 2000 and 2011 — the landscape, politics, agendas and voices from the field — and attempts to understand how this happened, why it happened, what are the politics and mechanisms of education policy and reform that fuelled it and were fuelled by it, who are the figures and organizations involved in it and that bear its impact.

The book is based on over 100 in-depth face-to-face interviews and will tell the story of this legislation, its politics and social agendas, whether overt or hidden, and the ways in which all these people view it and view what it has done to their work.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780854739226
Publisher:	UCL IOE Press
Publication date:	11/03/2013
Series:	Bedford Way Papers , #40
Pages:	256
Product dimensions:	6.60(w) x 9.50(h) x 0.70(d)

About the Author

Dan Gibton is a Lecturer in Educational Administration and Law at The Jaime and Joan Constantiner School of Education and Adjunct Lecturer at the Buchaman Faculty of Law, Tel-Aviv University in Israel.

Table of Contents

Foreword—Geoff Whitty
1. Introduction: Why study law-based education reform in England, and how to do so
2. Law-based education reform: The term, its origins, and its context
3. Law-based education reform from theory to practice: Three cases
4. From social democracy to neoliberalism? From the Education and Inspections Act, 2006, to the Education Act, 2011 (they’re not what you think)
5. The map of prominent figures in law-based reform, their views, and the roles they play
6. Ideology and politics, past and present, in law-based Reform
7. Tinker, tailor, soldier, spy: Four cases and four key figures in law-based reform
8. The unique driving force of ‘superheads’ in law-based reform
9. Legislation’s role, short- and long-term impact, and governance
10. Think tanks, local government, and the career cycle of players
11. Is legislation the remedy for school reform in England?
Conclusion, afterthoughts, and insights on fairness and equity
Appendix: The methodological–conceptual framework and the structure of the study
References
Index of subjects and names

Editorial Reviews

The field of law-based education reform has received insufficient attention as a framework for the analysis of and understanding of education policy. This is no longer the case with this riveting account of the interplay between legislation and education policy in England. The book is a must-read to understand the emergence of the most contested education policies of our time.”

Professor Ellen Goldring

"This book offers key theoretical and empirical insights into the role and implications of the use of legislation as a tool of education reform. Focusing primarily on England, although with international comparisons, it provides an engaging and well-informed exploration of the divergence between the world of education as seen through the lens of public legislation, and the operation of the schools system, under the influence of policy reform, on the ground."

Professor Neville Harris

The field of law-based education reform has received insufficient attention as a framework for the analysis of and understanding of education policy. This is no longer the case with this riveting account of the interplay between legislation and education policy in England. The book is a must-read to understand the emergence of the most contested education policies of our time.”

Professor Ellen Goldring Vanderbilt University

"This book offers key theoretical and empirical insights into the role and implications of the use of legislation as a tool of education reform. Focusing primarily on England, although with international comparisons, it provides an engaging and well-informed exploration of the divergence between the world of education as seen through the lens of public legislation, and the operation of the schools system, under the influence of policy reform, on the ground."

Professor Neville Harris University of Manchester

"This book offers key theoretical and empirical insights into the role and implications of the use of legislation as a tool of education reform. Focusing primarily on England, although with international comparisons, it provides an engaging and well-informed exploration of the divergence between the world of education as seen through the lens of public legislation, and the operation of the schools system, under the influence of policy reform, on the ground."

“The field of law-based education reform has received insufficient attention as a framework for the analysis of and understanding of education policy. This is no longer the case with this riveting account of the interplay between legislation and education policy in England. The book is a must-read to understand the emergence of the most contested education policies of our time.”

From the Publisher